So you’ve just bought a digital SLR camera…excellent decision. You’ll enjoy the fantastic images it can produce, particularly once you learn how to take advantage of the various settings. Do you just accept what came in the package and be done with it? Of course not. While photography can easily blossom into an extraordinarily expensive hobby, there are a few key items that are worth purchasing.

1. Get a lens filter - These inexpensive pieces of glass screw on to the front of your lens. Now if you accidentally scratch the front of your lens, you just have to replace the filter instead of the whole lens.
2. Get an external flash - Most dSLRs come with an anemic built-in flash. An external flash allows you to use bounced light. Point the flash at the ceiling to light up the entire room and minimize shadows. For Nikon cameras, look at the SB-600. Canon users should check out the 430EX.
3. Get a 50 mm prime lens - Prime lenses are the opposite of zoom lenses. They can’t zoom in or out, but they tend to be extremely sharp and can have wide apertures which are perfect for indoor photography where light is limited. There are great ones for Nikon or Canon cameras.
4. Get a good camera bag - Make sure it carries your equipment comfortably and allows you to pull out the camera quickly. The easier it is to take your camera, the more likely you are to bring it with you.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 18th, 2007 at 6:10 pm and is filed under general. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.