Help Needed

Draupnir

As one of those people who gets addicted to things very easily, I need some help from some of the more learned individuals of this world. Convinced my family and girlfriend to split the cost of a DSLR for me for Christmas and since then, I have been spending my ass off on cool extras to go with it!!

So far I have ordered:

Canon 450d with kit lens (This the Christmas present, so not my expense as such)
16gb SDHC Memory Card
Canon f1.8 50mm Lense
Lowepro Mini Trekker AW (great bargain at 72 euro delivered.)

So here is where I need the advice! You have two options really, I'd like people to either advise me that I have enough to be getting on with and should stop purchasing or if you are of a similar state of mind as myself, advise me on what else I need to buy right away!!

Thanks for reading! I look forward to getting my first exposures up for C&C!

TPD

I'm in a similar boat - getting a Nikon D40 with kit lens for christmas, and have ordered a 4gb 'Extreme' SDHC card, and a lowepro bag. Stopped short of getting some filters, a shutter remote and another lens.

Draupnir

Hmmmmm, I could use a shutter remote and some filters.......

Ballyman

You'll get a shutter remote for <€10 on ebay delivered.

smelltheglove

If this is your entry into dslr then I recommend starting with kit and flash only to be honest.

My reason for this would be, you need to enhance your skills. It is a lot easier to be a great photographer when you have the best of everything but you become a better photographer if you have to fight with your equipment.

Heres my logic, I began with a lower grade camera, I started to get interested in harder things which pushed me to the limits of my cameras ability. Now that I have upgraded camera and equipment my shots are a lot easier to get but I dont get myself into hot water by not getting the money shot, I get 99% of the shots I aim for and this is in my opinion due to the fact that by limiting my equipment I forced myself to think outside the box. I have shot live music gigs, weddings, portraits, even boxing and for the first time today I will buy a lens which is not a kit lens.

Yes you can get upgraded lenses, remote switches etc etc etc but you need to know what to do if one of these things fails in an important situation and by not working without them you will not learn.

Ok guys come and shoot me down...........

CabanSail

It all depends of what you will be shooting.

I would suggest a UV Filter for the lens.

Rather than one 16GB memory card, it would probably be better (& cheaper) to get 4 4GB cards instead. That way you still have the same capacity but if one corrupts then you don't lose the whole lot. 16GB is quite a lot of memory, unless you are going to be away from your computer to download for a while or planning on some big shoots. If that is the case then you will also need some spare batteries. Get good quality Memory Cards they are not too dear now from places like 7dayshop. I use the Extreme II or Extreme III cards.

emul

An obvious thing that you seem to be missing is a tripod, essential for landscapes, portraits etc. Get one that you can remove the centre column so you can get the tripod really low down.

kgiller

I would recommend a tripod. Can get one for €20-25 on ebay. Essential piece of kit for starting off. You need the tripod for night time shots, long exposures etc...

I got a Hama Star 61 for €20, works fine for me, safe, sturdy and light weight.

Draupnir

Rightio, I probably am going over the top so thanks smelltheglove for talking sense,I'm just compulsive about internet shopping! I'm just going to concentrate on essentials now and won't buy anymore lenses for a good few months at least.

I'm expecting to be away from the computer for long periods with the camera, hence the 16gb card. I will probably pick up another two 4gb's after Christmas for safety sake. A good point I didn't think of is the power issue, what are these batteries like:

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=104226

As I say, I'll probably be shooting for long periods of time without access to power points for charging so extra batteries are a must!

CabanSail

I use the Nikon compatibles from 7dayshop & have found them to be really good.

Even being away for long periods I would shoot multiple smaller cards rather than one bigger card.

Draupnir

CabanSail wrote: »

I use the Nikon compatibles from 7dayshop & have found them to be really good.

Even being away for long periods I would shoot multiple smaller cards rather than one bigger card.

Will take that advice on board, cheers. Think I will pick myself up a couple of those Canon compatibles from 7dayshop while I am at it.