What other equipment do you reccomend?

[Maestrogamer]

I very recently got my hands on a new Nikon D80 with 18-55mm kit lens. This was actually an early wedding gift from my fiance given to me early so I could become comfortable with it before our honeymoon to Acadia national park in Maine. Before we go, I want to make sure I have everything I need.

I imagine I would want a larger lens. So far I'm looking at the 55-200mm ED with VR.

Although most of my shots will hopefully be in bright sunlight I'm sure I will want to have a flash so I was thinking the speedlight 600.

I think I'd like some filters probably uv and polarizer but I don't know a whole lot about knowing which brands to get on filters.

If there is anything else that may come in handy, please let me know. Keep in mind that I am on a tight budget, but also want to be happy with my pics.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Steph]

If you want to take a lot of landscape shots, a tripod would be really useful.

 

[Alex_B]

i second the tripod.

but keep in mind dragging around a tripod is a hassle, and I know some people who got themselves a tripod but leave it at home 90% of the time.

as for filters, i always say go for B+W filters. But there are some much cheaper brands which are almost as good I suppose.
A polariser is a good thing to have.

 

[M_Werner1]

I would definitely recommend and tripod and a polarizing filter which will really help enhance the colors. I heard its supposed to be beautiful up there!!

 

[Jim H]

A fourth ackowledgment of the tripod ... and as Alex mentioned, don't leave it at home.

 

[Village Idiot]

A Bag to put it all in.

Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home:

 

[passerby]

Spare battery does not cost an arm and leg, plus large capacity card. I use 4 gb for my dslr and 2 gb for my snapper, and 1 gb for my mobile. It is all about just in case you know.

Oh btw, don't forget to bring the charger with you, you may need it .

 

[Antithesis]

A Bag to put it all in.

Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home:

Do/can you carry two bodies in that?

/endhijack

I think the 55-200 is a decent starting lens. When I had one, I kept it on a lot more than the 18-55. If your doing landscapes, you can definetely use the 18-55, and with a circular polarizer and a tripod, your pretty set. You might want to consider a remote and learn how to set the mirror lock-up.

 

[Maestrogamer]

Thanks for all the info. I have a tripod, but it was a cheap freebie that came with a camcorder. It'll a hold a camera still, but it is a real pain to adjust. Think maybe I'll get one a little better.

As far as the polarizer, I've noticed a huge spread in prices but I'm not quite sure what the differences are. Any suggestions on brands to go with or stay away from?

A remote sounds like a good idea too, thanks for that.

Thanks again for all your input...

 

[Antithesis]

With filters, in many cases, price = quality. That's sort of the rule of thumb with most new photographic equipment. The high-end Hoya filters are nice, and not outrageously expensive (relative term of course), and B+W are considered to be the best by most.

If you are looking at UV filters, keep in mind that they do pretty much nothing. Most people just use them as protective covers for the front element, and they can often times degrade the image unless you use the nicer ones. If your using a $100 lens and you need to put a $80 filter on it to not degrade the image, then it's a waste of money. If you had a thousand dollar lens, I might think of getting one, but not for a cheapie.

 

[Village Idiot]

Do/can you carry two bodies in that?

/endhijack

I think the 55-200 is a decent starting lens. When I had one, I kept it on a lot more than the 18-55. If your doing landscapes, you can definetely use the 18-55, and with a circular polarizer and a tripod, your pretty set. You might want to consider a remote and learn how to set the mirror lock-up.

30D/ grip
70-200 f/2.8 is
50mm
18-55mm
580ex
Umbrella bracket
two pocket wizards
AA eneloop charger
Canon battery charger
card reader
rocket blower
cables and crap

 

[johnmh]

If you go with the VR vbersion of the 55-200 (not all that much more and the VR is really nice) you really don't need a tripod. You can do fine with a monopod/walking stick - I've done fine with that for some time with even larger lenses. The VR makes it easy to live without and handhold.

Unless you plan on taking staged shots of you and your fiance using a remote, you can live without a tripod. I may be in conflict with others on this but the less you have to carry the better.

With a range from 18 up to 200 between the two lenses you'll be in reasonably good shape. Just be careful in changing lenses and have a squeeze bulb for blowing off dust that may show up.

 

[caspertodd]

Thanks for all the info. I have a tripod, but it was a cheap freebie that came with a camcorder. It'll a hold a camera still, but it is a real pain to adjust. Think maybe I'll get one a little better.

I have the same kind of tripod and was thinking that it would do for now. That is until I borrowed a friend’s expensive Bogen tripod. It is a night and day difference. The cheap one that came with my camcorder wobbles when any wind blows by or if you walk by it. If you even try to press the shutter button, the whole thing moves. I’m definitely going to buy a good tripod as my next purchase, but will need to find one that is not so expensive, but still well built.