Good News and Bad News from the World of Stock

[Ed Rooney]

 

Here we go!

 

Every day now, I seem to be battling the role of digital tech in my photography. I bought a couple of surge protectors and find myself recharging things repeatedly. I am happy with the 5 Sonys I moved to after Nikons got heavier and heavier. I'm less happy with the available subject matter, those tiny $ fees, and the cost of hotels and travel. 

 

What do you think?

 

Edo

[Ognyan Yosifov]

3 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Here we go!

 

Every day now, I seem to be battling the role of digital tech in my photography. I bought a couple of surge protectors and find myself recharging things repeatedly. I am happy with the 5 Sonys I moved to after Nikons got heavier and heavier. I'm less happy with the available subject matter, those tiny $ fees, and the cost of hotels and travel. 

 

What do you think?

 

Edo

Why 5 Sonys 😉

[Alexander Hogg]

42 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

I'm less happy with the available subject matter, those tiny $ fees, and the cost of hotels and travel. 

 

What do you think?

Like wise on accommodation as been getting prices from £200 (some less in Scotland) a night up to over £1800 Not viable at all and travel thought out the UK is getting really expensive 

After reviewing the cost of travelling and accommodation in the UK it doesn't cost too much more getting over to Australia for the same amount of time ie 3 weeks A lot of people on here seem to be getting the same tiddlers

Not worth the effort for doing stock photography 

Got 2 Canon DSLR Cameras EOS R6 Mark ii and EOS 700D 

Edited May 19 by Alexander Hogg
Extra info

[Ed Rooney]

 

RX100-5, RX100-6, RX100-7, Original RX10, a6000 with 10-18

 

I mostly use the RX100-7. The 6 has a cracked screen but still works. The 5 has a faster lens but less reach. The 10-18 F4 has been invaluable. I take the old RX10 out when I feel nostalgic for the old days.  

[Ognyan Yosifov]

1 hour ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

RX100-5, RX100-6, RX100-7, Original RX10, a6000 with 10-18

 

I mostly use the RX100-7. The 6 has a cracked screen but still works. The 5 has a faster lens but less reach. The 10-18 F4 has been invaluable. I take the old RX10 out when I feel nostalgic for the old days.  

It sounds reasonable. 

[Michael Ventura]

I have been struggling with the idea of getting a Nikon Z series camera and lens.  I love my Nikon D850 for my assignment work but have often wondered if I would love a pro mirrorless camera even more.  The price tag has kept me away for now.  I do use my two Sonys for my walk about photography, have a RX100 III and RX10 IV.

[Sally Robertson]

3 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

I'm less happy with the available subject matter, those tiny $ fees, and the cost of hotels and travel. 

 

What do you think?

 

 

I agree with this too Ed, particularly the cost of travel. I have a housesitting stint next month and I'm thinking about trying to do some housesitting and petsitting into the future as a way of being in different locations without the accommodation cost. I'm also thinking of getting myself a tent so I can stay at picturesque locations inexpensively and roll out of bed and photograph the sunrise.

 

Ed, if I lived in Liverpool and had a car there I'd happily take you for a drive to some new locations. I think photographers teaming up can be a good thing. Several years ago I went on a few night photography walks in the city that were run by a photographer. They cost $40 each time but it was well worth it terms of being in all sorts of alleyways and often quite empty night spots that I wouldn't hang around in by myself after dark. It was just nice being with a group of photographers and getting new ideas from one another.

 

Last year I travelled twice into rural areas and found caravan parks that had individual rooms available but with shared facilities that were between $60 and $75 a night. Old pubs in Australia can be around that price per night too. 

[MDM]

12 minutes ago, Michael Ventura said:

I have been struggling with the idea of getting a Nikon Z series camera and lens.  I love my Nikon D850 for my assignment work but have often wondered if I would love a pro mirrorless camera even more.  The price tag has kept me away for now.  I do use my two Sonys for my walk about photography, have a RX100 III and RX10 IV.

 

The Nikon Z8 has come down a lot in price very recently (US and Europe) and there are very good deals with the 24-120mm Z lens (the best zoom lens in that category I've ever used). It's a pro level camera that does just about everything. I think they are about $4000 for the kit. That combo alone might do most of what you need. It's a very good time to buy. 

Edited May 19 by MDM

[Sally Robertson]

4 minutes ago, Michael Ventura said:

I have been struggling with the idea of getting a Nikon Z series camera and lens.  I love my Nikon D850 for my assignment work but have often wondered if I would love a pro mirrorless camera even more.  The price tag has kept me away for now.  I do use my two Sonys for my walk about photography, have a RX100 III and RX10 IV.

