After a couple weeks of reading and visiting camera ships, I finallydecided on the Nikon D80 based on the features, feel and size. Iordered the body from J&R today, and bought the Nikon 18-200 VR fromritz. Both should be here within 2 days..

You lucky man....

What accessories will I likely need? A friend of mine mentioned Ishould look into the following:- UV filter, less as a filter more as a protector for the glass ofthe lense.

You can protect the lens front just as well by using the lens hood - it doesn't matter if it gets bashed, and it won;t degrade image quality like a cheap filter can. For a discussion on the pros and cons of using a UV filter as lens protection, read this thread:.

Http://forums.dpreview.com/...forums/read.asp?forum=1002&message=24303316.

- Extra batteries- Carrying case.

Definitely.

I'm also considering getting a 50mm prime lense, but have no cluewhich one to get..

The 500mm f/1.8 is cheap and very good, ideal for indoor shots without flash. It's slightly telephoto though which you might find restrictive as the field of view will be quite narrow - so it would be good for portraits but not group shots, for example..

Is there anything else I should be looking at?.

Not until you've taken enough pics to know what you need. With an 18-200 zoom, and wide-aperture prime, your lens needs should be covered until you get heavily into e.g. wildlife photography or closeups of bugs..

Help me waste more money! .

I can send you my bank account details if you're that desperate to get rid of it .

Best wishes.

Mike..

Supz wrote:.

What accessories will I likely need? A friend of mine mentioned Ishould look into the following:- UV filter, less as a filter more as a protector for the glass ofthe lense- Extra batteries- Carrying case.

If you buy a UV-filter for protection, buy a good one - such as the Hoya HMC-series. They don't degrade image quality visibly, as cheaper filters does. But your front element's coating does take some beating without getting scratched. I've personally NEVER EVER used any UV-filters or protection filters, and none of my lenses have any scratces - even though I sometimes forget to mount the cap when throwing them in my bag..

As for extra batteries - buy good ones. Original, or a good third party trademark, such as Hhnel..

A carrying case is somewhat more difficult to suggest - I don't know your needs, temper etc... I prefer shoulder bags because I can access them quickly. But backpacks are more ergonomic, especially if you carry a lot of heavy equipment..

I will suggest you to start with a "minor" shoulder pack, such as LowePro NOVA 3 or NOVA 4. Or maybe the LowePro SlingShot 200AW, which you carry as a backpack, but access as if it were a shoulder bag. Quite a nice and versatile solution..

Furthermore, buy a polarizer. Remember that it needs to be circular in order for your autofocus to work (do NOT buy a linear polarizer). .

The polarizer will help you degrade or entirely remove, reflections. It's a must-have for most people - you gotta try it to see the great effect. Remember to rotate it to see the effect it creates. .

I'm also considering getting a 50mm prime lense, but have no cluewhich one to get..

Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 is a nice buy - you get a perfectly sharp lens for almost no money, and the lens is extremely fast - but this comes at a price. In order to control f/1.8, you must learn to steady yourself, so that you don't bring your subject out of focus, because you yourself move towards it or away from it. f/1.8 gives a VERY narrow depth of field - the good thing is, you can easier isolate subjects by blurring the background, and you can gain very fast shutter times..

Http://www.fotostart.dk << tutorials, guides etc...

Mike703 wrote:.

The 500mm f/1.8 is cheap and very good, ideal for indoor shotswithout flash..

Now that's a lens I'd like to have... of course he meant 50mm! It is a good lens, worth every penny as everyone says..

Alex..

The 500mm f/1.8 is cheap and very good, ideal for indoor shotswithout flash..

Now that's a lens I'd like to have... of course he meant 50mm! It isa good lens, worth every penny as everyone says..

...well spotted Alex! Of course I meant the 50mm f/1.8. A 500 f/1.8 would have a front lens element about a foot across and need a flat-bed truck to carry it around; but it would be great for bird photos....

Best wishesMike..

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I got the D80 today, and borrowed an old (really old, fully manual) Nikkor 105mm prime lens to play around with. After playing with that for a while, I'm pretty sure I'll need a prime lens... the pictures it takes look fantastic, even though I have to manually adjust everything. I'll have to wait till tomorrow, though, to get the 18-200 that I ordered and see how that works..

What is the best/cheapest place to pick up the Nikon 50mm f/1.8?..

When I was buying UV filters, I noticed that there were thin ones for wide-angle lenses. Some had front threads, some not but the claim was that the thinness helped to prevent vignetting..

I ended up purchasing a more expensive Hoya Pro 1 filter for the 18-50 mm lens, and Hoya HMCs for the other lenses...

Supz wrote:.

Is there anything else I should be looking at?.

A SB-600 or SB-800 flash, if you plan to do a lot of indoor photography. Both have tilt/swivel heads and a lot more power than the built-in flash so you can bounce the light off ceilings/walls, or diffuse it, to help prevent "red eye"...

I didn't see any mention of those.A couple of 2Gig, suitably fast. And don't buy a counterfeit off of e-bay.A member of the rabble in good standing...

D80 + 18-200 = much happiness..

For what it's worth, here's the shopping list I'm working through as $ permits:.

Tripod.

- Nothing too fancy, I'm not into landscape or the sort of thing that would require a top of the line model. Just a basic utility device..

Flash- SB-600 for me..

- Plus diffuser. A MUST in my opinion. A pity it doesn't come standard with the 600..

Memory cards.

- 2x 1GB Extreme III bought at time of camera. 1x Sandisk standard 2GB bought on impulse one day..

- Will add more from time to time; can't have too many memory cards, especially as it takes the pressure off when you've copied the photos to computer but no backup taken yet. You don't feel under pressure to reformat the card too soon..

Microfibre cloth.

- Got a little cloth that packs into a pocket about 1cm square and hangs from the camera strap. It's always there when I need it. Best $10 I ever spent on camera gear!.

Grey Card / Lastolite / Expodisc or whatever- Just so I can develop my white balance skills..

Filter.

- Highest quality protective filter you can afford. Of course this is a controversial subject, all I can say is I have taken test shots and can see no difference with the filter on..

Bag.

- Large bag that holds everything, including instruction books, battery charger etc. Even with just the D80 + lens this is filing up quickly. I don't take it out much, it's more for storage and a quick and easy "throw everything in the car" when travelling. Also has room for phone, PDA, etc so it makes a good option for carrying just the one bag when travelling.- Have a snoot bag for the camera + lens..

- Next priority is a medium-sized bag to carry camera + flash + maybe one lens or so as a "field" bag. This is my one major gap, especially since I bought the flash..

Lenses- 50mm f/1.8 is top of the list. What a bargain.In the more expensive "save up for" range:- Probably a mid-range prime like a 105 or similar for street work.

- Maybe a 60 macro or similar, but not a high priority, I'm not really into macro work.- Maybe try and pick up an old MF Nikkor that might serve some of this purpose.- Longer zoom/tele at the 300-400 end..

Oh, and:- Have my monitior calibrated- Have my printer profiled.

Hope this helps / gives you some ideas..

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