Which Lens should I buy?

[NYCat]

I can imagine using the RX100 at a zoo. Mostly for photos that are obviously of a zoo with people viewing the animals. Wild wildlife is a whole other story. I always loved taking extreme close-ups of cats and dogs but the first wildlife trip I took was to photograph grizzly bears. So I learned something about shooting from a distance and composing an environmental shot of an animal. On my first trip to Africa we had a traveller with us who is a painter and she had more fun than any of us, I think, with her consumer level small camera. When she got home she did oil paintings from her photos. Lots of ways to enjoy wildlife photography but for this agency, whoa. There are some very famous wildlife photographers here (and Philippe) who do amazing work. Hard to compete with a small camera.

 

Paulette

[John Mitchell]

I don't have a donkey, but I have one of these (when it's flat terrain  )

 

Cheers,

Philippe

 

I'm impressed. Lower maintenance than a donkey, I'm sure.

[naughtygoat]

 

 

Lens for RX100? I tought it is not interchangeble.

 

Actually I think you are right!  I am not happy about this!  Can I not add a lens even with an adapter?

 

 

Perhaps you are confusing the RX100 with the NEX-6, which I believe you purchased originally. It was an interchangeable lens camera.

 

That said, the RX100 has a very useful zoom range, so you should be able to do a lot with it.

 

 

Actually my logic just failed me for a minute!

[naughtygoat]

Hi Vickie

 

unfortunately I have to agree with what others, especially Philippe, said above. On the other hand I'm also impressed by your perseverance; many other newbies give up after running into issues like not having a suitable camera. But not you, you asked for advice and got an acceptable camera and got your first pictures accepted. A bit unfortunate that you you wanted an interchangeable lens camera and got one where you can't change it, but ok, as you've seen, you can also get pictures accepted by QC with that camera.

 

Now that you still have that perseverance, use it, but use it wisely in order not to lose it. Maybe the best option for you at this moment is not stock photography. Take pictures, many pictures. Process them. Each of them. Your skills will improve over time. Re-take pictures of already visited subjects when you think your photography skills improved. Reprocess old images when you think your processing skills improved. Build a portfolio. Take your time. Then come back to be a successful and content contributor at Alamy. Don't give in the temptation too early, else most probably you will get disappointed.

 

 

Regarding the keywording: others have already said it, but it is really important, so: only add keywords of what the picture is of. Add James Bond only if he is the subject of the pictures. Not just because a building was shown in a James Bond movie. Ralph Fiennes? I don't see him. Winter? Where's that winter in a picture taken in September. I see a little bit of autumn on the ground, but not enough to keyword it either. Autumnul (sic!)? Ruin? that brick wall looks ok to me. Emo, gothic, Legoland, family? Looks like something went wrong here. Were those maybe keywords you intended for other pictures and they ended up in the wrong text field?

 

 

 

And your pictures look a bit dark on my screen.

 

 

Cheers

Christoph

 

I just looked at my keywords and they've all got bungled up and separated.   Legoland is another name for that building.  I was being inventive and going for volume otherwise!

 

Yes the pictures are a bit dark.  I actually impulsively decided to submit to see if I could pass QC so didn't edit them.  It's encouraging to me to have passed, but like you say, I shouldn't set myself up for failure.

 

I appreciate your encouragement.  Yes have been taking thousands of photos....

[naughtygoat]

I can imagine using the RX100 at a zoo. Mostly for photos that are obviously of a zoo with people viewing the animals. Wild wildlife is a whole other story. I always loved taking extreme close-ups of cats and dogs but the first wildlife trip I took was to photograph grizzly bears. So I learned something about shooting from a distance and composing an environmental shot of an animal. On my first trip to Africa we had a traveller with us who is a painter and she had more fun than any of us, I think, with her consumer level small camera. When she got home she did oil paintings from her photos. Lots of ways to enjoy wildlife photography but for this agency, whoa. There are some very famous wildlife photographers here (and Philippe) who do amazing work. Hard to compete with a small camera.

 

Paulette

 

Maybe I should have said Nature, instead of Wildlife.  I meant trees, flowers, landscapes really....

