Useful accessories for Nikon D3200

[Annon2255]

I bought a D3200 for my wife's birthday and I want to get her some accessories she'll actually use. I've seen a a lot of different things, but wonder what the most useful are.
Are the remotes something that people use often?
Is there a generally agreed upon lightweight tripod?
Is there anything I should look for in a camera bag?
The camera comes with a basic 18-55mm lens. I'm thinking about getting an 85mm prime for her. Is that a good second lens or should I get something else?
Are there any other accessories I might not be thinking of that I should look into?

Thanks in advance for any help. I'm not well versed in digital photography so I'm sure I'm missing stuff.

 

[radhak]

It all depends on what she uses it for.

Really, she should use it for a while, and note what might make it easier for her to take pictures. Does she want to a lot of portraits (ie, people posing formally)? Then a tripod could be very helpful. Is she into low-light photography (ie, she yearns to take shots of horizon just after the sun has set)? Then a tripod with a remote might help. Will she be okay carrying a bag specifically for cameras (apart from her purse) and not just want to dump her camera into that purse? Then a camera bag would be good. How about pictures indoors - does she find the built-in flash inadequate? Then an external flash like an SB400 or SB600 might help.

Same with a second lens. Is she missing something she wanted to shoot but could not because of the restrictions of the lens (ie, she finds the zoom too short, or the speed too less)? There could be differently appropriate lenses for her.

While those accessories don't cost too much, a second lens can be rather expensive - better be sure she wants it, not that you are swayed by the nice Nikon advt that's pushing it!

FWIW, an 85mm prime from Nikon should be great, but a prime lens takes getting used to - she'd need to use her feet to zoom in or out...will she like that?

 

[Syborg1211]

It all depends on what she uses it for.

Really, she should use it for a while, and note what might make it easier for her to take pictures. Does she want to a lot of portraits (ie, people posing formally)? Then a tripod could be very helpful. Is she into low-light photography (ie, she yearns to take shots of horizon just after the sun has set)? Then a tripod with a remote might help. Will she be okay carrying a bag specifically for cameras (apart from her purse) and not just want to dump her camera into that purse? Then a camera bag would be good. How about pictures indoors - does she find the built-in flash inadequate? Then an external flash like an SB400 or SB600 might help.

Same with a second lens. Is she missing something she wanted to shoot but could not because of the restrictions of the lens (ie, she finds the zoom too short, or the speed too less)? There could be differently appropriate lenses for her.

While those accessories don't cost too much, a second lens can be rather expensive - better be sure she wants it, not that you are swayed by the nice Nikon advt that's pushing it!

FWIW, an 85mm prime from Nikon should be great, but a prime lens takes getting used to - she'd need to use her feet to zoom in or out...will she like that?

^^ This. It's always recommended to play around with the kit lens for a long time before making a second lens purchase. After using the kit lens for a while, you'll find out if your personal shooting style lends more towards certain focal lengths. She might find she wishes she had more reach, so a telephoto zoom lens would be a good idea. She might find that she wishes she could get even wider shots so as to put the viewer smack dab in the middle of a scene, then an ultrawide lens would be good. Low light capabilities - flash and/or prime lenses. You can also look back through all the photos taken with the kit lens and see what focal lengths of them all. If you find she's always got the lens on 35mm, then maybe a high quality 35mm prime is the way to go.

I will say that the single accessory my wife half cares about is the bag she puts her camera in. External flash? Nah. More comfortable neck strap? Nah. Better lens? Nah. Cuter bag? YES, PLEASE! Check out Kelly Moore Bags for some of the best women's bags out there. These bags don't even look like camera bags, and I can attest to their high quality build and smart designs good for photographers.

 

[jpeyton]

Being a D3200 owner myself, the first lens purchase you should make is this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-35mm-1-8.../dp/B001S2PPT0

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Get a speedlight. I got this one because it is comparable to the Nikon units, but cheaper. Rock solid build quality and it makes you indoor shots look great when you bounce it off the ceiling or walls.

http://www.amazon.com/Metz-MZ-50311C...s=metz+50+af-1

 

[CuriousMike]

I bought a D3200 for my wife's birthday and I want to get her some accessories she'll actually use. I've seen a a lot of different things, but wonder what the most useful are.
Are the remotes something that people use often?
Is there a generally agreed upon lightweight tripod?
Is there anything I should look for in a camera bag?
The camera comes with a basic 18-55mm lens. I'm thinking about getting an 85mm prime for her. Is that a good second lens or should I get something else?
Are there any other accessories I might not be thinking of that I should look into?

Thanks in advance for any help. I'm not well versed in digital photography so I'm sure I'm missing stuff.

If she's a beginner, the single best investment you can get her is a book.
If she doesn't understand the basics of adjusting aperture or ISO, she's going to get a lot of great shots and a lot of blurry shots.

The recommendation for the 85mm or 35mm prime are all great, but you might wait and get her feedback. The 35mm will feel "normal view" ish (sorta what you see is how it will look ), where the 85mm will feel "pretty zoomy" ( she'll have to back up a bit in some situations. )

Camera bags for men are what shoes are for women. I like my "Crumpler" ( I have their bag and neckstrap. )

 

[shortylickens]

The BEST thing you can get is a flash that rotates all around.

Bouncing light off a ceiling is so much better than any other trick I know. Theres whole web pages dedicated to that one technique.

I recommend the SB-600. yeah it costs a pretty penny, but will do wonders for every interior shot you make, and some exterior.

 

[CuriousMike]

The BEST thing you can get is a flash that rotates all around.

Bouncing light off a ceiling is so much better than any other trick I know. Theres whole web pages dedicated to that one technique.

I recommend the SB-600. yeah it costs a pretty penny, but will do wonders for every interior shot you make, and some exterior.

Bounce-flash, for my newbie buck, is awesome.

 

[Anteaus]

Honestly one of the best upgrades most newcomers never think about is the strap. Going to something like the Black Rapid RS-7 from that crappy included neck strap makes a HUGE difference when you have to carry the camera around.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Rapid-RS...ackrapid+strap


As for tripods everyone has their favorites but for me the MeFoto Roadtrip is awesome because it is very light, strong, tall, turns into a monopod, and collapses to something you can put in a suitcase easily.

http://www.amazon.com/MeFoto-A1350Q1...eFoto+Roadtrip

Anyways, those are just ideas. I'd wait on Lenses and flashes until your wife knows what she wants. The remote control is a good idea though if night photography or fireworks might become a thing and it's cheap.

 

[AViking]

No point buying her anything other than a book. She'll tell you what you she needs as it comes up.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

A cheap bag is a good idea just for protection and storage purposes. Anything with good padding and enough room for an additional lens or two. No need to get fancy with it. If/when she pursues this hobby, she will get more gear and figure out what bag(s) she needs. I have.... a lot of photo bags. A rollaboard suitcase style bag, a briefcase, a backpack, a messenger style shoulder bag, and a belt with individual padded pouches for lenses... all have their place, although I do tend to use some more than others. There is no need to spend a lot of money out the gate; there are a lot of good knock-off bags on eBay for under $20 that replicate designs that normally cost $100. It's just some fabric and padding.

 

[Annon2255]

Thanks for all the input everyone. I think I'm just going to have her play around with it and figure out what she wants. I know she's already interested in macro photography, but I'll let her get used to the camera before we buy a special lens for that.

She does want a camera bag that she can use like a backpack. Has anyone had any experience with this Amazon bag? http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-B...words=DSLR+Bag