 

Michael, I am sure you would love the Z series. My plan was to upgrade to the Z series from my Nikon DSLR, but at the time Fujifilm had the best option for me for wildlife photography with kit that weighs less and costs less than the Nikon Z equivalent. So I went with Fujifilm and I'm super happy with it, but I know the Z series would be just outstanding too. I think you would find some benefits. It would be less bulky to start with. You may like being able to get a good representation of the exposure in the EVF before taking photos too. If you need to use eye tracking or subject tracking they are so good on mirrorless cameras now. A downside may be a mirrorless camera chewing up the battery a bit faster, which may be an issue on assignment work, but you can carry a spare.

[MDM]

16 minutes ago, Sally Robertson said:

 

I think you would find some benefits. It would be less bulky to start with. You may like being able to get a good representation of the exposure in the EVF before taking photos too. If you need to use eye tracking or subject tracking they are so good on mirrorless cameras now. A downside may be a mirrorless camera chewing up the battery a bit faster, which may be an issue on assignment work, but you can carry a spare.

 

The Z8 (~900g) is nearly as big as the D850 (~1000g) so size and weight are not always a benefit with mirrorless. The Z6 and Z7 are small and light but may not suit Michael's work as they are not pro level cameras. A huge upside with the Nikon Z system is the lenses - they are always better, usually way better than the F Mount equivalents. Battery life is not an issue with stills photography any more than DSLRs unless you keep the screen on full time. The AF on the Z8 is out of this world even in comparison to the venerable D850. The only downside I've seen is when using flash in very dark conditions such as a dark dance floor. The D850 was much better in that regard. I wish I'd kept one of mine in fact but otherwise ....

Edited May 19 by MDM

[Sally Robertson]

3 minutes ago, MDM said:

 

The Z8 (~900g) is nearly as big as the D850 (~1000g) so size and weight are not always a benefit with mirrorless. The Z6 and Z7 are small and light but may not suit Michael's work as they are not pro level cameras. A huge upside with the Nikon Z system is the lenses - they are always better, usually way better than the F Mount equivalents. Battery life is not an issue with stills photography any more than DSLRs unless you keep the screen on full time. The AF on the Z8 is out of this world even in comparison to the venerable D850. The only downside I've seen is when using flash in very dark conditions such as a dark dance floor. The D850 was much better in that regard. I wish I'd kept one of mine in fact but otherwise ....

 

Ok, yes, I was thinking of the Z6 and Z7 but wasn't aware the Z8 was getting up to near the D850 in weight. For me I am most likely chewing through the battery faster because I do use the screen all the time. I'm sure the Z8 is wonderful.

[MDM]

24 minutes ago, Sally Robertson said:

 

Ok, yes, I was thinking of the Z6 and Z7 but wasn't aware the Z8 was getting up to near the D850 in weight. For me I am most likely chewing through the battery faster because I do use the screen all the time. I'm sure the Z8 is wonderful.

 

You want to see the Z9, Nikon's flagship mirrorless. It's a monster. 

[Betty LaRue]

Check into renting a RV for extended travel. I haven’t done it since inflation got out of control, but even with fuel costs & camping site costs, we saved money over hotels/motels.

I always liked the nature vibe of where we stayed vs urban. We often just stayed one or two nights at any given area, then moved on to the next.

When we first started out, we just had a conversion van. I slept on the couch, hubby slept on the floor. The campsites we used had clean restrooms/showers, electricity hookups for brewing our own coffee.

Our kids paid for the costs of renting an RV for one anniversary, and we pulled a small car on a trailer behind. Later, we bought a used RV, but only took one major trip (3 weeks) & a few weekend ones. By the time we bought our own, hubby was into the dementia slide & I didn’t realize how bad it was until I found all he could do was drive. Everything else was on me. So we sold it.

 

[Alexander Hogg]

1 hour ago, Sally Robertson said:

If you need to use eye tracking or subject tracking they are so good on mirrorless cameras now. A downside may be a mirrorless camera chewing up the battery a bit faster, which may be an issue on assignment work, but you can carry a spare.

The eye tracking is great and the battery does get used up far quicker on a Mirrorless camera  especially with wildlife photography from first hand experience with the Canon EOS R6 mark ii 

[Sally Robertson]

1 hour ago, MDM said:

 

You want to see the Z9, Nikon's flagship mirrorless. It's a monster. 

I would love that one for wildlife. I just need to be bigger and stronger and grow muscles 💪 

[Sally Robertson]

32 minutes ago, Alexander Hogg said:

The eye tracking is great and the battery does get used up far quicker on a Mirrorless camera  especially with wildlife photography from first hand experience with the Canon EOS R6 mark ii 

 
I do really like using the screen thus it chews up the battery. I love the tracking so much on mirrorless. The Canon R series looks so great too. I follow the YouTube channel of Australian bird photographer Duade Paton and his main camera system is Canon but he works with a few others too.

[MDM]

2 minutes ago, Sally Robertson said:

I would love that one for wildlife. I just need to be bigger and stronger and grow muscles 💪 

Me too 😎. My strength resides mainly in my brain these days.  I notice Ian D said he has one with some huge lenses as well in the what camera thread. He must be a strongman lugging that lot around to Downing Street daily. 

