Hi guys,

I'm fairly new to the game and I'm hoping to expand my lens arsenal. At the moment I have a Canon 600D with a Kit Lens (18-55), 50mm Prime and a 55-250mm.

I'm looking to get a lens to essentially replace the Kit Lens as, let's face it, the image quality isn't great is it?

I'm between the Tamron f2.8 17-50 and 28-75 as I can't justify the Canon equivalent at this early stage in my hobby. I don't have a particular photography style and not set on any one discipline yet so I'm just after something that's fairly flexible and produces great sharp results. Main priority is image quality.

I've read reviews etc but I was hoping for some feedback on which one to get.

Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the input. All the reviews I've read say they are great lenses, nice and sharp and the 2.8 aperture is a definite advantage over my standard issue kit lens surely?

As I say, I'm a beginner.

Thanks

Quote from: Stingey on November 23, 2012, 08:26

I'll give it a shot, what's the worst that could happen? I like photography so it won't be wasted time.

The worst that could happen is that you'll spend so much time looking for things that will sell rather than what interests you that you'll be in danger of losing your own vision, creativity and enthusiasm.
(Unless you happen to actually enjoy the commercial stuff.)

The moment I stop learning stuff or enjoying it, I'll knock stock-shooting on the head

Oh dear.  I can't justify huge amounts of money on a lens at this stage as I'm just starting out. However, I'm aware that the more expensive the lens the better but can someone explain what are the precise benefits of a more expensive lens in order of importance? ie is it sharpness / aperture size/speed etc etc?

I read a book on microstock that made promises like - "as long as you have a DSLR with a range of lenses and a good knowledge base of the equipment then you too can make a living out of the wonderful world of microstock... blah blah promises promises"

It just seems theres an unscalable mountain to climb (and I'm not usually a negative person)

Thanks guys

A lot to think about and process. I have bought two books I'm about to start one - Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0817439390/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00

The other is Creative Lighting: Digital Photography Tips and Techniques [Paperback]
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0470878231/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00

Hopefully these will help too

Thanks for the advice
 

What benefits do flashes /speedlites have over continuous lighting? Is it just their versatility? I've never used an external flash.

Thanks

Pasta themed night. I have them all the time. Get a load of friends round, make as many different pasta dishes as you can against the scales; I mean clock.

Quote from: Stingey on October 26, 2012, 04:02

Cheers guys, I'll take on board the advice. It's still my first month submitting so I expect to learn a lot more and learn continually. And yeah, they are weighing scales.

I'm enjoying the sting of rejection and the fact that it will be difficult to get where I want to be. Nothing in life worth having is easy to obtain. Onwards and upwards. Expect more out of focus, badly composed shots coming your way soon 

Making iStock your first stock site can be demoralizing. Start with Dreamstime, Canstock and Shutterstock. Then keep trying with iStock. They are a pain and becoming less relevant anyway.

Cheers. I've been submitting to Dreamstime, Fotolia, 123RF and Bigstock so far. Currently I've got 30 accepted on 123RF (although I'm not placing much weight on this 'success'),  10 accepted to Fotolia, 12 on Dreamstime (with some pending) and 7 on Bigstock (with some pending). It's very early days for me and most of the photos accepted were ones shot before I decided I wanted to shoot for stock, I just thought some fitted the bill ok. I really want to get accepted to SS and IS but I'm gonna wait, read up and get some really good shots before submitting. I'll make sure I post them on here before as I'd prefer a heads up so I don't waste my time on some that won't cut the mustard. I've not delved into Canstock - is this site worthwhile?

Thanks guys

Hi guys, I'm new to this magical world of stock photography. I've started very gung ho, done loads of research, read books etc etc

I'm now on my second rejection from Istock and I know this is very common. I just wanted to share with you my latest images I uploaded; in my eyes, diverse subject matter and all checked thoroughly by myself for anything that could get them rejected, but as I'm new to this lark I feel I must have missed some things. Any tips / advice on these?

Also, I'm doing this as a hobby but would love to make at least a bit of money whilst doing this - how many images do you guys have up roughly and are you all earning decent money or pocket money? I hear mixed things and I know it all depends on quality of images but also quantity? Just interested in others' experiences.

Thanks in advance

- Man Holding Blank Picture Frame

- Preparing Pasta

- Half Dome, Yosemite National Park