Crestock's Worst image archive

Now let’s take a look at the Crestock’s Worst Image archive, these are just some of the submissions that reviews have to look at, so imagine their every day gowning frustration.

It was quite interesting to compare this new “entry-level” DSLR with my trusty, not that old EOS 50D. I’m more then astonished by the results that I got. I had wrote “entry-level” cause this camera is offering much more then some previous entry level amateur camera (ex EOS 350D). From the EOS 450D, this class of the Canon’s cameras has risen for the amateur class, and with the new 500D they are closer to the professional class, more then ever.

Some of the latest and more important improvements are: new optical sensor, almost the same as that in 50D, with optical resolution of 15 megapixels. Almost the same, means that the picture quality is completely the same. But Canon has reduced the number of IO ports on the sensor, and because of that 500D can produce only 3.5 fps at full resolution – comparing to 6.3 fps that 50D can do. And you know that this is not a crucial difference for stock photography. Also 500D has the new generation of image processor – DIGIC IV. Same as the 50D and 5D Mk II. Consequences are less noise in pictures, even on higher ISO settings. Better and faster processing working with 14bit RAWs is much faster – now. And the new user interface, same as the 50D and 5D Mk II. Which is much more intuitive, and easier to adapt.

Unboxing new Canon EOS 500D – unfortunately the titles are in Serbian.

Also, Canon said goodbye to the old 3” LCD with 230k pixel resolution and has implemented new 3” LCD with 920k pixel resolution, also same as on the 50D. New better LCD will not make your photos better, but  working with this camera is now pure enjoyment.

Also few of the advanced options, available usually on higher class cameras has come in 500D. Such as Peripheral Illumination Correction option which will fix the dark corners, caused by the lens vignetting. Note that this feature will work only on Canon made lenses. I have test it with the new kit lens, 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 IS, it really make a difference. Unfortunately if you own some third party lens, for example Sigma 18-125mm 3.5-5.6, only option is to shot with f/8 and higher where vignetting is less or fixing it up in post processing latter.

Also new 500D comes with the video recording option, it records in full HD resolution 1920 x 1080 @ 20 fps and HD resolution of 1280x 720 @ 30fps. Video recording is limited to 30 minutes, which is more then enough if you are interested in expanding your stocking business to stock video. Large sensor size, comparing to regular digital camcorders, is making nice DOF effect on recorded video, quite similar like movie cameras.

One of the few things that you will lack on this camera is first of all body size, it’s to small – actually same as the predecessor, which is just too small for my big hands. And it’s missing the WB settings where you can enter the temperature of the light that you use in your studio. Also this is not such an obstacle cause you can shot a blank white paper and set the custom WB for your studio light setup.

Overall this is a great camera, almost perfect for the micro-stocking, even the new kit lens 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is far more better from it’s predecessor with out the IS. So it will be a good companion beginning micro-stocking business.

And it’s HD video recording abilities will make you seriously consider entering video stocking world.
Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens is available on Amazon for about $850

I was away, for almost a year, quite enough time to officially proclaim the death of PhotoStockBlog. However, cause all the changes in my personal life, in next year I will have quite enough time for Microstock photography and to photography in general.

In the meantime, I have equipped a small photo studio with one colleague of mine, officially called FotoManijak studio.

So bottom line is, in next few weeks I will refresh the minimum equipment combos for starting microstock photography. In past year manufacturers has reviled so much new, prices of older equipment has been reduced drastically. But lately we are witnessing that the prices of photo equipment doesnt follow that trend. Mainly as the effect of the global economic crisis.

We will se if, or better how the global economic crisis will affect microstock market.

Important Notification! – this post is out of date – track us via RSS, cause we will refresh all equipment packs for microstocking as soon as posible.

We are still in the entry level class DSLR, but now we are going a bit further from the low budget equipment plan.

The base of this package is latest Canon’s entry level DSLR Digital Rebel XSi ( EOS 450D ), this time in the kit option. Rebel Xsi is coming in kit with more then exceptional EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens, note that this lens is a totally different story compared to the non stabilized EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, which has been the part of the EOS 350D ( Digital Rebel XT ) and EOS 400D ( Digital Rebel XTi) kit.

