what comes first?

well as majority of us are not totaly loaded with cash, we often have choices to a make when buying gear. i would like to know what you would buy first assuming that you have all the basics. A camera body, battery, some memory, kit lens and whatever comes in the box. just vote for what you would buy and feel free to give us your reason why. if you cant pick just one then vote for more then one.

This poll was created to find out what is most important you given the circumstances above.


xairsoft808x

It HAS to be a tripod!
a tripod will open up many more opportunities than any lens or accessory can!!!

You left out "A good book" To be honest if you are "Just starting out" an understanding of the relationship between ISO, shutter speed and aperture as well as some basic understanding of composition and various Post Processing techniques will be far more helpful that the things on your list.

If I was in your shoes, I'd go for a tripod first. But that's just me.

If a Tripod wasn't needed, i.e, if you didn't do landscapes, I'd go for a better lens to replace the kit lens. I like my Sigma 18-50 f/2.8, it was my first lens (I didnt get a kit lens) and still my most-used and favourite lens.

WHY upgrade the lens. Use it first to learn with and expand upon! the only two items in that list worth getting is a flash and tripod. theres no point in upgrading the kit lens if you don't have experience. once you learn the ropes, you will find that you need either wide angle or telephoto or fast aperture.
TOO MANY TIMES i see posts on this forum from people who can't decide which body, lens, etc to get next.
If you can't decide and have no pressing need for one or th other then i gaurantee that you don't even need it at all. typical example is 5D vs 40D, or the constant push people give around here to get L glass. yeah it may be good but if you can't take photos, its certainly not worth it.

thats my .02cents

More Memory first. You can improve your photography with a New Lens, or Tripod and the rest, but you must have memory to take any any photos at all.

The kit lens is fine and much better than most folk will have you believe, just look at the thread showing kit lens shots.

Learn to use your camera by taking lots and lots of photos, and to do that you need more memory

friends who know their stuff can teach much more effectively than a book. i bet you could even find basic knowledge like this online. my choices are either... upgrade kit lens or flash. well.. it depends on the kit lens. if it sucks and is really limiting (i.e. slow lens) then lens for sure. doesn't have to be L glass. if it's a good lens, then no reason to upgrade.

Tripod since it will give you an advantage in every sense. Memory would be a next thing. Body I would upgrade last especially if you are still learning. When you become more savy, you will prob narrow down your choices in a body rather than going for the most expensive one out there.

I voted for everything. Why? Because we cannot possibly tell you what to get next. If you have enough memory for your style of shooting, then don't get memory. If you never do long exposures, then a tripod is of little use. If you prefer shooting sports then a wide angle will not be of as much use as a telephoto.

But for me, when I had the kit lens and sufficient memory, I bought an ultra-wide angle, because that direction of photography appealed to me, and an ultra-wide angle gives you a completely new perspective. I then bought a tripod to try out long exposures. What direction appeals to you?

red hot sheep wrote in post #4847163
If you never do long exposures, then a tripod is of little use.

What about the core of photography,

Composition!!!

a tripod is more than just long exposures. It forces you to be more thought full in your approach to taking photos. without it, you can easily get sucked into the 'shotgun' method and end up with ZERO keepers.

Tripod. It's what I need and I've got everything else except the flash which I don't really need for my area of photography.

Al

flareak wrote in post #4847155
friends who know their stuff can teach much more effectively than a book. i bet you could even find basic knowledge like this online. my choices are either... upgrade kit lens or flash. well.. it depends on the kit lens. if it sucks and is really limiting (i.e. slow lens) then lens for sure. doesn't have to be L glass. if it's a good lens, then no reason to upgrade.

LOL you are probably correct, it is a sign of our 'instant gratification" culture.

I guess I am just to old fashioned, or perhaps even just old.

But 35 years ago I learnt about photography by reading and practice, I learnt how to work in a darkroom by reading and practice. Pre digital it had to be a lot more controlled and precise as every shot cost money (it cost the same to D&P a bad shot as it did a good one, and film was not cheap either). At one time I used the same pair of Pentax MX Cameras for 20 years manual exposure, manual focus. IMHO that is the best way to learn and improve. Buying new kit, is just buying new kit.

Tripod for me. Even though i havn't got one yet its next on my list.

I have done things a bit back to front and bought a wide lens first lol. Now i need a tripod.

Ian

Its all pretty subjective based on what you find yourself shooting or wanting to shoot. For instance, many recommend a tripod but while I have a tripod I almost never use it.

That said, I voted for a flash, because it if you ever shoot indoors, a flash that you can direct the light with will totally transform your flash pictures. However, if you never use flash (not everyone takes pictures inside, or wants to) I'd probably go for a telephoto zoom lens.

Memory is so cheap these days you could probably skip lunch twice and pick up a 1gb card so I didn't bother to vote for that.

I am pretty much satisfied with my system as it is except I would like to upgrade the kit lens. If I had the money I would replace the 28-135 with a 24-105. Of course I would love to have a few more lenses but I would be OK for a quite awhile just adding the 24-105.