What to Buy?
I've been taking photos for a year now and want to get a few more accessories to help me improve. I have a Nikon 3300 with both an 18-55 lens and a 55-300 lens.
So what basic items should I get next? I can't spend a lot of money at the moment, so price is important. Any suggestions? And I'd love to hear why you suggest those items as well so I know what I'd use them for.
Thanks for your help.
Chris G Good question. I particularly enjoy landscapes.
jkuba You seem to enjoy landscape photography so i would suggest a tripod to get that smooth, flowing water photographs and moving clouds :) or maybe grad filter for sunsets and contrasty scenes
Alek Jedliński A tripod would be great. If you're shooting daily and don't want to carry too much, a gorillapod is great.
Chris G I was also thinking about a gorillapod. Thank you.
Grace ND filters and tripod :D they are a lot of fun, especially with seascapes and waterfalls, this is the one I use but with a different diameter bhphotovideo.com/c/product/752... I'm not sure what diameter your lenses are.
Kazzi 52 and 58mm respectively 18-55 and 55-300 VR, unless 18-55 is the new AF-P lens - therefore, it has 55mm filter thread)
Kazzi
I can give an advice in terms of lenses: take a look at used wide-angles (Sigma 10-20/4-5.6, Tokina 11-16, even Tamron or Nikon 10-24), since with a tripod You don't need them to be faster (brighter apertures) :)
But a tripod and polarising and/or ND filters are always good options for a landscape photographer.
Satoshi T Half ND filter. It was introduced by @Giuseppe . When I took landscape, in many case sky is too bright. In this era, we can compensate it by the post process, but in the case of sky is 'complete white' it becomes disable to correct. If you drop the brightness of sky while at the time of shooting, you can put the bright and dark parts into latitude. Refer his pic : "Filter " .
Chris G Does the remote control help to keep camera steady?
Chris G Well, I must say that up until this point I've been enjoying sharing pictures. But now I also really appreciate the community on here. Thanks to everyone. Based upon what I read, the first two items I'll likely buy are a tripod (probably gorillapod based upon what I've seen and my needs) and a ND filter.
Thanks again, everyone. And please feel free to add anything else here. I really value your opinions.
Chris G Thanks for the input. Is there another one you'd recommend? I want it to be sturdy, easy-to-use, and also something I can make small so it fits into a backpack. Or do you think the gorilla focus or zoom is good?
Romain A 50mm F1.8 (or F1.4) is a great (and cheap...) purchase...
Bradley Huchteman I would also recommend the 50mm or 35mm -- if you're willing to step out from landscape. A prime lens forces you to "zoom with feet" and can help a photographer learn to see and understand the overall scene and how the perspective will change with different focal lengths. Well... it certainly helped me.
Chris G Thanks. Okay, as a totally novice photographer, does this mean the lens is set at 35mm or 50mm? In other words, I cannot zoom in with the lens, I need to move in closer (or further) myself. Then I change the focus manually depending upon what I want to emphasize?
Satoshi T It is strange, but when I use a zoom lens it becomes loose to move my body. When I turn on the prime lens, I will move actively. Then I can discover an interesting composition than zoom lenses. Even brighter Aperture makes Bokeh fun that you can never taste with a zoom lens.
Kazzi
yes, exactly :) You can set Your 18-55mm to a 35mm focal length and shoot for an hour without moving the zoom - it is a wonderful exercise.
There is no zoom in prime lenses (that's why they are primes and have only one focal length in their names), but most of them give You much wider aperture = much more light arriving at Your camera's sensor + narrower depth of field :)
Ian Prince Maybe try taping the zoom ring so it doesn't move ;)
Chris G That's what I was thinking, Ian. But I like the challenge of trying this. It would give me good practice with the focus since I do a lot of auto-focus right now.
Magda Parkitna But you always remember that not all that gear takes photos but you;-) I know all the photo equipment is exciting and helpful. But... In my opinion the best camera is the one you have got with you;-))) Just enjoy your photography.
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Magda Parkitna It depens on what you want to shoot;-) Landscapes? Street photo? Animals? Still life? Sport? You should tell us what kind of photography you are interested in.