The reciprocal rule can help reduce camera blur caused by shake. However, this is also influenced by several things:
1. Camera holding technique
If the way you hold your camera is bad enough to cause a lot of shaking, the reciprocal rule doesn't seem optimal, you need to use a faster shutter speed. Especially for equipment that is quite large and heavy, you need to learn how to hold it well.
2. Camera resolution
In today's era, camera resolutions are increasing and they have more pixels. However , higher resolutions result in more intolerance to camera shake compared to lower resolution cameras. If you are using a high resolution camera, it is recommended to increase the shutter speed higher.
3. Subject size and distance
If you want to photograph a small object at a fairly long distance and you want to get details of the object, then you can use a shutter speed that is faster than the reciprocal rule.
4. Image stabilization
If the lens or camera you are using has an Image Stabilizer or VR feature, you can reduce camera shake by moving the camera sensor. This stabilization feature varies greatly depending on the type and brand of lens. For example, Nikon and Canon claim 2-4 times the compensation potential on lenses, while Olympus claims up to 5 times compensation.
This figure can reduce quite far from the figure recommended by the reciprocal rule. On the Nikon 80-400mm lens which is claimed to have up to 4 stops of compensation, you can reduce the shutter speed by up to 16 times. For example, if you shoot with a focal length of 400mm, then at least you have to use a shutter speed of 1/400 second, but with the VR feature you can use a shutter speed of 1/25 second and the results are sharp, as long as the object doesn't move and you hold the camera perfectly.