If you had read previous article about the under $500 microstock combo, I was recommending Digital Rebel XT and now for this under $1000 class I’m recommending the latest, recently presented EOS 450D. You can notice that I had skipped the EOS 400D, the main reason for doing so is that the 400D is just a bit improved compared to the 350D. And the new EOS 450D is a real revolution compared to the previous models, also the price difference tween 400D and 450D is not that significant.

Also you have noticed that I’m generally recommending Canon DSLR models, I have been used Canon’s and Nikon’s cameras, also I had an opportunity to test Sony’s Alpha. Simply the main reason for that is the Canon’s DSLR models is providing the best overall results – currently.

Microstock agencies are quite sensitive on the amount of the color noise on your photo submissions, and the Canon DSLR lineup is providing the best results – at least in the case of color noise. Another reason for choosing a Canon system over the Nikon for this purpose is the prices, Canon’s DSRL are one of the most affordable digital cameras in the market.

The Canon Digital Rebel XSi body has been presented with the new optical sensor with 12 Megapixels, which is important also cause you will earn more money for selling “bigger” images. Also comparing to the EOS 350D, new camera has few useful improvements such as sensor dust cleaning system, 14 bit A/D converter, spot metering mode and the ISO value always visible in the viewfinder. These things will make your microstocking job much easier.

The XSi body is coming in kit with the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens. This lens is a whole new and doesn’t share a thing with it’s predecessor. It’s not the world champion of the sharpness, but it is capable to produce more then decent photos – decent enough for passing on microstock agencies.

You shouldn’t forget the great plastic fantastic Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens, I know that you have covered 50mm range with the kit lens, but note that the kit lens can not provide less then F4.6 on the 50mm focal length. So for shooting portraits or shotting somethings in the lower ambient light, 50mm F1.8 will come irreplaceable.

You will need some kind of memory card for this combo also, if you are shooting in RAW format, and you should if you want best results. You shouldn’t go below the 4GB memory cards, 12Megapixel 14 bit RAW file from XSi will consume more space then the 12bit RAW from it’s older 8 mega pixel brother.

The good thing that the Canon XSi camera is using different kind of memory cards ( compared to it’s predecessors ), SD cards are smaller, cheaper and even faster the the Compact flash standard.
I’m recommending Sandisk Ultra II SDHC 4GB SD Memory Card. There are higher capacity cards, but I prefer to use multiple memory cards over using one high capacity card. Memory card can die, it’s not that often on the Sandisk models, but it happens. “Don’t put all your eggs in the same basket” – if one of your memory cards dies on you, you will still have at least the half of you photo session. It’s better then nothing.

The Canon Digital Rebel XTi in the kit with optically stabilized EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens with additional Canon’s 50mm F1.8 II lens and a 4GB SD card will cost you something about a $1000. This package will provide much more flexibility compared to the Budget pack, but it costs twice as much. If you are serious about your photo stocking ambition, and you can afford it, this kind of starting package will get you the best value for your money.

Important Notification! – this post is out of date – track us via RSS, cause we will refresh all equipment packs for microstocking as soon as posible.

We had seen that the DSLR cameras are the best choice for Microstocking. But DSLRs are expencive, you will say, I will need a big pile of money just to start.

That kind of statement no longer stands, some of the entry level DSLR body in combination with good 50mm prime lens, will be enough to start and still that kind of a combination will not be an impact for your budget.

You can start with this kind of equipment pack and than as you microstock income, your photographic  knowledge and your your appetites grows bigger it will be easier to upgrade to more serious equipment.

The base of this pack is a bit old DSLR body Canon Digital Rebel XT 8MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only – Black). It is old, but has a great optical sensor, with just 8 megapixels but great sharpness per pixel and quite low amount of color noise. Also one of the main advantages of Rebel XT is it’s price, it’s avaliable new via Amazon for just $393 American dollars.

You will notice that the upper price is for body only, not kit. The kit lens which is coming with this camera is Canon’s EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6. That kit lens is one of the worst lenses that you can get, to be fair I have seen few good samples of those lenses. But that just one in the hundred, they are usually terrible.

So we need some optically good and cheep lens for our starter pack, there is a solution. Thats the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens, real jewel in the plastic body. This lens is famous by it’s nickname plastic fantastic. It will produce first class results, your photos will be sharp with great Canon like colors. And it’s maximum aperture of F/1.8 will allow you to shot even in the lower light scenes. Every Canon using photographer, should have one of these. Only downside of this lens is it’s plastic body, but what are you expecting for $85.