[naughtygoat]

 

 

 

I see two of your images are up. What's with the keywords? You should only put in things that are actually in the image.

 

Paulette

I remember a keyword generator like that. Spammy as anything. I stopped using it years ago.

OP, not such a problem yet, but it will hurt your rank in the long run. Concept words should be used very sparingly. I can't think of one that has got me a sale.

"Symmetry" has two Ms.

 

 

Hello again,

 

I didn't use a keyword generator.  I had remembered a man called Alan on here who had a 'hashtag' - 'a keyword is worth a thousand pictures'.  I took that to mean volume.  You're saying it's relevance?

 

 

Trollop is relevant to the British Secret Service? I think someone's been copying keywords.

 

 

Can't remember what that was.  Maybe the architect.  I'm actually glad Volume isn't the way to go.  Took me ages!

[naughtygoat]

I bought my first serious camera meant for stock when digital offered little. It was a film camera, a Nikon. Before I bought, I researched the stock industry and what a photographer must have to succeed.

Within a year, Nikon and Canon came out with 6.3 mp digital cameras that was up to the task for stock. Again, I researched the two cameras extensively, and looked at the images each produced. I went Nikon because I saw a slight advantage in the images.

 

From there, I kept researching and reading. I invested in Photoshop and bought a Dummy book to help me understand it. I only did basic corrections for awhile, adding new adjustments only when I understood how to use them.

 

The whole point of this discourse is that I didn't go half-cocked, but invested money for good equipment, software, and never forget the computer and color management for it.

Most of all, I invested lots and lots of my time studying the craft.

The one thing I failed at those first few years was understanding the subject matter that makes a good stock image, but I learned that in time. I also didn't grasp the difference between advertising and editorial, what needed releases and what didn't. As a result, I thought any image I shot with people in it but my not having releases, was worthless. I deleted many a very good editorial image because of my lack of understanding.

Then, there is keywording. Yikes!

 

This points out how many facets of shooting stock one must grasp in order to, if you're lucky, sell a few images each month.

 

Hi again Betty,

 

Thanks or the advice.  You are right about how much time is required for studying the craft.  I do intend to put the hours in...

[naughtygoat]

Whereas I spent loads of money on good equipment just for my hobby and kept updating it every now and then as important new specifications came out.

 

As I approached retirement I thought how I could use the kit to give me a supplementary income and, after some research, discovered stock photography. 

 

i then researched that and here I am.

 

Allan

 

 

This is all your fault Allan...

[naughtygoat]

Wildlife and buildings will require totally different lenses. I hope you realize those two disciplines are among the most expensive concerning equipment.

 

If you're serious about taking up wildlife photography, I would recommend for newbies the Nikon 200-500mm VR f5.6 for about € 1500. And that is CHEAP !!!! Of course, you'll also need a DSLR camera, preferably with a crop factor, thus offering you an even greater range. So, we're talking about € 2000 - € 2500 for a beginner's set-up (not counting a very sturdy tripod and high quality ballhead).

 

For architecture, you'll need a few wide angle lenses and - if you're really serious about it - also a tilt & shift lens like the Nikon PC-E 24mm f3.5 which costs about € 1800.

 

I mentioned twice "if you're serious about it" with good reason. Alamy is NOT a hobby club. We all work for a professional market expecting professional quality. Take a good look at Alamy's archive and see what competition you'll have to deal with. If you can't deliver at least the same quality, you won't sell.

 

When I read "wildlife" "buildings" "new lens" "RX100" "£ 40.00" I really wonder if you're ready for stock photography. Don't you think you need good equipment first, then lots of images and only then ...... think about selling?    

 

Cheers,

Philippe

 

I am probably not ready to submit to compete in stock photography.  I wanted to see if I could pass QC, and to give myself some encouragement.

 

I have seen the quality of photos on here and really don't expect to compete at that level for a long time.  There are some that aren't masterpieces though...

 

I could honestly do with any funds from stock photography to buy the equipment I need, unfortunately.

 

I do think I have a good eye for photography.  I'm quite an arty person.  But I know I need to continously learn and practice the skill.

