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Messages - Victor Tondee

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1
Apple Quicktime movie (.mov) !!  Under common video formats, in the dropdown  8)

Thank you! I guess I've figured it out. The thing is that in AVC we need to choose the codec in the Video Options tab. At first, I thought that none of those codecs are supported by Istock. But looks like x264 is actually h.264 which is supported by Istock. So I chose it and I was able to submit it for the review. I hope it will be approved.

I guess x264 was the one you converted with too. Probably it was chosen by default.

2
I'm using 'Any Video Converter' to convert for iS upload via DeepMeta, as can't use SS any more for iS !?

They won't accept MP4 for some reason ??

It's Free and works well  8)

Could you please tell which settings you use for converting with Any Video Converter?
I'm trying to convert from .mp4 to .mov. But I can't find any of the codecs that Istock supports. Thank you in advance!

3
Can the model ever sign the industry exclusive contract (e.g. skincare) after selling images on microstocks?
This thought came on my mind just before shooting the professional model. My suggestion is that selling images on microstocks will restrict the model from signing the industry exclusive contract forever.

4
Photography Equipment / D750 for microstocks
« on: February 19, 2016, 18:42 »
I'm going to buy a new camera for stocks. I was considering A7RII. But I'm concerned about physical strength of the camera as I'm exposed to greater challenges due to my travel lifestyle. And A7RII doesn't seem to very robust.
I could buy cameras of a higher level such as D810 or Canon 5DSR, but dimensions of the camera are important for me as well, because I'm searching for a camera that will be always with me. Actually, I found out that A7RII is not much more compact then D750 when attached to the lenses.

I've almost decided to go with D750 but the last question left to clarify. I'm doing mostly portraits. How's focusing quality of D750? Focus points of Nikon look much bigger then the ones of Canon. And I'm worried that because of this sometimes camera might focus on the eyebrow instead of the eye itself.

Nikon users and anybody who has experience, I'd be really grateful for your advices :)

5
Photography Equipment / Re: Sony A7R II for microstock
« on: February 08, 2016, 15:26 »
Ok, and what about physical strength of A7R II? How is it resistant to weather conditions, hits, accidental drops, dust and so on?
I've been searching for this information but there's very little in Internet. Probably this review will be interesting:
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/six-months-with-the-a7r2-to-hell-then-frozen-by-jonathan-stewart/

According to the article A7R II performed very well in low temperature but had some problems with shutter and rust forming (which was not covered by warranty) in other extreme conditions.

What is your opinion colleagues?

6
Photography Equipment / Re: Sony A7R II for microstock
« on: February 06, 2016, 20:55 »
I think we're getting to point where cellphones are probably good enough for "professional microstock photographers"

Funny how people somehow think smaller or mirrorless cameras are automatically questionable when compared to a DSLR.

I can't directly speak to the A7RII but I have an A7R so I can only assume it's better. Image quality is exceptional. As good as or better than my Nikon D800. They have the same sensor. Since getting the A7R I rarely use my D800. Excellent camera with a few quirks that from what I hear the A7RII has improved.

Regarding focus points, the size can be adjusted on my A7R as small, medium, and large. Small is, well, pretty small and should work for eyes. I'm not sure if this has changed on the A7RII but one thing I don't like this it's missing a quick way of moving a focus point. On the D800 you just hit the little joystick. On the A7R you need to hit the focus menu, select focus positon, press the wheel, then shoot. Kind of a pain. Sony needs a better method for this.

Then there's the whole "you don't look like a pro unless you're using a DSLR" crowd that thinks mirrorless is for amateurs. I personally don't care but there seem to be some pretty strong opinions on this for portrait, wedding, and other people photographers.

I'm agree and I also don't care how camera looks and what people think. To say the truth the less it looks professional the better it is, because I'm a traveler and modest design makes me invisible when I shoot travel and street photography. Moreover, it reduces the risk of robbery.

Yes, looks like switching between focus points is a weak side of Sony cameras. But I've seen a tutorial where it is recommended to program the bottom button of the wheel to activate focus points menu. This dramatically simplifies the process.

Thank you for the comments about focus. It puts me at ease!
What style of photography do you specialize in? Portrait, landscape or something else?

7
Photography Equipment / Re: Sony A7R II for microstock
« on: February 06, 2016, 20:35 »
The Sony A7 RII is a monster camera and competes easy with any Canon 5d full frame.

I was suprised to read this question. It is like asking if Vodka suits to get drunk  ;)

Mirco

Thanks, you made me relax :) Also taking in consideration that I have russian roots

8
Photography Equipment / Re: Sony A7R II for microstock
« on: February 06, 2016, 20:34 »
Let's discuss new Sony A7R II here. Does it suit needs of professional microstock photographers?

Microstock standards are not that high  ;)

To say the truth I haven't seen standards that are higher then microstock (talking about quality). But you're right most of the modern cameras can meet them.

9
Photography Equipment / Re: Sony A7R II for microstock
« on: February 06, 2016, 20:32 »
Eye AF looks interesting but it only works with Sony lenses and it isn't much use if it focuses on the wrong eye https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOlrns6XAsc&feature=youtu.be&t=9s
It has spot focus but I don't know how big the point is or how easy it is to move around.  Why not go to a shop and try it out?

Thank you for the comments! Moving points around is one of weak sides of this model. But I guess it is something possible to deal with.
As far as I know the camera focuses on the eye that is the closest to the camera and this goes with classic composition rules, so there shouldn't be a problem.

10
Photography Equipment / Re: Sony A7R II for microstock
« on: February 05, 2016, 21:38 »
Actually, I'm going to buy one. But I have some doubts. So I'd be really grateful if you could help me with the advises.

Firstly, I've found out that focus spots are quite big, even when choosing the smallest option (moreover that I've found out that there are less then 399 focus spots):
 
I specialize in portraits and as we all know the focus requirements are very high in this  business. For this reason it is crucial for me to know how focusing system works because with this big size of focusing spots I'm nut sure if I'll be able to have perfect focus on the eye. With the current size of focus spots I'm worried that the camera will focus on eyebrow and not on the eye itself. This will lead to rejection of photographs. I'm used to Canon technologies where focusing spot can be set to a small point that makes it easy to focus on the eyeball and excludes the chance of accidental focusing on the eyebrow.

I know that there is eye AF option, but I can imagine that it won't be suitable for some situations (e.g when there are several people in the frame and I'll want the camera to focus on the one that is further from the camera).

So, I have several questions:

How does the camera decide what to focus on within the space of the flexible focusing spot? Does it choose the center of the spot as the priority? Or there's another algorithm?

Thank you in advance!


11
Photography Equipment / Sony A7R II for microstock
« on: February 05, 2016, 21:21 »
Let's discuss new Sony A7R II here. Does it suit needs of professional microstock photographers?
Who does own it already? We'll be glad to read your comments.

12
Photography Equipment / Re: Sony A6000
« on: February 05, 2016, 13:55 »
Yup ! I am using it till now and it is the one of the most best cameras from the series having the full amazing features and qualit as well.But my camera battry is now week !! hahah

I have a question concerning A7R II if you don't mind. I'm almost to buy one. Yesterday I held it in hands and almost everything suits me. But only one doubt left. Focusing points look quite big. I'm not sure if it will be enough for microstock photography (portraits in particular). I know how high are focus requirements in the microstock industry and with this size of focus points I'm worried that sometimes focus can be on the eyebrow instead of the eye itself (which in my experience with other cameras led to the rejections).

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