What to save for next?

[Alicia]

I ordered my D80 today with my 50mm lens! I'm very excited. Now I wait. Money is out for now but I need to save but for what, I'm not sure. What would you get next? I would love a zoom lens. Most of my work is going to be from closer distance (shots of people, babies, b & w and color), that is why I went with the 50mm. But I certainly will need to zoom too at times when I want to catch people and animals off guard for more natural shots. So is a zoom lens next? If so what kind of zoom, standard or wide angle? Tell me a little about both.....and can you recommend one not too expensive?

Or a flash, will I need a separate flash? What kind?

Or backdrops and lighting?

I'm thinking zoom lens. But let me know your opinion on my next purchase.

Off to do fun Mommy things like change a diaper!

 

[Johnboy2978]

I shot quite a few portraits and such w/ a 50mm. My next purchase was a 24-70mm lens followed by a 70-200mm then a 70mm macro lens. I think the 50mm is quite a capable lens and will allow you to explore your camera pretty well. You can zoom with your feet with it, so while other lenses would be nice to have, sometimes nothing beats my 50mm. One thing to keep in mind w/ lenses, is that the all-in-one type suck. You can find a lot of lenses that cover 18-200 or greater, but many will not cover that whole range very well. You are much better off getting a few that cover part of the range. Another option maybe getting several prime lenses scattered along the range. They will be (usually) better optical quality and generally faster lenses.

You mention backdrops and lighting. Are you interested in portrait work down the road? If so you might want to start pricing some decent lighting.
www.alienbees.com is a good place to start.

There are so many ways to spend other people's money

 

[JerryPH]

The 50mm is a good start to learning all about composition and all. I would recommend that your next lens be a wide angle medium range zoom becuase they have the most versatility. Indoor shots where the 50mm could not capture a wide enough picture, they excell. Something like a 17-50 (or my 18-50 Sigma) for example are excellent for portait, general and mine can also do macro for those VERY up close shots.

Portrait shots:

Night photography:

Full body:

A depending on your lens choice, possibly a little macro:

...and many other things. I believe a wide-moderate zoom is the good choice as a second lens, if you don't have one already.

After that, if you do not have one, I suggest that it is time to get a flash, like a Nikon SB-600. This opens up another world for you too!

 

[Big Mike]

I agree with everything Jerry said. A wide/medium zoom will come in very handy...as you may find that the 50mm is a bit long when you are indoors and can't back up as far as you would like.

The 50mm is a great lens to start with though.