 

Vickie.

[spacecadet]

 

 

 

 

I see two of your images are up. What's with the keywords? You should only put in things that are actually in the image.

 

Paulette

I remember a keyword generator like that. Spammy as anything. I stopped using it years ago.

OP, not such a problem yet, but it will hurt your rank in the long run. Concept words should be used very sparingly. I can't think of one that has got me a sale.

"Symmetry" has two Ms.

 

 

Hello again,

 

I didn't use a keyword generator.  I had remembered a man called Alan on here who had a 'hashtag' - 'a keyword is worth a thousand pictures'.  I took that to mean volume.  You're saying it's relevance?

 

 

Trollop is relevant to the British Secret Service? I think someone's been copying keywords.

 

 

Can't remember what that was.  Maybe the architect.  I'm actually glad Volume isn't the way to go.  Took me ages!

 

Keywords are shown in alphabetical order on the image page.

Maybe the architect? That's not good enough for Alamy. You do have his name in the keywords so why not put it in the caption?

[Inchiquin]

I didn't use a keyword generator.  I had remembered a man called Alan on here who had a 'hashtag' - 'a keyword is worth a thousand pictures'.  I took that to mean volume.

 

 

Actually you've got Allan's point the wrong way round, Vickie. It's the keywords that should be used sparingly, not the pictures.

 

I'm glad you got through QC though - that's a start!

 

Alan

[naughtygoat]

 

I didn't use a keyword generator.  I had remembered a man called Alan on here who had a 'hashtag' - 'a keyword is worth a thousand pictures'.  I took that to mean volume.

 

 

Actually you've got Allan's point the wrong way round, Vickie. It's the keywords that should be used sparingly, not the pictures.

 

I'm glad you got through QC though - that's a start!

 

Alan

 

 

Thanks Alan.

 

I was also taking the example from other photos which have a thousand keywords.

 

My other 2 pictures are up now.  Gonna replace the Too Dark one.

 

Vickie.

[spacecadet]

Riverwalk isn't Art Deco. List is as such and it will be lost among 93,453 other images.

Postmodern, pastiche, deconstructivist possibly.

Finding these things out is part- most- of the work of keywording. I knew nothing about New Objectivity, eclecticism or historicism before I uploaded here.

[naughtygoat]

Riverwalk isn't Art Deco. List is as such and it will be lost among 93,453 other images.

Postmodern, pastiche, deconstructivist possibly.

Finding these things out is part- most- of the work of keywording. I knew nothing about New Objectivity, eclecticism or historicism before I uploaded here.

 

 

I couldn't find much information on the design of it.  But I was thinking it would come up in more categories, such as art and architecture.  Or no?

 

I am going to replace the images with the right lighting and keywords.

[Allan Bell]

We don't normally do this but for purposes of illustration here I have copied the keywords you have for the "Dead tree" picture and altered them as I believe they should be. Non added but those NOT needed are in red.

 

   abstract, aging, alternative, ancestral, ancestry, autumn, autumnul, bark, beautiful, beautiul, branches, brick, brown, concept, creepy, dark, dead, death, decay, decayed, decaying, decrepit, dying, eerie, emo, family, ghostly, gothic, hipster, life, melancholy, moody, nature, old, pattern, retro, ruin, scene, standing, still, survival, tree, wall, wildlife, winter, work 

 

Others may differ and be able to give more or better advice. The changes given are not definitive.

 

Allan

[naughtygoat]

We don't normally do this but for purposes of illustration here I have copied the keywords you have for the "Dead tree" picture and altered them as I believe they should be. Non added but those NOT needed are in red.

 

   abstract, aging, alternative, ancestral, ancestry, autumn, autumnul, bark, beautiful, beautiul, branches, brick, brown, concept, creepy, dark, dead, death, decay, decayed, decaying, decrepit, dying, eerie, emo, family, ghostly, gothic, hipster, life, melancholy, moody, nature, old, pattern, retro, ruin, scene, standing, still, survival, tree, wall, wildlife, winter, work 

 

Others may differ and be able to give more or better advice. The changes given are not definitive.

