Camera Accessories

[Sniper752]

Hi Everyone!
I am going to be, in about a month, buying a Nikon D3000, 18-55mm and a 55-200mm lenses, and also buying a 30 pc. accessory kit: http://www.amazon.com/ULTIMATE-SAVIN...=3619BPYQUFRH8

I will be moving out of the country in a few months and need to have purchased everything I need for the next 2 years before I leave. Is there anything not mentioned here that I will need? Is there anything mentioned here that I will need more than one of?
Thanks a bunch!

[rpcrowe]

Although the Nikon D3000 + the two lenses you are purchasing are quite decent, I would stay away from the package of accessories. Many are not needed or of pretty poor quality and would very likely reduce the image quality of your new camera/lenses.
This is especially true of the:
"0.5x Digital Wide Angle Macro Professional Series Lens"
"2x Digital Telephoto Professional Series Lens"
" 3-piece Filter Set (UV, Fluorescent, Polarizer)"

While the rest of the accessories are simply poor quality, they will probably not decrease your image quality like the results from the above three.

With the exception of the kit lenses which are frequently packaged with Canon and Nikon cameras at quite decent prices, I have found that most “packages” are made up of either inferior products or products that you don’t really need.

Here is another personal feeling. IMO, when a low priced accessory includes the term "professional" in its description it is usually opposite to that...

[Sniper752]

Ok, so you recommend I buy the battery, memory card, bag, ect. Separately?
And is there a good brand/ seller of UV filters as I will need a few of those

[Geoff F]

Let's start with an important question, Sniper, do you have a first name which we can use? We tend to be informal on this site.

And as for that package; well I admit to being cynical, but I would suggest that Richard is being somewhat 'generous' to the supplier in his reply.

Personally, I wouldn't touch that offer with a '10 ft barge pole' to use an English expression. I know it is on Amazon but there is only one Customer Reply and I would tend to question some of the content of that reply.

The offer implies a flash unit, two tripods, a camera bag and a lot of other kit for a price which is ludicrously cheap. If any offer sounds too good to be true then that is exactly what it is.

Check out and compare the prices for similar quality kit from reputable establishments.

There are a number of excellent suppliers who will be able to deliver all that you need, but first of all, consider exactly what you must have. It probably won't be as much as you think.

Some indication of what you intend to photograph and your budget may help to suggest what extras would be appropriate.

[Sniper752]

You can call me JD
I tend to use that screenname whenever a site asks for one,
As for the type of photography I intend to shoot, that depends, I am relatively serious about photography though I am just now getting my first DSLR. I enjoy shooting candids portraits landscapes macro and sports, when I get the chance.
Would you know of any "reputable sources" off the top of your head?
Any other sites (like amazon) you know of would be good to know as well, as I haven't found many more kits like that on amazon. I'll try eBay, though I don't like it as much.

[Geoff F]

OK then JD it is. You can edit your personal details to include that on your post details so everybody will know.

I assume from that previous linked site on Amazon which is priced in dollars you must be in the US. So you really need someone with experience of sales in that country. But a lot of people speak well of Adorama for quality and reasonable prices although there are probably a few other good sites on Amazon.

Possibly the fact that you haven't found any more offers like that one actually says a lot.

However, I would think that all you really need to consider in the way of extras are a UV filter for each lens, as much for protection against scratches as any other reason. A tripod might be handy, but it depends whether you want to 'travel light'. Also possibly a decent flash unit.

And to carry everything, a good quality camera bag. I found Lowenpro to be well made and sensibly priced, although not exactly bargain priced. I use their Mini Trekker Backpack which would easily carry everything you need.

None of this will be super cheap; but you only get what you pay for.

[Bill Yeung]

Agreed with Geoff. I add my equipment piece by piece. One len each time.
anything in kit set or combo set never can satisfy you in the long run, especially you mentioned you are a serious photographer.
After the experience with Canon 20D, one kit len, one sigma len and they almost worth nothing after 5 years, I looked back and found that the piece by piece buying still can win the long time trial: Canon 580 flash, Matz flash, Manfrotto tripod... they may not be the equipment fit me most at that time, but it can stand the test of time and don't need to upgrade them even after I changed to Canon 7D.
So, with 7d, I also one piece by one piece add 24-70 F2.8 L, 70-200 f2.8L, Sigma 50 1.4, Gitzo tripod, lowpro bag, and even Sekonic L-758DR, I know that I never to upgrade the above equipments. And I found that it is the cheapest way in investing lens and equipments in the long run.
I tend to buy lots of stuffs - like flash L bracket, Canon 20D grip.... and these are the items I never use it!!!

