What else do I need to be planning to buy?

[aggielawyer]

I'm thisclose to being able to purchase the Nikon D90 that I've been saving for for months. I've socked away every spare penny and I can't wait to have my shiny new camera to play with. I have an old 35mm SLR that I bought ages and ages ago, but I've never had a DSLR. So what else do I need to plan to purchase? I know I've seen discussion here about memory cards. Eventually I will be getting a tripod, but not right away. What else do I need to be thinking about?

 

[My2Girls66]

Assuming you are getting a kit with a lens. To start, I would add a couple memory cards, a spare battery and a uv filter for the lens. That is what you will need to get started. Eventually you will want much much much more....

 

[VVFF]

No reason to buy a UV filter when there are protection filters out there for cheaper. That's if you want a filter at all..completely your choice.

I would get some basic cleaning supplies, a carrying bag, an extra battery, a flash, a tripod, polarizing filter, a ND filter....oh I gotta little carried away there...all things to look into though

 

[saturndb]

I'm thisclose to being able to purchase the Nikon D90 that I've been saving for for months. I've socked away every spare penny and I can't wait to have my shiny new camera to play with. I have an old 35mm SLR that I bought ages and ages ago, but I've never had a DSLR. So what else do I need to plan to purchase? I know I've seen discussion here about memory cards. Eventually I will be getting a tripod, but not right away. What else do I need to be thinking about?

The list will never come to a end. You'll may want a tripod,a flash, more memory cards, a good wide angle lens, a telephoto lens, a 50mm lens,Adobe Lightroom or photoshop and maybe a book on how to use it... but it will all come down to what you like to photograph.

Enjoy the new camera

 

[Altair]

How about a decent camera strap. Some cameras don't come with one at all.

 

[TheGoofster]

This is what I've found so far (also being a relatively newbie to DSLR's).

Things you have to have (that don't necessarily come with the camera):

1) A memory card. Even if it's only as small as a 2GB card, you have to have at least one. Depending on how much you plan on shooting at first, one card could very well be more than sufficient. You can fit anywhere between 300 - 800 pictures on most cards (depending on the size of the photo, plus if you go with JPEG or RAW shots). If you plan on doing mostly experimenting the first few months (no big trips or anything), then one card would easily meet your needs.

2) A camera bag. You have to have something safe to keep your camera in. Bags can be as simple as a 15 dollar deal that will fit your camera and one lens, or a couple of hundred of dollars for ones that do so much more.

Things which you will want to get pretty soon:

3) A good photo editing program. Most cameras come with some kind of program that you can use to get started, but honestly, there is so much that you can do now with your pictures that a good program is almost a necessity. Good programs can run you from about 50 dollars to a couple of hundred. I use Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo Ultimate X2 which I got on Amazon for only 49.99. I know it's not quite as powerful as Photoshop, but for the price it really does offer a ton of great features. (including RAW processing and HDR photo merge).

4) A Tripod. Even if it's only a beginner's model. There are a lot of features that your camera offers that you pretty much need a tripod to take advantage of (night time / low light shots, Exposure bracketing, self-portraits, etc...). A tripod gives you many extra photo ops that you would otherwise miss.

5) A UV / protection filter. A small investment to help protect your lens.

6) Cleaning supplies. Again a small investment to help keep your camera in the best possible condition.

Other things that you will probably also want to eventually get (but you probably won't need right away)

- an extra battery. Again, depending on how much you use your camera, an extra battery might, or might not be necessary.
- a remote control (for the shutter release)
- different lenses (telephoto, low light / fast lens, etc...)
- more memory cards
- bigger (better) flash
- A SD card reader (if your computer doesn't already have one). Sure you can connect your camera to your comp via the included cable, but it sure is easier just to pop the card out of the camera and right into the computer.

 

[ThurlFan]

I believe Kramberries can help you fill out your shopping list

 

[handicap18]

The D90 and the kit lens will get you most of your shots. To also get you started the ONLY other thing you need is a memory card. After that everything else will be based on your own personal style.

As someone else said, the list is pretty much endless. What additional lenses you'll need will be based on what type of shooting you really like to do and what you do most. Wide angle, telephoto, wide aperture. Filters are completely an individual thing. Many computer programs will do what many filters can do. No filter is mandatory to have, some people use them all the time, others hardly at all.

An extra battery is nice to have on days where you plan to do A LOT of shooting or when you go on vacation. Extra memory cards are also a good idea to have for the same reason as the extra battery.

A tripod is necessary if you plan on doing a lot of long exposure shots or portrait shoots. Some pro's use a tripod for their landscape shots.

Nikon includes a basic editing software for free that will also convert NEF images (Nikon's RAW) to jpeg if you choose to shoot RAW. You can also use other editing software like Photoshop Elements or Lightroom to name a few.

You should make sure that your computer can handle all the extra photos you'll be taking. Is your hard drive large enough? Do you have enough RAM? etc... Though in all actuality you don't "need" to have a computer. You can take a memory card to CVS or WalMart or some place like that and they can print out your images and transfer them to a CD for safe keeping.

If you do plan on using a computer for your images and want to easily share them with friends and family, an online photo sharing site is a good idea. Something like Photobucket, zenfolio, flickr and smugmug are a few that are used quite a bit on this board.

A good book to use as a reference is also a good idea to have. Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure" come highly recommended by many people.

The list could go on and on when it comes to lenses, flashes, battery grips, diffusers and bags. Again, that stuff will come down to personal preference.

 

[VVFF]

Let me chime in again to agree with another poster...get a good camera strap. Buying the Crumpler Industry Disgrace strap was one of the best(and cheapest) upgrades I've done.

 

[SrisonS]

I'd highly suggest a lens hood.

 

[ukcatfan]

I'd highly suggest a lens hood.

I second this and say drop the protection filter.

On a side note, what is your old SLR? Have you checked to see if you can use any of the lenses from it?

 

[aggielawyer]

Thanks for all the info y'all. I realize that the purchasing can be never-ending, but just want to make sure I've got what I need to start taking pictures right away. I don't have any trips coming up until the end of the year, so that will give me time to get used to the camera and decide what additional equipment I want to take with me. There are so many of y'all that post such amazing shots, so I hope I can attain some level of proficiency.

 

[KramBerries]

I believe Kramberries can help you fill out your shopping list

My advice...call B&H and tell them that you want one of each.

 

[MHolleman]

I just purchased the d90 myself from Bestbuy and the stock lens that I got came with a lens hood. Should be the same for other selling outlets also. I also got the 70-300mm with the kit and it had the lens hood with it as well. Not sure if this is a standard thing or not with Nikon, but so far it seems to be the standard. BTW...this is a wonderful camera, and my first DSLR. Enjoy