What to get next?

[Darkhunter139]

Just got a Nikon D40 like a week ago and am trying to decide what I should get next for it.

So far I have

Nikon D40
Lowepro 170 camera bag
18-55mm AF-S kit lens
55-200mm AF-S VR lens

Right now I really want a tripod, backup battery and some kind of close up filter I think. I dont have a ton of money to spend on a tripod right now so I am going to get a cheaper one (around $50) for now. I will go all out on one eventually because I know they are important but dont have the money to right now.

DF60 Velbon DF-60 Deluxe Heavy Duty Photo/Video Tripod with 3 Way Fluid Panhead & Quick Release Shoe, (Height 23" - 63.5", Maximum Load 15 lbs) That one looks pretty nice and has decent reviews on the site.

After that I was thinking of either getting a canon 500d close up lens(filter) or saving up for a 35mm f/1.8 AF-S lens.

Is there anything else you guys recommend, I probably need a lens cleaning kit as well for when they get dust on them. Is there anything I should look for in one of those or will any do?

 

[Foxman]

I would suggest good UV filters first and foremost. They will help protect the glass if nothing else but also help with those pesky UV rays. If you can swing that and a good polarize filter and lens hoods to help reduce the risk of lens flare.

These are easily overlooked and yet awfully important items to any lens.

Also depending on what and how you plan on shooting, a good mono-pod might be as effective as a tripod.

 

[Darkhunter139]

I am mostly interested in outdoor shots (closeups and landscapes)

A lens hood came with my 55-200mm lens so I have one of those, should I keep that hood on at all times? What kind of polarize filter's should I be looking into getting?

Thanks

 

[Foxman]

I googled and read a couple of articles that I will pass on.

How to Use and Buy Polarizing Filters

Filters - UV or not UV? - photo.net

Hoya is the brand that both article writers like. My gear is at home and I am not so I can not tell you what I use. Actually I need to purchase a couple of filters myself for some new lenses that I have, so I am in the market also.

 

[Phazan]

If you are worried about money, you can get a tripod for like $20 or something at Target, my cheap plastic one works fine

 

[RPetterson]

I just got my camera and all the same stuff you did I am going to get a doubler for my camera I really want to take wild life and landscape also I thought that this might be great for that I have been told by a couple of people that is a good thing to get I like the advice of the filters also.

 

[KmH]

I would suggest good UV filters first and foremost. They will help protect the glass if nothing else but also help with those pesky UV rays. If you can swing that and a good polarize filter and lens hoods to help reduce the risk of lens flare.

These are easily overlooked and yet awfully important items to any lens.

Also depending on what and how you plan on shooting, a good mono-pod might be as effective as a tripod.

Digital camera sensors already have a UV filter. UV filters were commonly used on film cameras.

Ordinary, untreated glass blocks most of UVB. The most energetic of the UV rays, UVC, are filtered out by the atmosphere.

Many think using a UV filter to 'protect' a lens is a waste of money. There have been reported instances where the shards from a shattered UV filter have gouged the objective lens when breaking, or have gouged the objective lens when being removed from the lens after being broken. Since the shards are usually forced inwards and held there by the filters outer ring.


At worst lower quality UV filters can cause a noticeable decrease in image quality. A top notch UV filter will not degrade image quality, though there are some limited situations a UV filter may help image quality somewhat:

• At altitudes above 5,000 feet
• In lighting situations where some materials are caused to flouresce by the light source.

UV filters attached to the front of a lens promote internal lens flare when the lens is pointed near or at a bright light source. A UV filter will also cause a decease in contrast from light scatter in the air gap between the filter and the objective glass.

Using the lens cap and a lens hood provides protection for the front of a lens with little downside (as long as you remember to remove the lens cap before shooting :blushing and both are normally included with your lens. A lens hood will give a slight increase in contrast but can cause unwanted shadows when using flash on the camera.

 

[KmH]

I just got my camera and all the same stuff you did I am going to get a doubler for my camera I really want to take wild life and landscape also I thought that this might be great for that I have been told by a couple of people that is a good thing to get I like the advice of the filters also.

A doubler (2x teleconverter) will also double your effective aperture, meaning it will effectively decrease by 4 the amount of light entering your lens (2 stops) which will also necessitate a 2 stop longer shutter speed making it difficult to stop motion.

