tips for some new gear?

[zCypher]

Hey yall,

So I've had my D5200 kit since this summer, and I've taken a handful of pics I'm pretty happy with since that time. I've become familiar with the camera and how to use it, and gotten a little better of an idea of what kind of pics I like to take.

I received a gift card for a camera store for $50 over the holidays which I thought was pretty rad. But after going to the store, I really didn't see that much cool stuff for 50 bucks! Everything pretty expensive. I already knew that stuff like lenses would be significantly more than that, but I figured I could probably get a tripod which I'd love to have. They did have one or two in that price range, but nothing that was really confidence inspiring.

So I figured I would wait for a sale or promotion on something cool and just pay the difference. An example of one I found:

http://lozeau.com/en-CA/products/supports/tripods/manfrotto-mk294a4-kit-with-d3rc2-head/

Normally $220 (other stores I looked up are selling it for more), on sale for $149, so it would be $99 after gift card. What do you guys think about that one? I'd go check it out in person first of course. but I wouldn't mind getting ideas for any other gear that I should look at. So far just have the camera with kit lens and a bag, and a macro extension kit.

I would love to get a zoom lens or something like that, but I will probably wait a while for that. Tripod seems like the next most useful thing to get that I often wish I had. ideas?

 

[Smoove910]

I say go for it... you can never go wrong getting a tripod. Manfrotto is a respectable brand name too.

Your other option could be to find that tripod on Ebay for the same $$ (there's one right now for $79 buy it now and $20 shipping), then use your gift card to get a Class 10 SD card? Dunno if you need that, but it's a thought.

Good luck!

 

[tdawg]

What do you hope to use it for? Do you plan on hiking with it or just using it around the house / around town? You want to think about height, both max height and min height, and folded length (if wanting to travel with it), tripod head style (3-way versus ballhead), weight, and weight capacity. At 8.8 lbs, it'll be ok for d5200 and small/light lens, but if you ever end up with the more expensive body/lenses that weighs more, the tripod may not be as usable at that time.

Manfrotto is a quality brand though, so it's good on that front.

 

[imported_Irse]

I say go for it... you can never go wrong getting a tripod. Manfrotto is a respectable brand name too.

Your other option could be to find that tripod on Ebay for the same $$ (there's one right now for $79 buy it now and $20 shipping), then use your gift card to get a Class 10 SD card? Dunno if you need that, but it's a thought.

Good luck!

SD cards are a lot cheaper on Amazon than locally.

Depends what the tripod is being used for.

Maybe a third party flash depending if it is needed. Hard to give advice without knowing what the OP likes to shoot.

 

[zCypher]

i would definitely take it on some hikes. i like shooting landscapes, buildings, animals, birds, insects. and i love trying to shoot stuff at night. it has happened quite often that i feel i could have taken a shot if i did have a tripod. plus there are tons of things/places id like to try and capture at night. a tripod would really help with that. sometimes it really just is some random thing that i think may end up looking cool though.

right now i am using a 16GB card which has mostly been ok. i wouldn't mind something bigger and faster but i don't think that store would carry that for too cheap.

third party flash is a good idea too. what about any filters, worth getting?

 

[tdawg]

If you want to hike with a tripod, you might want to get something lighter (adding 5+ lbs just for a tripod is too much in my book). You may want to look at one of the MePhoto options (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search...op+Nav-Search=). The Backpacker supports the same 8.8 lb weight as the Manfrotto, but is much smaller and weighs noticeably less (though it's max height is probably below that of the manfrotto, meaning you'll have to crouch a bit to look through the viewfinder). Plus it has an arca style plate for the tripod head which makes it very versatile.

You'd probably do well to get a second card as a backup. Capacity-wise, 16gb should get you a good number of shots on the d5200, though 32gb cards aren't expensive.

Flash/speedlight wise, I only go with Nikon brand stuff. Others are comfortable with off-brand options, but I'm not one of them.

 

[fralexandr]

if you want a travel tripod <3
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...er_tripod.html
1.8lbs w/ head; rated capacity: 13.2lb, ~$240

review of the sirui t-025x
http://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/sirui-t-025x-travel-tripod-review/introduction.html
pentaxforums load tested it with a k30 + sigma 500mm f4.5 totaling ~8lbs.
the legs were load tested for ~25lbs (k30 + 60-250, w camera bag on hook)

 

[AViking]

if you want a travel tripod <3
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...er_tripod.html
1.8lbs w/ head; rated capacity: 13.2lb, ~$240

review of the sirui t-025x
http://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/sirui-t-025x-travel-tripod-review/introduction.html
pentaxforums load tested it with a k30 + sigma 500mm f4.5 totaling ~8lbs.
the legs were load tested for ~25lbs (k30 + 60-250, w camera bag on hook)

Looking at the reviews at BH it doesn't look like that first Sirui tripod would work well with a DSLR. It sounds relatively flimsy even for smaller cameras.

 

[imported_Irse]

Going to back what the OP should get from the store, you also have got to let us know what the store has. We can come up with a bunch of stuff but doesn't mean that the store carries or will carry what we recommend. Is it a national chain or a single local store?

