Top 5 list for things to get next? What do I need and what do I not need?

[Smokeyr67]

My top five are

1. Camera
2. Talent
3. Supermodel
4. Something something internet
5. Profit!

 

[weepete]

Hi mate, I also like shooting landscapes and similar to yourself I am on a tight budget too.

The first thing to say is forget wide angle adapters, and macro filters (the screw on to your current lens type) as they cause too much distorsion and lower your lens quality. I wouldn't have these if they were free.

I looked into possibly using older lenses with an adapter as well, but personally came to the conclusion that the 1-2 stop reduction when using an adapter pretty much negated the benifits of buying an older lens, and seeing that most were made for film cameras focal lengths below 24mm are extemely rare. 24mm on a crop sensor body just wasn't wide enough for what I was looking for either in a wide angle lens.

Lightroom is great, but you can't create panoramas or HDR in Lightroom itself, you also need Photoshop to do that and that makes it a bit more expensive.

That being said there are a few things that I do use, that I'd reccomend:

1. Circular Polerising Filter - a good branded one is still reasonably cheap in photography terms and for landscapes it's brilliant. Don't leave home without one!

2. A remote shutter release, I'd buy a cabled one as you don't need to worry about batteries then

3. A set of ND/GND filters. I bought an eBay special colkin P type filter set, they are not the best quality but are still useable, and not being the screw on type they will fit different lens sizes

4. A gorrilapod or other small tripod, you can often get these in places where larger tripods are not allowed, and with a bit of creativity they can be very effective. I fix my gorrillapod to the outside of my small rucksack and take it on as my hand luggage if I'm flying abroad.

5. Extension Tubes. Probably the cheapest way to get into macro photography though a bit of a learning curve to learn to use them effectively. If you want to do really close up or moving insects you'll find out quickly you will be wanting an off camera flash setup.

 

[DGMPhotography]

I agree that you should buy things on an as-needed basis. Go shoot what you enjoy shooting and when you hit a wall and think, "man, I wish I could do this," then look up what it is you need to buy to do it. For example, I wanted to take better pictures of the moon, so I bought a longer lens. I wanted to do pictures of the stars, so I got a remote shutter release. I wanted to do self-portraits, I got an IR shutter release.

But to answer your question, I'll base my answer on the 5 things I've bought that have been most useful to me, in no particular order:

Software: Lightroom and Photoshop are essential. I got a photographer's deal on Black Friday and pay $10 a month for both programs. 200% worth it if you ask me, and one paid shoot will pay off several months! With landscapes, you'll need Photoshop to clone out various distractions, among other edits. Then I got Photomatix for HDR (which can be handy with landscapes).

Lenses: good glass can make a world of difference. I would recommend getting a 50mm prime, often called a "nifty fifty," it's a great all around lens for your arsenal. And of course you might want wide-angle lenses for landscapes, but on a crop sensor that can be difficult and expensive.

Tripod: if your current tripod is giving you trouble, get another one, but make sure it's good quality. There's all sorts of articles you can find urging you to spend money on one good tripod instead of wasting money on bad ones until you realize you need a good one. Manfrotto's the way to go. Even my low-end one is splendid!

Lighting: this may not apply to you as much if you only want to do landscapes, but being able to experiment with light has opened up a whole new world for me in photography. I've got 2 Yongnuo flashes (with stands and umbrellas), and a reflector. It's been said, and I'm paraphrasing, "amateurs worry about the gear, enthusiasts worry about the composition, and pros worry about the lighting." Lighting does apply to landscapes though (and everything in some way) and that's where filters come in, and timing (golden hour, etc). I took some pictures of a solar eclipse using some graduated filters. Really make a difference! And circular polarizer filters can help eliminate reflections, like in water!

Random gadgets: I like new things, especially technology. So I have a lot of little knick-knacks. Macro reverse rings, step-up rings, remote shutter releases, lens filters, aperture adapter, wireless flash transceiver, and I keep things like flashlights, batteries, homemade creative filters (plastic, leaves, etc) in my bag at all times.

And I'll reiterate, get what you need to take the pictures you want! Hopefully this and other comments will give you some ideas! Now get out there and shoot, and post some pictures for us - good luck!

 

[gsgary]

You dont need anything just go out and practise

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[EIngerson]

1. Proper exposure
2. Sharpness
3. Good framing
4. Nice depth of field
5. Proper focus


Not necessarily in that order.

 

[hirejn]

A good strategy is to get a basic digital photography workshop, help understanding light, help understanding composition, help understanding exposure, and then a workshop of your choice. It could be online or live. You have a camera and lens, which are the only tools you need for recording amazing light. Now you just have to know how to record amazing light.