In the Digital Rebel XT package, you will get one NP-2LH lithum-ion rechargeable battery pack with a battery charger. With one battery pack you will be able to make more then few hundred photos. Also you will get a neck strap and USB cable to transfer your photos to the computer.

Another essential thing that you will have to buy additionally is new memory card, the SanDisk 1 GB Ultra II CompactFlash Card, on that card you will be able to store about 150 images in the RAW format or about 250 images in JPG format. On in Amazon store that kind of card can be bought for about $15.  Just one notice, if you are planing to buy memory cards on eBay, there are many fake Sandisk cards, trust me this is the part of your equipment that you don’t want to save on.

You have seen how do cheep ticket for entering microstocking world looks like. Maybe this kind of combo is not to flexible, cause you have only the prime 50mm lens, so you will have to go near your subject if you want to zoom. But in the overall picture quality, you will get much much more that you have payed for.

Important Notification! – this post is out of date – track us via RSS, cause we will refresh all equipment packs for microstocking as soon as posible.

If you have read introduction, How to chose a right digital camera for a MicroStock? you had read that the DSLR camera is the best solution for shooting for Microstock.

Also you had read that there are few subclasses in the DSLR camera group. The most affordable class the Entrylevel DSLR class – usually the that kind of DSLR bodies are available with kit lens for the price below the $1000. Most of the DSLR in enrtylevel class are using APS-C sized optical sensor, also those bodies often are lacking some advanced functions. Entry level DSLR bodies are quite compact so the usage ergonomic is not at the highest level. Also they are made from some kind of a plastics, so they are not meant for too rough exploitation.

I was saying that this kind of cameras are great if your budget for MicroStock beginning is limited, the most affordable gear combo will be under even under the $500. Of course you can not expect too much flexibility from that kind of package, but the end results will more then great. Some of the common choices in this class are Canon Digital Rebel XSi , Nikon D60 and Nikon D80.

The next DSLR class that we have is the professional class, those DSLR bodies are also using APS-C sized sensors. But the ergonomics of the body is on much higher level. Materials used for those bodies are magnesium and steel. Those professional bodies are usually sealed, so they can be exposed to the dusty and humid environment without damaging the camera. DLSR cameras in this class are offering faster shutter, bigger buffer, so you can usually take up to 5 frames per second. Also most of those cameras has an option to master the studio lighting equipment, and they have much more contlols and ability to fine tune camera to your needs.

The prices for these kind of cameras are usually from $1000 up to $2000 for body only. Most popular choices in this class are Canon EOS 30D, Canon EOS 40D, Nikon D200, Nikon D300.

Also there is an hight-end class, designated for those professionals who demands the highest quality that money can buy. There aren’t too much microstock contributors who are using those kind of cameras. Cause they are just too expensive. Those cameras are generally used by the sports photographers, and other news agencies photographers. Majority of those cameras are using the FullFrame sized optical sensors. FullFrame means that the sensor has the same-similar area like the 35mm Leica format film. Some of those cameras are able to shot up 10 or more frames per second.

The prices for high-end DSLR bodies are starting from about $2000 and goes up to the $5000-$6000, for body only. Some of the most popular choices in this class are Canon EOS 1D Mark III, Canon EOS 5D and Nikon D3.

This is not all what DSLR can offer, there are some solutions with the medium sized sensor format, those sensors are bigger then the full frame optical sensors, don’t be confused, they are called medium cause the film analogy. Those solutions are very rear and extremely expensive. Photos from that kind of cameras are usually used for high profile advertising commercials or high profile fashion photography. Hasselblad is one of the manofacturers who’s offering that kind of DSLR’s cameras, for example their model Hasselblad H3D-39II, costs something around $35,000.

Important Notification! – this post is out of date – track us via RSS, cause we will refresh all equipment packs for microstocking as soon as posible.

Right choice of tools is essential if you want to get the job done fast and efficient. A basic tool for a microstock contributor is a digital camera.

So, you have chosen to become a contributor to the micro stock industry. Microstock agencies has build up very strict set of technical standards for the photographs they are admitting. Your photos has to meet those high standards or they will be rejected and you will end up frustrated.

You probably already have some kind of digital camera, compact P&S digital camera, or some kind of a prosumer digital camera or if you are more in the photography you own some DSLR system.

