MicrostockGroup
Microstock Photography Forum - General => Photography Equipment => Topic started by: Brasilnut on July 12, 2022, 12:53
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Hey all, quick update here on my stock business! I’ve recently invested on a tilt-shift lens, more precisely a Samyang 24mm f3.5 T-S Lens Tilt & Shift ED AS UMC Manual Focus – Nikon Fit and in this blog post I’ll outline why I thought it was a good decision and perhaps it’s a niche piece of gear that you’ll also consider investing.
https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2022/07/12/why-i-just-invested-on-a-24mm-tilt-shift-lens/
Alex
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Looks interesting. But is this effect not something you can create in photoshop?
Maybe it is a stupid question, architecture is not my forte.
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Looks interesting. But is this effect not something you can create in photoshop?
Maybe it is a stupid question, architecture is not my forte.
true, but it takes more time, and often leads to distortion elsewhere.
as an aside, this kind of distortion (esp'ly with rows of columns, etc) is what wirestock rejects as 'composition errors' (even tho accepted by the major agencies
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Respectfully, investing in gear is not worth it today. For example, I went to do a shoot for two days in a town near me, I know there is demand for content. My gas bill alone for two days in a campervan was $120. This does not include my time for photography X2 days or post production, metadata etc X2-3 hours. Even assuming a RPD of 0.50c that requires 240 downloads just to break even on gas alone. Food for thought.
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Respectfully, investing in gear is not worth it today. For example, I went to do a shoot for two days in a town near me, I know there is demand for content. My gas bill alone for two days in a campervan was $120. This does not include my time for photography X2 days or post production, metadata etc X2-3 hours. Even assuming a RPD of 0.50c that requires 240 downloads just to break even on gas alone. Food for thought.
True, with an investment like that, you gotta sell a lot of images before start making profit. And it's even not that big of an investment.
On the other hand
-> New gear often triggers renewed enthusiasm which makes you shoot more and different subjects or compositions. And for most of us, microstock is a numbers game.
-> Most of us, and definitely in the travel/editorial part of the market where the Alex is very active in, shoot with rather versatile, popular multi-purpose lenses. A lot of people are doing the same thing. Having a niche gear specifically fit for what you are shooting improves the quality of your shot, and/or it opens up more creative options which can drastically increase the chance of having your shot noticed in very competitive parts of the market.
Is that enough for justifying the investment?
Maybe not, but I'm sure there's also a lot of fun involved here, and it keeps you going.
Do we really need all the gear we have? Food for thought. ;-)
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Looks interesting. But is this effect not something you can create in photoshop?
Maybe it is a stupid question, architecture is not my forte.
Not a stupid question at all.
With all the perspective adjustments and then twisting and distortion adjustments (and final cropping) the pixels get stretched which often leads to a loss of quality in the final image. There's also the time it takes to make all these adjustments, imagine a shoot you have 50 images and you have to go one by one. To get a final product that is close to the final version at 24mm is pretty cool. 19mm would have been better but the least expensive lens I saw for that price was $2k and beyond my budget.
As for the tilt-shift effect, sure you can try to create on PS/LR but also not the same as the blurs may be too obvious as digital.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdbMSHoAwWs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdbMSHoAwWs)
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I like wasting my money on new toys, so I will keep an eye out for this one :) Maybe there is a used one somewhere I can get.
For video this could be a really useful add on and certainly save postprocessing time.
Thank you for sharing this idea.
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In addition to being great for architecture, tilt shift lenses are also great for landscapes. Not only do they keep the trees vertical but they also make shooting subsequent shots for a landscape panorama easier since you shift the position of the lens without moving your tripod. I don't have one but it's been on my wish list for a long time. It avoids those slightly curved horizon lines you sometimes get as well as weird defects when using LR or PS to make a panorama. I've been selling more panoramic prints lately and having 2 very high megapixel cameras, the ability to know that I can get a smooth panorama every time is a reason to get one since it will let me shoot mural sized panoramas that are really perfect.
I just ordered an Eizo monitor and had to update my backup drives (2 12 TB G-Tech Pros) among other tech needs this year (and I bought my first ever iPad with a Prime Day deal), so it's probably going to have to be in the budget for 2023. Thanks for sharing Alex.
I worked as an assistant to a food photographer when I was starting out and she used a tilt shift lens - it lets you place focus exactly where you want it. There's a learning curve but it is definitely a great piece of kit.
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I hear you with the storage upgrade. Video is eating my drives like a black hole monster…
Using a tilt shift lens for food is an interesting use as well.
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Irony of microstock is that having invested $500 on a tilt-shift lens, a $90 sale at SS just popped in for this distorted junk shot that I uploaded in 2017! Stupid buyers!
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Irony of microstock is that having invested $500 on a tilt-shift lens, a $90 sale at SS just popped in for this distorted junk shot that I uploaded in 2017! Stupid buyers!
Distorted junk or not, enjoy the $90 sale. It's a rare, certainly for that kind of images.
And your new gear will trigger you to take a lot more of those shots, but better ones, thus increasing future sales.
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Irony of microstock is that having invested $500 on a tilt-shift lens, a $90 sale at SS just popped in for this distorted junk shot that I uploaded in 2017! Stupid buyers!
nothing wrong with the image. In travel photography its pretty usual not to use shift optics.
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I use a T/S Nikkor 45mm for product photography. Food close-ups on a background. great for getting everything sharp in the plane of focus...great investment but then I get paid per commission and it's paid for itself 10X+.
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I use a T/S Nikkor 45mm for product photography. Food close-ups on a background. great for getting everything sharp in the plane of focus...great investment but then I get paid per commission and it's paid for itself 10X+.
Food and travel. What else would make me want to buy a special lens like a TS? How else is it useful.