 

Allan

 

Thank you Alan (You Rock!),

 

I don't mean to irritate you professionals...

 

Please can you tell me Where I would put those keywords in?  And is a personal preference?

 

Vickie.

[Allan Bell]

 

We don't normally do this but for purposes of illustration here I have copied the keywords you have for the "Dead tree" picture and altered them as I believe they should be. Non added but those NOT needed are in red.

 

   abstract, aging, alternative, ancestral, ancestry, autumn, autumnul, bark, beautiful, beautiul, branches, brick, brown, concept, creepy, dark, dead, death, decay, decayed, decaying, decrepit, dying, eerie, emo, family, ghostly, gothic, hipster, life, melancholy, moody, nature, old, pattern, retro, ruin, scene, standing, still, survival, tree, wall, wildlife, winter, work 

 

Others may differ and be able to give more or better advice. The changes given are not definitive.

 

Allan

 

Thank you Alan (You Rock!),

 

I don't mean to irritate you professionals...

 

Please can you tell me Where I would put those keywords in?  And is a personal preference?

 

Vickie.

 

 

 

Those in red take out completely as they have no bearing on or relation to your image of the tree.

 

If left in then say someone searches for "Family" a picture of your tree would show. They do not want that or even to see it so Alamy's CTR would mark your ranking down which means your images would be lower down the list and may never be seen by the buyer.

 

Allan

[naughtygoat]

 

 

We don't normally do this but for purposes of illustration here I have copied the keywords you have for the "Dead tree" picture and altered them as I believe they should be. Non added but those NOT needed are in red.

 

   abstract, aging, alternative, ancestral, ancestry, autumn, autumnul, bark, beautiful, beautiul, branches, brick, brown, concept, creepy, dark, dead, death, decay, decayed, decaying, decrepit, dying, eerie, emo, family, ghostly, gothic, hipster, life, melancholy, moody, nature, old, pattern, retro, ruin, scene, standing, still, survival, tree, wall, wildlife, winter, work 

 

Others may differ and be able to give more or better advice. The changes given are not definitive.

 

Allan

 

Thank you Alan (You Rock!),

 

I don't mean to irritate you professionals...

 

Please can you tell me Where I would put those keywords in?  And is a personal preference?

 

Vickie.

 

 

 

Those in red take out completely as they have no bearing on or relation to your image of the tree.

 

If left in then say someone searches for "Family" a picture of your tree would show. They do not want that or even to see it so Alamy's CTR would mark your ranking down which means your images would be lower down the list and may never be seen by the buyer.

 

Allan

 

 

Got it!

 

Thanks

 

Vickie.

[Jonny Nicholson]

Forum members were great in helping me choose my camera previously so does anyone have any advice on which '1st lens' I should buy for my Sony rx100?  For about £40.00 (second hand fine).  I like to photo buildings and wildlife.

 

Thanks,

 

Vickie.

 

Matt Dunham of Associated Press (who probably give their photographers the best of the best equipment) has talked about having to photograph William and Kate Windsor with a 800mm lens on hot day. He said that he was worried about heat haze and the worry of missing their 'first' kiss as a married couple (on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, echoing Prince Charles and Diana). The best lens to buy, is the best lens you can afford to buy for the camera you use. I bought a D610 with the lens which came with it. The D750 wasn't much more and had other things like wi-fi connectivity, but didn't have the lens. Picassa then decided to put a white line on the right-hand side of all my RAW files (I had to crop all my images, so it was a time consuming exercise), so until I could afford lightroom, I used jpegs instead.

 

What element of architectural photography are you interested in? If its the design, then I would say a lens which allows you focus in on that - probably a telephoto lens. However, there are other aspects to a buildings. For example, how does the building interact with neighbouring buildings? How does the building interact with the wider (usually city) landscape? For these you'll probably need wide angle lenses (I've heard it said that 24mm is the 'trade' lens width for architectural photography). A zoom lens will probably have this all covered. How does the building change over time (day/night, the seasons, in different weather conditions etc)? What about the inside structure of building?

