Atherton & District Amateur Photographic Society

Hi All.
I've had a refund from my credit card for £80. Unfortunately they won't give it me; I have to spend it!
I've got a Nikon D3200 with 18-55 & 70-300 kit lenses. Clear filters for both lenses, a spare battery & a bag to put everything in.
So what's the most important equipment I can get next for that sort of money? Is it a tripod? Flash unit? Filters? Or something that I've not even considered?

Regards,

Phil.

Hi Phil

I think you have enough gear for now. Practice with what you have.

Maybe buy some photography books.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?_encoding=UT ... =paujon-21

Or why not treat yourself to a tablet for storing your photos, watching movies and Youtube, etc, and keeping in touch with the world. I just got Mrs J a Samsung 7" Galaxy Tab tablet for her birthday and she loves it.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.html ... =paujon-21

I suppose this all depends on what you are most interested in photographing and how much use you will make from your purchase(s).

Spare batteries, memory and a bag to carry your gear in are always worth looking into. A flashgun is possibly the least used item of gear

in your list. My own choice would be a decent tripod which will come in useful for most occasions and (usually) will last for years. A sturdy
one would make the best choice (in my opinion) as you might upgrade your camera gear to something heavier later on.

I would never argue with Paul ( well hardly ever) but you can get many books/magazines from both the club and libraries but of course he is
quite right in saying to just use the camera and learn as you go by taking loads of pictures.

Enjoy your purchase(s) and make use of them. Michael

I would by a portable hard disk (I already have 2), very useful for taking on holidays and for downloading pics for more/backup storage. I also find my camera body strap extremely useful for distributing the weight of the camera evenly rather than it hanging round my neck and causing neck-ache - they are only around £15, so plenty left for a meal out and a bottle of wine.

Whatever you decide, enjoy it!

Jan

I'd recommend a good back pack to carry all your gear around in Phil. As your love for photography grows, you'll almost certainly buy more kit, and lugging it around on one shoulder in a tiny bag is going to be cumbersome. This together with a decent strap (as advised by Janice) will make for a more comfortable shoot when you are out for the day with all your gear.

Following on from your bananas post ... what about collapsible reflectors or if you have a flashgun, some light modifiers? And if you go to the craft shop for gold card ... check out the foam sheets in black and white to use as DIY modifiers (with a bit of imagination) ...
W.

Paul Jones wrote: I think you have enough gear for now. Practice with what you have.

Maybe buy some photography books.

Or why not treat yourself to a tablet for storing your photos, watching movies and Youtube, etc...

mikeaspinall wrote: I would never argue with Paul ( well hardly ever) but you can get many books/magazines from both the club and libraries but of course he is
quite right in saying to just use the camera and learn as you go by taking loads of pictures.

You can argue with me anytime Mike.

Phil - knowing you as I do, the point I was making is that right now I don't think having more equipment will help you in becoming a better photographer.

It is possible to have all the gear and no idea how to take a decent photo.

I have been learning photography for 16 years and still invest in books, DVDs, workshops, etc to try to improve. I spend countless hours watching Youtube videos and practising what I have watched. I watch photography videos on my tablet almost every night.

Right now, if you have £80 to spend on photography, invest in some education and not more gear that will just gather dust.

Some ideas:

- One year membership of The Photographer Academy ( I have been an 'Academy Business' member for the last two years)
As of today, there are 1843 photography training films on dozens of subjects for members to watch
http://thephotographeracademy.com/subscribe.html

- Karl Taylor photography training DVDs
http://www.karltaylorphotography.co.uk/ ... s-dvds.htm

- Damien Lovegrove photography training DVDs
http://www.lovegroveconsulting.com/trai ... loads.aspx


Cheers
Paul

Hi All.
Thanks for all your comments. Paul, I take your point entirely about education & practise.

Regards,

Phil.