[Sally Robertson]

48 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

Check into renting a RV for extended travel. I haven’t done it since inflation got out of control, but even with fuel costs & camping site costs, we saved money over hotels/motels.

I always liked the nature vibe of where we stayed vs urban. We often just stayed one or two nights at any given area, then moved on to the next.

When we first started out, we just had a conversion van. I slept on the couch, hubby slept on the floor. The campsites we used had clean restrooms/showers, electricity hookups for brewing our own coffee.

Our kids paid for the costs of renting an RV for one anniversary, and we pulled a small car on a trailer behind. Later, we bought a used RV, but only took one major trip (3 weeks) & a few weekend ones. By the time we bought our own, hubby was into the dementia slide & I didn’t realize how bad it was until I found all he could do was drive. Everything else was on me. So we sold it.

 

I’m glad you enjoyed the RV travel Betty. I’d love to have a mobile home and be travelling around like Gen. I’ve found staying in caravan parks you meet other travellers in the camp kitchen and get to have conversations about things you’ve seen or are planning to see. It’s more social I think than being in motels/hotels.

[NYCat]

When I was doing my wildlife trips we were all photographers and that was one of the benefits. Joe VanOs always got vehicles big enough that we weren't fighting for access to the windows. Very few conflicts and lots of help available. In theory I could continue by taking money out of savings but I don't have the strength and energy anymore. Love my naps now and hate the idea of packing and air travel.

 

Paulette

[Ed Rooney]

3 hours ago, Sally Robertson said:

 

 

 

Ed, if I lived in Liverpool and had a car there I'd happily take you for a drive to some new locations. I think photographers teaming up can be a good thing. Several years ago I went on a few night photography walks in the city that were run by a photographer. 

 

 

I've done all the late-night roaming I care to in this town. Most Scousers are friendly in daylight but these guys (mostly retired rugby tackles?) get a few too many beers in them at night and look out. 

 

Much as I would like to have a drink and a talk with you, Sally, I don't relate to group photography. 

[IKuzmin]

3 hours ago, Sally Robertson said:

4 hours ago, MDM said:

 

You want to see the Z9, Nikon's flagship mirrorless. It's a monster. 

I would love that one for wildlife. I just need to be bigger and stronger and grow muscles 💪 

Nikon's AF for wildlife (at least in Z8, I assume the same in Z9) is inferior to Canon. When Nikon introduced FW with bird recognition, some folks said it became "almost Canon-like", not me. It definitely became better for birds (still not all birds and not all settings) but when you go for any other critters, particularly in action, it fails way too often. I have both systems and am not a fanboy of any. Wait a bit for Canon R5ii, and you have fun without those extra muscles 🙂

[gvallee]

6 hours ago, Sally Robertson said:

Last year I travelled twice into rural areas and found caravan parks that had individual rooms available but with shared facilities that were between $60 and $75 a night. Old pubs in Australia can be around that price per night too. 

 

A very popular means of cheaper travel in Oz is a car with a roof tent. Many pubs offer free overnight stays. It's just courtesy to have a beer or a meal.  

[gvallee]

2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

Much as I would like to have a drink and a talk with you, Sally, I don't relate to group photography. 

 

Very much agree with you. However, here's my experience. When I went to live in Cairns, probably pretty much like you Edo when you arrived in Liverpool, I knew nobody. I wanted to plant roots. How? I did what would make all of you (including me) squirm: I joined the local camera club. I straight away made it clear to the group owner that I was doing it for the social side and that in my opinion, no group photography was possibly serious. 

 

Guess what? The group was tremendous. Lots of outings showing me the photogenic places, and there are many along this very beautiful stretch of the coast through rainforest, brilliant sunrises outings on the beach followed by a group pancake breakfast under the palmtrees. I made lots of friends straight away, which in turn, led to more activities and meeting friends of friends. My plan worked! Even some images were stunning. Not so much with the town outings though, just because it's not me, but I must admit that it got the creative juices flowing. 

 

I stopped short of buying the t-shirt though 😀

[MDM]

1 hour ago, IKuzmin said:

Nikon's AF for wildlife (at least in Z8, I assume the same in Z9) is inferior to Canon. When Nikon introduced FW with bird recognition, some folks said it became "almost Canon-like", not me. It definitely became better for birds (still not all birds and not all settings) but when you go for any other critters, particularly in action, it fails way too often. I have both systems and am not a fanboy of any. Wait a bit for Canon R5ii, and you have fun without those extra muscles 🙂

 

I don't do wildlife photography and I'm exclusively Nikon so I'll take your word for it (your bird photography is really excellent by the way). I'm more than happy with my Nikon system though - I don't envisage ever changing system again. 

[Ed Rooney]

 

All that sounds very sensible, Gen.