 

[zCypher]

Thanks for all the great input so far. The place I have the gift card for is:

http://lozeau.com/en-CA/

I think it's just one location.

 

[slatr]

Monopod now, http://lozeau.com/en-CA/products/supports/tripods/manfrotto-monopod-680b/

Quickrelease for it later

 

[Smoove910]

if you want a travel tripod <3
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...er_tripod.html
1.8lbs w/ head; rated capacity: 13.2lb, ~$240

review of the sirui t-025x
http://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/sirui-t-025x-travel-tripod-review/introduction.html
pentaxforums load tested it with a k30 + sigma 500mm f4.5 totaling ~8lbs.
the legs were load tested for ~25lbs (k30 + 60-250, w camera bag on hook)

I personally have this tripod and love it! The center piece can also be removed to cut a few more oz. if necessary. It's stupid light! Got it this summer and have not used anything else since. Highly recommend!

BTW, it holds my Pentax K5 and 55-300mm no problem, but I primarily use it with a DA16-45mm or the Rokinon 14mm prime (manual focus)... I used it to take this pic. 5 shot burst HDR

 

[zCypher]

cool, thanks. that is an awesome shot... have not dabbled in to any HDR stuff myself as of yet. also, nice choice of MB/CPU there..

 

[imported_Irse]

If it was me, I would pick one of the item least thought about. An extra battery. I have an extra battery for just about every camera that I have, video and still. That or a circular polarizer make sure its multicoated.

As far as the tripod is concerned, you really need to think about it and what you want. If not, you'll end up spending more money because what you bought isn't what you really want, like I did. I think I've gone through about five tripods, each better than the previous one. I've got two Benros but am looking at the Surui one because it's lighter and I would like to take it on hikes. You really don't want to go hiking with a 5-6 lb tripod in addition to the camera and lens. Plus the smaller it will fold down to, the better. It does have a hook on the bottom so you can carry a small empty bag and put rocks in it and attach it to the hook for additional stability. I'm also going to see if I can learn to use a monopod to take longer exposure pictures and pans instead of the tripod.

 

[zCypher]

Extra battery is a really good idea, i was hurting for one pretty bad when i was on vacation. The battery life on the D5200 is so-so... if I know I'm going to be using it all day there's always the risk of running out.

A polarizing filter sounds really cool too! Any particular brands or models to look out for?

edit: the battery alone at Lozeau is $80... what the hell? Amazon has a whole kit for $25. Jesus...

filters on the other hand they have at sane prices. hmmm

 

[imported_Irse]

Extra battery is a really good idea, i was hurting for one pretty bad when i was on vacation. The battery life on the D5200 is so-so... if I know I'm going to be using it all day there's always the risk of running out.

A polarizing filter sounds really cool too! Any particular brands or models to look out for?

edit: the battery alone at Lozeau is $80... what the hell? Amazon has a whole kit for $25. Jesus...

filters on the other hand they have at sane prices. hmmm

The $25 one on Amazon is probably third party. I prefer Nikon brand. Just checked, Nikon brand one is about $50 on Amazon.

For circular polarizer, I like B+W. Make sure it's multicoated

 

[tdawg]

Extra battery is a really good idea, i was hurting for one pretty bad when i was on vacation. The battery life on the D5200 is so-so... if I know I'm going to be using it all day there's always the risk of running out.

A polarizing filter sounds really cool too! Any particular brands or models to look out for?

edit: the battery alone at Lozeau is $80... what the hell? Amazon has a whole kit for $25. Jesus...

filters on the other hand they have at sane prices. hmmm

Sounds like items may be a bit overpriced at this shop. If that's the case, and there are other alternatives, like Amazon, that will deliver to you with no problems, I'd aim to spend just what's on that gift card on something like a memory card or two, and then look to the alternatives to get better prices on the other things that matter (battery, tripod, filters, etc).

 

[AViking]

If it was me, I would pick one of the item least thought about. An extra battery. I have an extra battery for just about every camera that I have, video and still. That or a circular polarizer make sure its multicoated.

As far as the tripod is concerned, you really need to think about it and what you want. If not, you'll end up spending more money because what you bought isn't what you really want, like I did. I think I've gone through about five tripods, each better than the previous one. I've got two Benros but am looking at the Surui one because it's lighter and I would like to take it on hikes. You really don't want to go hiking with a 5-6 lb tripod in addition to the camera and lens. Plus the smaller it will fold down to, the better. It does have a hook on the bottom so you can carry a small empty bag and put rocks in it and attach it to the hook for additional stability. I'm also going to see if I can learn to use a monopod to take longer exposure pictures and pans instead of the tripod.

If you photograph in cold/windy weather then one heavy aluminum tripod is a good idea anyways. After that save up for the expensive and light carbon fiber tripod for travel, hiking, etc.

Having two batteries is pretty important if you go out all day shooting. I can't shoot on one battery per day. If all you do is take a few shots here and there though one battery will do the trick.

More than one battery in cold weather is mandatory since they don't retain a charge as long.