If you mean major stock houses to be the new web based micro-stock houses, it just isn’t true that you need a $2000 camera.

I have over a hundred files on Shutterstock, istockphoto, and fotolia combined. And have sold over 100 photos. All shot on a Canon 350 (Rebel xt). A Canon 5D is not necessary. But a full frame camera does allow for larger files and therefore the chance for more money, especially on a site like istock where bigger files are more expensive.

Look at the files on istockphoto and you should be able to tell what type of camera they were shot. Most are not shot on a full frame camera.

Your 20D would definitely do the job for istock, shutterstock, and fololia and most if not all online stock houses.

Check out the information on these sites as they will tell you what is required and what they expect interms of quality.

Chris,
My experience has been that Crestock is very picky about what they take, so I hope you make the “grade”.

My stuff is nothing to write home about, but I am learning and earning money.

For comparison purposes You can view my istock portfolio here:
http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=549141

@Teddy - Well that’s ok, I need to work up to the big guys, I am starting out with micro stock

I wrote a whole post about it here.

http://blog.mctimages.com/mct_images/2007/01/dealing_with_st.html

I only have a 350d but there are quite a few companies that have lower resolution categories

But I have taken a plunge to submit an even dozen of my unretouched, uncropped, unphotoshopped photos to a major gallery here in Calgary, who’s asked to see them. For a show, perhaps.

It’s a very humbling experience. Those photos are the most recent 12 on my flickr site, if anyone were interested. Get there through my homeblog.