Flagship bodies are the showboats of any camera manufacturer, released among fanfare and celebration with glowing reviews from ambassadors who have worked with the major brands behind the scenes ahead of the launch. But the sport and press focus, and the price point of the cameras can make them feel somewhat exclusive.
Fixation is lucky enough to work with photographers in all genres. We invited some of our customers to talk about using Nikon, Canon and Sony flagship camera bodies for their work to cut through the hype and find out why they are the cameras of choice for a wide range of subjects.
First up, for Nikon, we have music and food photographer Justine Trickett, read her take on working with the Nikon D4s below.
I work with a Nikon D4s because I require high performance and fully manual control that isn’t compromised by gimmicks. When I was choosing the camera I wanted something that felt as close to a manual film camera as possible but with a really good digital sensor and image processing. It also needed to be sturdy for my festival work so I am glad that there is no pop-up flash or tilt screen as I would probably break these, and the weather sealing has successfully seen me through blizzards and powder paint fights.
A feature I find invaluable is the high ISO performance. A lot of my work involves conveying the mood of available light and therefore I require a camera with an image sensor which can give me a similar level of quality for low light photography as for photos shot in daylight. My commissions vary – for restaurant and art gallery clients they can be asking for photos of their guests enjoying themselves in the evenings, whereas for live music photography you want to capture outstanding split-second moments in flashing lights – but for many of my low light shoots a common theme is that I find myself pushing my camera ISO to 4000+. These photos simply wouldn’t be possible without a camera like the Nikon D4s which can handle these higher ISOs well.
I would likely stick with this camera series in the future so long as it still fits my requirements and continues to be focused on the essential needs of professional photographers.
Justine Trickett is a photographer and writer specialising in live music, festival and food photography. See more of her work at justinetrickett.com