I’ve been practicing photography seriously for around ten years, and one thing I have always been told is that gear doesn’t matter. One thing I have learned in that time is that this is not an absolute. The gear doesn‘t matter, but it also does.
There is a famous quote by Chase Jarvis:
“The best camera is the one you have with you”
I agree with this statement to a point. Of course if you see something worth taking a picture of then you need to use what you have available, whether that’s an expensive DSLR or your smart phone. The goal is to get the picture, but it is nice when you have a good camera.
Having the right gear makes the world of difference. The camera you choose needs to be comfortable to use and have the necessary features to take the pictures you want to take.
I rarely go out specifically to take pictures so I need a camera that I can keep on my person at all times. Therefore I choose a pocket sized camera.
Another example is if you were looking to be a sports photographer, a Ricoh GR isn’t going to cut it. You’ll need something with interchangeable lenses and lightening fast autofocus.
So to conclude, saying that the gear does matter is not the same as saying that you must have the latest and greatest camera. It just means that you need to find the camera that allows you to take the kind of pictures that you want to take.