P&S digital cameras are simply not suitable for microstock. They have XY Mega pixels but the overall quality of the image is just not good enough. There are a few problems, first is the physical size of the optical sensor in the P&S camera. The surface of that kind of sensor is 5x smaller compared to the some more serious digital cameras, resulting the the image – even the big XY mega pixel image, is lacking those fine details or they are smudged. Also smaller sized sensor have increased amount of the colored noise, and the microstock agencies are really sensitive to the amount of color noise in the photos.

To deal with those drawbacks of the small sensor, manofacturers are boosting up the internal processing of the image. So the image that is coming directly from the camera is already noise filtered, sharpened and color adjusted. That kind of aggressive internal processing is pushing the limits of the photo, that kind of photo will look good in your family photo album. But every new processing by you or the designer that buy that photo will degrade the overall quality. Also the P&S cameras doesn’t give you the control over the photograph parameters, so you are in the mercy of the cameras software.

Prosumer cameras is some kind of a hybrid class, they are the best that manufacturer can offer below the DSLR. Prosumer cameras are meant to be used by the advanced amateurs. By they body size and features they are between the P&S compact and the DSLR class, of course much closer to the DSLRs. Those cameras has a bit bigger sized optical sensor then the P&S, also the internal processing of the image is not as aggressive as it is in the P&S, but it still strong.

If you already own some prosumer digital camera, like Canon G9, Sony R1, Fuji S100FS that would be enough to start in the microstock. But I wouldn’t advice buying the prosumer camera for microstock. If you want to shot some fast action photos, just forget about the prosumer, cause their auto-focusing system is a way too slow for that. Also working with RAW files is even slower, they give you more control over your photos, but not the full control. Also only few prosumer cameras has the ability to cooperate with photo studio lighting or additional flash units, and that only on a basic level.

Another reason why not to buy a prosumer camera for microstock is the price, they are usually very expensive, also when you buy one it’s loosing its value fast. Specially lately, they are pressured by the entry level DSLRs cameras.

DSLRs cameras the perfect choice for microstock, one of the main advantage of DSLRs is their modularity. You will need the longer lens to shoot up some sports or wild life, you buy only new telephoto lens. You need faster auto-focus, more fps or more megapixels, just upgrade DSLR body, all lenses that you have bought you can still use on your new DSLR body.

DSLR cameras are having physically the biggest optical sensors, resulting better image quality. Also the internal procession of the photo can be fine tuned and put under control – even turn off completely.

Also we can divide entire DSLR class in the few subclasses, first is and the most affordable entry-level class, followed by professional class and the absolute hi-end class.

For entering the microstock, entry level DSLR class will provide everything you need. As your microstock revenue rise, and you hit the limits of the equipment, you can always upgrade to the next class.

1. Microstock Diaries – For People Selling Photos in the Microstock Market

First blog that had me stuck in front of the computer until I had red almost whole archive, Microstock diaries. Great blog almost frequently refreshed with new things, with detailed month earning reports from all Microstock agencies where author is participating. Diaries author’s Lee Torrens is trying, and very much succeeding, in following entire microstock scene. You will learn a lot from interviews with microstock celebrities. Highly recommended!

2. StockPhotoTalk – Special Interest Blog

StockPhotoTalk is the easyest way to track down all official announcements from. They are republishing press releases from all microstock agencies. And not just that, but StockPhotoTalk is hosting a job board for all vacancies and job opportunities in Microstock business.

3. Microstock Group – A meeting place for microstock photographers

This site is on the third place but only cause it is not a blog, but this site is providing so much valuable resources for a microstock photographer. Great knowledge base and a very active forum.

4. MangiaPhoto

I you are a microstock beginner this is another compulsory site to visit. With few great tutorials, and brief review of most popular microstock agencies.

5. TheStockBlog.net – The stock photography experience

The Stock blog is an also quite interesting young blog, Mike the author is a “almoust photographer”, as he claims, but I’m more then sure that all the experience that he shares with general audience will help most of us. His blog is in a bit depressing tone – currently, but I’m sure that Mike will succeed in overcoming current difficulties. Go Go Mike.

This list count only five blogs, if you thing that I have missed some good microstocking blog, please leave a comment.

Hello and welcome to PhotoStockBlog.com . This is officially first written article on this PSB.

Currently PSB is in public beta, so there can be some glitches and bugs, if you spot something like that please let me know.

Now, just sit back, relax and enjoy gentle ride as we flow into the photo stock waters.

Ivan aka PhotoStocker