 

This is probably even more important when you're photographing subjects like architecture and wildlife, when at some point, you'll have to travel to the subject and be in all sorts of weather conditions.

 

I started out with a Nikon D40 photographing trains and gigs (and the very occasional protest) largely for myself. I now mostly photograph politics and economics (occasionally social topics too), so most of my equipment is geared towards travel, reading/watching news on a regular basis. All of these topics can involve buildings - even more generally, in the UK there is the Palace of Westminster, protests about housing can include a picture of a house from the area to provide context. All countries have government offices and parliament buildings, even if they aren't democracies. I had two photographs used on The Guardian's 'Wildlife Photos of the Week'. The equipment I used was a Nikon D3 and 50mm D lens. One was from my back garden, one was from no more than about 5 mins walking distance.

 

My most commercially successful interest in those topics is the economics of climate change. I've photographed Baron Stern, Nigels Farage and Lawson (in different contexts, but still, they deny climate change), demonstrations, stock imagery of power stations, petrol stations, pylons/power lines, local environmental studies (like my local Heaton Mersey Common) or beaches in the North-West of England, I've even photographed artistic expressions of the environment/climate change. Some of the photos have been published. You don't need to be the best, or even have the best equipment. Its better to adapt to what you have. I don't really like photographing demonstrations just because of my anxiety.

 

I'd like to do more about the finance (and business) of new environmentally/climate change concious (energy) firms. There's Sara Bell's Tempest Energy, there's Howard Johns' Solar panel business and many more besides. Its an intellectual curiosity as much as anything. It would also be good to photograph other activists, less well known than Russell Brand, Anne Power or Vivienne Westwood, like Asad Rehman - he might be appointed to the head of FotE which might be news worthy for the more specialist publications, like Carbon Brief. He might run for political office (the whole '#BreakingNews: The Green Party are elected to government and Asad Rehman becomes the first BME Prime Minister' or The Guardian does what they usually do when this sort of thing happens 'Asad Rehman, the UK's first BME PM - A life in pictures'), to illustrate an article about FotE and to illustrate the obituary of a person who is interesting in their own right. Its why I photographed Deyika Nzeribe, just in the unlikely event he is elected GM Mayor - okay, the night of the election is probably the most likely to be used, but action leads to hope (with that and other photos, I might be able to get accreditation because it looks like I'm interested in the photographic opportunity and have a chance of photograph being used). I envisage a time when I'll be spending more money on plane tickets and such than on equipment.

 

Its the same for all equipment. Its all well and good being recommended the best (usually by the companies), but if you can't create photographs with it, what's the point of having it? Also, a lens' capability is sometimes offset by the camera's ability to interpret what's there (so the better Nikon lenses will be best used with the better Nikon cameras). I'm not sure what level of photographer I am, but if I had a Nikon D5, I would also want the best lenses for it (okay, there's the weather sealing, the body style and weight that come with it), but until I have the money to buy a (well, multiple) D5 or D810 (or just the best Nikon available at the time) with the best lenses, I'm quite happy to use 'keen amateur' cameras and lenses for photographing stories like the Rally for Aleppo - protests rarely change anything, but I actually learnt something at the event so it was good just to be there.

 

I also contribute more news than stock, so again, I'm coming at it from a 'what does the picture say' angle, rather than worrying too much about the technical elements (to some extent, some of the technical elements are beyond my control, but its always good to have an understanding of how to overcome this). I've used a D3 (with 50mm D lens). I loved that combination. If I do get some equipment, it will probably be a passport and fashgun. However, I am trying my best to understand light temperature/white balance. I get that stock has more technical needs, but they're not so different (its just a photograph's technicality is prioritised over the photograph's moment).

 

I bought a camera to record and archive. Some of the most important/interesting photographs of European history have been recorded on cameras nowhere near as good (in terms of functionality) than even my first DSLR. A member of the Glasgow University Photo Society said. I left when the talk was about (photographic) resolution, rather than revolution and contributed to the University newspaper (rising as high as photo editor). It was partly because of the photography I had done, other work rather than meticulously checked every photograph, at 100% for the tiniest of defects (and it was only a University publication).

