Why I own Nikon and Fuji camera systems

 
 
 

I now own two camera systems, and I am not alone.

My friend Gary S. Chapman put it perfectly yesterday when I was talking to him. He believes we have returned to how we used to be before digital, multiple formats for the right job.

I used to shoot with 4×5 Linhoff, 2 1/4 Hasselblad and 35mm Nikon film cameras. Then we all tried to get one camera to do it all when digital came along.

For a while, I think that is what I was doing and, to a certain extent, the Nikon D4 is doing. I shoot sports, do general assignment work, and, most crucial, add–VIDEO. The Fuji system isn’t cutting it for two of the three things I regularly shoot: Sports and Video.

So I find I love Fuji X-E2 for shooting what I call general assignment still photography works excellently. It does affect your workflow just a bit. The Fuji does take longer to ingest because the file sizes are almost double the Nikon D4 RAW files.

Many of the clients that I shoot for are all photographers themselves. Some of them have bought the Fuji system based on what they saw from my images caught with the Fuji system. The Fuji system is like the Leica M series when I shot that with film. So I think for a while Fuji X system for many photographers will be an addition but not a replacement system.

Like I want one camera bag to do it all, I think I want a camera system to do it all. So, just like I own multiple bags for different purposes, I will also hold other cameras for various purposes.

I find that if I need some camera gear—meaning if it will help me retain or get new clients the equipment always pays for itself. I would not own most of my system if this were a hobby. I couldn’t justify it. Lucky for me the gear keeps me quite competitive in this ever-changing market.