You may want to consider just a 1.4x teleconverter so you only loose 1 stop of aperture.

As noted above: I don't recommend using 'protective' UV filters.

 

[Gaerek]

I would suggest good UV filters first and foremost. They will help protect the glass if nothing else but also help with those pesky UV rays. If you can swing that and a good polarize filter and lens hoods to help reduce the risk of lens flare.

These are easily overlooked and yet awfully important items to any lens.

Also depending on what and how you plan on shooting, a good mono-pod might be as effective as a tripod.

Digital camera sensors already has a UV filter. UV filters were commonly used on film cameras.

Ordinary, untreated glass blocks most of UVB. The most energetic of the UV rays, UVC, are filtered out by the atmosphere.

Many think using a UV filter to 'protect' a lens is a waste of money. There have been reported instances where the shards from a shattered UV filter have gouged the objective lens when breaking, or have gouged the objective lens when being removed from the lens after being broken. Since the shards are usually forced inwards and held there by the filters outer ring.



At worst lower quality UV filters can cause a noticeable decrease in image quality. A top notch UV filter will not degrade image quality, though there are some limited situations a UV filter may help image quality somewhat:

• At altitudes above 5,000 feet
• In lighting situations where some materials are caused to flouresce by the light source.

UV filters attached to the front of a lens promote internal lens flare when the lens is pointed near or at a bright light source. A UV filter will also cause a decease in contrast from light scatter in the air gap between the filter and the objective glass.

Using the lens cap and a lens hood provide protection for the front of a lens with little downside (as long as you remember to remove the lens cap before shooting :blushing and both are normally included with your lens. A lens hood will give a slight increase in contrast but can cause unwanted shadows when using flash on the camera.

:thumbup: +1 I completely agree about the whole UV/Protection filter thing.

As for what to get next, I think I would first go spare battery, then tripod. You can shoot without a tripod, but if your camera runs out of juice, you're SOL until you get it charged. I always have a spare charged batter with me as a backup.

A good tripod (ok, not nearly as good as the really nice tripods, but decent for the money) to get is Amazon.com: Dolica AX620B100 62-Inch Proline Tripod and Ball Head: Camera & Photo. It's fairly inexpensive, and it has a lot of features of the higher end tripods. It has some issues, but for the budget conscious, this is a great buy.

 

[Darkhunter139]

Does this polarizer look good? Its only 35 dollars, I am really liking the price lol.

B52CRPLGB Hoya 52mm Circular Polarizer Glass Filter

Thanks for the link to that tripod, it looks pretty nice. The reviews for that Velbron one almost all say it is steady even on amazon though so I am not sure which would be better. And yeah I am going to skip the UV filter.

 

[mJs]

Just be sure that when you do buy your tripod it's going to fit your shooting style... I made the mistake of buying a Velbon "photo/video" tripod and found out in a hurry that it was more geared for video than photo. It was not designed to flip over into a 'portrait' orientation. It only panned left to right and up and down.

 

[Darkhunter139]

Just be sure that when you do buy your tripod it's going to fit your shooting style... I made the mistake of buying a Velbon "photo/video" tripod and found out in a hurry that it was more geared for video than photo. It was not designed to flip over into a 'portrait' orientation. It only panned left to right and up and down.

Ahh wow it looks like the one I was looking at will be like this as well.

I guess ill go for the Dolica one.

 

[DScience]

I would get THIS

 

[Darkhunter139]

I would get THIS

Cool thanks, just ordered four of them. Want one? Think my 50 dollar tripod will be able to hold it ok?

 

[Darkhunter139]

Does this polarizer look good? Its only 35 dollars, I am really liking the price lol.

B52CRPLGB Hoya 52mm Circular Polarizer Glass Filter

Thanks for the link to that tripod, it looks pretty nice. The reviews for that Velbron one almost all say it is steady even on amazon though so I am not sure which would be better. And yeah I am going to skip the UV filter.

Wow and then there is this one too which is a lot more expensive

XHD52CRPLGB Hoya 52mm Circular Polarizer HD Hardened Glass 8-layer Multi-Coated Filter

Which one would be a better purchase? Id rather save money and get the cheap $30 filter but not if it sucks