So would this be a double zombie thread? 

Six times???  I admire your persistence.   But I have to ask, why on earth are you wasting time re-submitting this?  Life is too short and by re-submitting even once you are most likely wasting more time than you will ever earn back.

Between those two for a first camera, it really does not matter.  Honestly  there are no bad cameras today.  The demands of microstock are not high end gear wise.  Get a body that feels good in your hand a nice zoom and maybe a good 50mm.

Do not look only at canon nikon, they are the big players but unless you need exotic glass like 600mm f/4 other brands are just as good sometimes better.
Sony and fugi are worth a look and for bang for buck you cannot beat Pentax.  Look at their k--5IIs or the k-3.

According to SS TOS any changes to your account must be made before the end of the month to be paid in the following month.  Now that your account (card?) is activated you should receive your funds during the August payment cycle.  SS only pay everyone once per month, if you miss that date you wait until next month.

I know that is disappointing but that is the way it works.

SS is 100% reliable IF your payment account is setup properly.  If not then it takes time to correct issues.

Have you gotten past payments properly?

Matt,
The categories seem to be the biggest time waste for me.  One level,ok.  Two levels if must, but three?  I spend way too much time trying to find something that fits.  And usually that is a poor fit anyway.

My suggestion would be to eliminate categories completely.
If you feel they are needed, then one level only.

Thanks for listening!

I see no reason microstock as a business or model or whatever will not continue.  It fills a niche and a need.  So from that standpoint all is good.

However, if you asking if it will be possible in the future for a photographer to make any money in microstock, that is a different question.  Many who started back in the good old days feel it is already over.  Returns are certainly declining, to the point that investing money in models and props is starting to become questionable.  Those with large salable portfolios already online will continue to earn.  Those starting out now will have a difficult time getting to a point of good returns.

But if you have good material, especially things that are not over down, work hard and add images on a regular basis there is still money to be made.  Your images need to be top notch, not snapshots.  Your titles, descriptions and keywords need to be done properly and you need a lot of images.

I was told when I started (4 years ago) that perhaps 2,000 images would be a large enough portfolio to earn fair money.  These days I think that is closer to 5,000 or perhaps 10,000 images.  And not junk, good images.

Of course it all depends on what your definition of decent return is.  Figure $1/image/year if you have good stuff.  More if it is exceptional or in demand.

Thanks I'll check that out.  I'm looking for someplace that will give me enough of a volume discount that I can sell them and actually make money.  Most of the online shops seem to be retail level and only good if you just want one for yourself, not to re-sell.

There is an Adobe logo on the web site.  I feel much better seeing it.  So that is an benefit.

I have had images rejected for readable ear tags so yeah, you have get rid of them.

hi, i am just trying to get started doing stock photography and i have a few questions. first, fotolia asks for your a copy of your id and or ss#. should this information be given out? second, are there any reliable plugins for lightroom to upload directly to stock sites? lastly, any advice to which stocks sites to contribute to? Thanks!

All sites will require ID and SS# or TIN# because this is a business and they will be reporting income to the IRS.  They are required to withhold taxes in some circumstances.  If you start contributing you should consider how you will run your business and have tax issues clarified.

There is no Lightroom plugin to upload directly except for a third party one for Alamy.  However most sites will accept FTP transfers so exporting to a folder from LR and then using your FTP software to upload works fine.

For sites to use, look at the poll results to the right.  Honestly at this point get accepted by Shutterstock and forget the rest until you see how things go.  If you start to do good there then consider other sites.

But as others have noted this is not an easy business to make money at.  You need a lot of images in order to produce much income.  Estimate $1 per image per year on average, more if your stuff is exceptional.  If you can deliver 20 - 30 top notch, sellable images, with good titles and keywords every week then you might make some money.  Otherwise you are likely better off getting a job at McDonalds for the same number of hours.

That is not to discourage you, if you want to try your hand just to see how it works or the satisfaction of actually selling your work then by all means have at it.  Just do not expect to get rich or even compensated as much as a minimum wage job would pay.

That is my first payment request in ss. I m very sure all my settings are correct. I havent get any mail. Well if my case is pending for sone reason, then good business praxis could be to after sone time noticed me what is happening. In 8 month I get only silence from them. That is very unpleasent

There is no way to request a payment on SS.  It is automatic once you reach the payout amount.  When that happens you get an email stating you have reached payout, see the post above.  If you did not receive this email then you have not reached payout or your email is wrong, which means your Paypal address might be wrong as well.

I would suggest you go back and double check your account settings carefully.

well guys, i'v learnt a lot from this thread and benefited very much too....finally what i conclude is there are differences between vector artists and photographers and both go their own ways...make the most of your time and the result will come...and don't ever feel threaten by negative menaces of others....!

I hope you learned a lot more than that............

The most important thing I was told when I started was that this is a marathon, not a sprint.  If your goal is to earn $11,000 and quit (which is what the title of your OP implies) then this is the wrong business for you, there are many easier ways to do that.  But if your goal is to eventually earn $11,000 per year then yes you can do that.  Just do not expect that to happen quickly.  Produce consistent good quality images, submitted regularly and in 2 or 3 years you should have a portfolio that will earn that much.

Good luck!