 

All of this is to say that there are no hard rules when it comes to which topics to photograph, no hard rules about where to photograph topics and no hard rules about how and, with what to use to photograph a topic. Its better to just buy the best you can afford. Sorry if this is of no help, but I've said it like this to say (hopefully politely, if not clearly or kindly) there is no point worrying about the equipment.

 

Good picture you're using for your profile btw - 'The Scapegoat' is one of my favourites and is displayed at the Manchester Art Gallery (if you're interested).

[Niels Quist]

Mount another lens as a second lens on a camera with a fixed lens? Though the construction may not be impossible - you may have difficulties getting images sharp enough to pass QC in my opinion.

[Jonny Nicholson]

Mount another lens as a second lens on a camera with a fixed lens? Though the construction may not be impossible - you may have difficulties getting images sharp enough to pass QC in my opinion.

Huh?

[naughtygoat]

 

Mount another lens as a second lens on a camera with a fixed lens? Though the construction may not be impossible - you may have difficulties getting images sharp enough to pass QC in my opinion.

Huh?

 

 

 

Newbie Twat me was asking the forum 'which lens should I get'  - for my un-interchangable lens camera....  So I'm getting some filters instead now.   I wanted my camera to zoom in further, without losing the quality.  Am otherwise very happy with the rx100.  I had accidentally bought a Nex 6 without the right (kit) lens first.  Rather liked it though.  Will probably try to get one for my next camera.  I am not worried about having a small budget or buying second hand.  My £200.00 second hand rx100 is good enough for (the strict) Alamy.   I agree it's the skills of the photographer that matter more.  Though there must be a good few things expensive equiptment can enable you to do.  We'll have to make some money from photography!

 

There are so many things I haven't got around to photgraphing yet.  Like you say, you could spend months in just your own area.  I also have no interest in photographing things that don't interest me.  For people that like it, it's probably a never ending process, so definitely should be enjoyable.

 

I haven't done much research on architecture yet.  Just like the look of buildings and am judging each scene individually.  You like my goat!   I adore the pre-raphaelites firstly.  Dante Gabrielle Rossetti is my all time favourite.  Also love Klimt, Munch, Mcintosh, etc, etc.  I can sit looking at paintings for hours.

 

Great to hear your opinions.

 

Vickie.

[Jonny Nicholson]

 

 

Mount another lens as a second lens on a camera with a fixed lens? Though the construction may not be impossible - you may have difficulties getting images sharp enough to pass QC in my opinion.

Huh?

 

 

 

Newbie Twat me was asking the forum 'which lens should I get'  - for my un-interchangable lens camera....  So I'm getting some filters instead now.   I wanted my camera to zoom in further, without losing the quality.  Am otherwise very happy with the rx100.  I had accidentally bought a Nex 6 without the right (kit) lens first.  Rather liked it though.  Will probably try to get one for my next camera.  I am not worried about having a small budget or buying second hand.  My £200.00 second hand rx100 is good enough for (the strict) Alamy.   I agree it's the skills of the photographer that matter more.  Though there must be a good few things expensive equiptment can enable you to do.  We'll have to make some money from photography!

 

There are so many things I haven't got around to photgraphing yet.  Like you say, you could spend months in just your own area.  I also have no interest in photographing things that don't interest me.  For people that like it, it's probably a never ending process, so definitely should be enjoyable.

 

I haven't done much research on architecture yet.  Just like the look of buildings and am judging each scene individually.  You like my goat!   I adore the pre-raphaelites firstly.  Dante Gabrielle Rossetti is my all time favourite.  Also love Klimt, Munch, Mcintosh, etc, etc.  I can sit looking at paintings for hours.

 

Great to hear your opinions.

 

Vickie.

 

I didn't realise that camera was a bridge camera. That probably makes me sound at least a little bit silly.

[Niels Quist]

I didn't realise that camera was a bridge camera. That probably makes me sound at least a little bit silly.

 

 

No, human 

[wiskerke]

The RX100 (1-5) is not even a bridge camera, but a point and shoot. A very good one.

 

wim