Mastering Microstock: 2008

I received a Powershot A590 IS as a gift last night. I very fortunate in that my friends and relatives all realize that I love photography and usually give me photography-related presents.

The backlighting is pretty strong on this video, and I'm sure there are probably ways to compensate for it manually.

So far the Powershot is pretty sweet, what with being equipped with inbody IS and all. It's the perfect addition to my current kit, and allows me to always be with a camera no matter where I go.

What I have learned so far is that it is not that wide. I suppose my EF 24-105 L--which I have been using religiously for a year now--spoiled me rotten. But there's alot to be said for being able to pull something out of your pocket and shoot right there.

Is this camera suitable for microstocking? I'll certainly be checking this out with some submissions later in the week. There are some contributors who use Powershots and actually do quite well. They probably have to rely on noise-reduction software to a greater extent, though.

I recently purchased a Dell Inspiron (will review it when I have time later) which came pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium. As much as I like to make fun of Microsoft Blue Screens of Death, I'm quite impressed with Vista's layout and capabilities. Much of the layout (especially the media center) seems to be direct emulations of the Apple OS. But given the daily raves that Apple gets for its software/hardware, do you blame Microsoft? I like Apple hardware as much as the next technogeek, but I just can't stomach the price. That's why I opted for a Dell at 1/3 of the price and slapped in 4 GB of DRAM. It handles Photoshop on the road quite nicely. Being able to shoot tethered anywhere I go is also a big plus. The print-screen above is of some of the folders that I use to organize my microstock workflow.