Buy cheap will save you money just for this moment.

last thing; remember a good quality cloth, lens cleaning stuff.

wish you a best future and lots of fun in photography.

[rpcrowe]

Wow! Purchasing everything needed for two years is quite an order and you will certainly not be able to get that gear for the price of the kit. Of course, you will be getting pretty unusable junk in the kit, some of which will actually degrade your imagery. Here are the accessories I would look into, in the order I would get them to cover several years of photography.

1. Memory cards: I would get a minimum of two 8 GB cards and preferably more...
2. Extra battery: DSLR batteries have a good life but, I would want at least one and preferably two extra batteries. I use Sterlingtek batteries for my Canon cameras and these third party batteries have served me well at a fraction of the OEM battery cost. I would assume that Sterlingtek for Nikon would be equally good. http://sterlingtek.com/nikdigcambat.html
3. Lens cleaning cloth and blower. Actually I have been using old washed out Tee-shirt material for years to clean my lenses along with a rubber medical bulb blower that I got from gosh knows where (perhaps during a hospital stay). It doen't have a brush on it. This is nickle-dime stuff...
4. Camera bag: I would not invest a great sum in a camera bag. There are lots of decent bags on eBay both new and used that are a lot less expensive than the top-line bags in photo stores. I have several camera bags but, the ones I most often grab are the Tamrac 600 (series - there are several sizes). They are not flashy and don't have a lot of bells and whistles but, they do a good job of carrying and protecting a small amount of gear and can be had for around twenty bucks or so used. If you are not a smoker - make sure that the bag comes from a smoke free environment...
5. Filters: I would suggest that you look into the tutorial https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tu...ns-filters.htm. Definitely get good quality filters. They are expensive but lower grade filters really degrade imagery. Lots of folks use UV filters to protect their lenses and a circular polarizer will improve many shots. ND filters and GND filters, IMO, are better suited for more experienced photographers.
6. Flash: I am a firm believer that a hotshoe flash bounced will give you excellent imagery and will often be the savior both in low light situations and in harsh outdoor lighting when used for fill flash. Either an OEM flash or a flash from a decent third party manufacturer such as Vivitar or Sunpak. I like a Joe Demb Flash Diffuser Pro to modify my flash but, you can fbricate a very decent diffuser reflector for little of no cost. http://super.nova.org/DPR/DIY01/
7. A decent tripod. Using your kit lens with a tripod and shooting at about 2-stops below the maximum lens aperture will provide surprisingly good image quality. You can often get good used Manfrotto tripods and heads (3001, 3011, 3021 etc.) on ebay for a fairly low price. I used a Manfrotto 3001P with a Manfrotto ball head for years and it cost me less than $75. I still have it and use it to support my notebook computer when I shoot tethered. I built a tray to support the computer. I am not sure you will be shooting tethered because you need to purchase additional equipment to do so with Nikons. Canon comes with the capability at no extra price.

You will need a post processing program. Canon provides a very nice one with their cameras and I will assume that Nikon provides one of equal value. However, the Adobe Photoshop Elements is a great program which can be purchased quite inexpensively and can do virtually any kind of post processing you desire.

The above gear will cost you a bit of money but, will set you up pretty well.

One final suggestion. Your kit lenses have fairly slow apertures. Canon'd 50mm f/1.8 lens is available at a very low price (It is called the Nifty-Thrifty) and I believe that Nikon also has a 50mm f/1.8 lens for a relatively low price. This willgive you some available light capability.

[DaveWilky]

JD I agree with all the other posts on here stay away from buying that kit, you could better spend the money you save on a few bits of kit that will be far more useful to you. Looking at that kit I would walk past it if a seen it for sale near me.

Dave.