Lenses and Flashed and Tripods, OH MY

So here's the question of the day.

What are the best lenses (aside from teh basics that come with cameras like the one i have) and flashes to purchase FIRST?
What is your favorite piece of photo equpiment that you can't live without?

good question Jackie...I think I am getting a Gift certificate for camera stuff...what to buy 1st!! :)

So here's the question of the day.

What are the best lenses (aside from teh basics that come with cameras like the one i have) and flashes to purchase FIRST?
What is your favorite piece of photo equpiment that you can't live without?

what do you already have?

what kind of camera do you have now?

do you plan to shoot natural light or use a flash?

do you want to do mostly studio or on location (outdoors)?

nikon d50
tripod and wireless remote (as the basic lense, attached flash, etc)
prefer flash b/c don't have natural light except from one window in our house
prefer indoors.

OK Jen for me I have a Canon rebel ...
I like going to the park so outside!! :)

i will be getting a better tripod that is FOR SURE!!

Sorry, I can't help you with lenses or flashes since I have Canon.

If I could only have 2 pieces of camera equipment, I'd keep my Canon 50mm/f1.8 lens and my 550EX flash. Sometimes for snapshots, you just have to use a flash or you won't get the shot at all. I like being able to bounce my flash off the ceiling instead of relying solely on the onboard flash.

for the d50 (Brendan's mom?) you'll want either an sb800 or sb600 flash, and either a 50mm 1.8 or 35mm 2.0 lens (since you're indoors, I'd suggest the 35mm to give yourself more room)

I use my 35mm lens 95% of the time, and finally just sold my 50mm since it was just taking up room in my camera bag

The flash is neat because it can be used on your camera, or remotely. it's a totally cool feature that lets you set it up on a lightstand, and take your camera where ever you want and shoot away, and it works GREAT! no cords to trip over or lose!

also, you can flip it up so it bounces light off the ceiling which gives a very natural "non-flash" look to your pictures.

the sb600 is a bit cheaper, so I'd suggest you buy that and the 35mm lens

just my two cents ;)

Jen

Rena-I don't use a tripod at all...I like the freedom I have to crawl on the ground after a runaway toddler ;)

I just got a tripod last week. I've only used it for a few shots (like when I want to take family pics of all of us) but toher than that, i'm the same way with Brendan. He does better when I'm down, rollin around on the ground with him :)

I never use my tripod during a session, either. I've used one for self-portraits of my family and other photography, but not portraits. By the time I got it set up, the toddler I was trying to photograph would be long gone. ;) When purchasing a tripod, make sure it's equipped to handle the weight of your camera. You want it stable when you attach thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment onto it. Bogan is a good brand of tripods.

One thing to consider when buying a lens for a digital SLR is the digital crop factor. You need to take the focal point of the lens and multiply by 1.6 to get the true focal point on a digital SLR. For example, when shooting with a 35mm, it will actually be the same as shooting at 56mm on a film camera. Portraits are best at about 85mm, so the best portrait lens should theoretically be a 50mm lens. Anything smaller may cause some slight distortion (larger noses, etc.). But, Jennifer is right- it can be difficult to get back far enough to fit what you need into the frame if shooting indoors. I don't currently have anything smaller than my 50mm, but it's on my want list. :)

don't you mean "want BOOK"? lol.

Bogan is a good brand of tripods. :)
I've never heard of Bogan tripods but good name!!! :thumb :lol