What should I buy with my new D5300?

YoungNes

New member
I just bought a D5300 :encouragement:

This is my first DSLR! I'm a newbie and could use some help on what equipment to buy.

All I have is the lens it came with 18-140mm and a SanDisk Extreme Pro 32GB memory card.

Any suggestions on a backpack and tripod? I want to know the best if money is no object :greedy_dollars:

Please suggest any other equipment I may need too. - Thanks
 

Eyelight

Senior Member
All depends on what you plan to do with the 5300?? What will you shoot? What else will you carry?

If money truly is of no object, then I suggest, and wholeheartedly I might add, one of everything, and at least two of things that break easy.
 

YoungNes

New member
Mostly landscape but we are expecting our first baby so of course a lot of baby shots.

I was looking at:
Tamrac Evolution 8
Manfrotto Pro3 055
BlackRapid wrist strap

Any suggestions?
 

Eyelight

Senior Member
Good news on the expecting the first one. Been there, was looking at some photos of #1 child this evening.

All looks useful on the short list.

The Tamrac Evolution 8 has a nice layout. Not to sure about how the sling part works. Looks like you just drop one shoulder strap. Lowepro has a couple sling bags that hang on one shoulder; disconnect a waist strap and it pulls around easy. Might compare the Tamrac and Lowepro in hand and see which seems best for you.

Like the Manfrotto Pro3 055. Need one of those myself.

I have never used a wrist strap on a larger camera, but always use one on a compact. Go figure. A wrist strap is going to be personal preference. The Blackrapid should be good quality.

The 18-140 lens should do well for landscapes and babyscapes until used enough that you figure a reason to acquire something different.

- spare battery
- protective filters for each lens, especially if in dusty environment(s) (I would recommend. Many would not.)
- cleaning supplies


I still like the idea of one of everything.
 

aroy

Senior Member
You may also go for an external flash, so that you can bounce it off the ceiling and get softer shadows. Shooting baby indoors will require plenty of light.
 

SteveH

Senior Member
Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your first born!
I would think the first thing you'll need is a bag - Its ok buying all these things but how are you going to carry them around? When it comes to bags, there are lots types incl. backpacks. Get one that will hold not only what you have now, but also has lots of room for additional lenses.

After the bag, I'd say look at mono / tripods or maybe both. Don't skimp on the tripod, as cheap tripods are generally as stable as strapping your camera to a dog and then throwing it a ball.

There are also lots of little handy but cheap things that in the long run you will want or need - A rocket blower and lens cloth (For cleaning), maybe one of the LCD protectors or a different strap.

The lens you have is just fine for baby & landscape shots, so I'd concentrate on learning photography and then work out what lenses you will get the most enjoyment from
 

Deleted

Senior Member
Welcome to the forum!

I'd suggest that you start shooting pics first. That will help you to decide which types of shot you like best. Shortly after I got my camera, I turned up at the coast to take some landscape shots, but ended up taking photos of wild flowers in the rocks.

Very wide angles are good for landscape, such as the Nikon AF-S 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED DX. Consider protecting your lenses with a Hoya HD protector filter (not UV). You will also need a method to clean the lens such as a Lenspen, also a Rocket Blower by Giottos. I have a Blackrapid wrist strap myself, which works well. Manfrotto make the very best tripods, but decide which types of shots you will want to be taking first. Tripods are good for staged family portraits, landscapes & macro/close-ups. Bear in mind that for a staged portrait, you will need good flash lighting.

You might like to get a second Sandisk memory card, but no need for a 2nd battery unless you'll be going on long weekend hikes. Hang on with the backpack until you've figured out exactly what type of photos you want to take & therefore know which lenses will need to fit in the backpack. Good makes are Lowepro & Thinktank. Get a cheap should bag for now. I bought a Thinktank 5 retrospective as a go-to grab bag.

Indoor & outdoor candid shots would be good with a fast lens such as the already suggested Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.8G DX.

Consider whether you want to shoot in RAW or JPG format & if you choose the higher quality RAW, make sure that you have the computer spec & software to handle it.

Best step at the moment is to get out there with your current lens & do some shots.
 

§am

Senior Member
Use the camera learn its and your limitations before you delve into a money spending spree on equipment.
Think ahead rather then in the now so to speak.

If money truly isn't an object, look at lenses, flash, a good bag, decent memory cards, spare batteries, straps and whatever else takes your fancy.

Lens
Nikkon/Nikkor 35mm or 50mm f/1.8G
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 (for landscapes)
Nikon/Nikkor 55-300mm or 70-300mm

Memory Card
Any size you want as long as it's UHS1 compatiable. SanDisk Ultra/Pro/Exreme Pro are probably as good as you need to get

Flash
SB710 or SB900 - depends on your budget

The rest I have no proper experience on, so have a hunt around
 

Eyelight

Senior Member
I'll need to differ slightly from my fellow Nikonite @Gorf on no need for a second battery. The little one isn't going to wait for the battery to be charged to be cute or smart or not-so-smart or (unlimited list of what small humans do to amuse, befuddle and enamor the large humans around him/her).

If you have one battery, you never have a fully charged battery. If you have two, then you always have one fully charged. So, the first purchase should be a second battery, because you actually don't have one unless you have two.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
One thing I wouldn't be without on any of my lenses is a polarizing filter. More specifically, a Hoya HD Circular Polarizing filter and nothing else. It will do far more than just improve your skies when shooting outdoors, it will improve your outdoor shots dramatically all the way around by controlling/reducing reflected light. The Hoya HD's also transmit more light than typical CPL's. The hardened glass used to make it will keep your front lens element clean and the filter itslef cleans up super easy, unlike any other multi-coated filter I've ever owned. I rinse mine off under the kitchen faucet. If you're into shooting landscapes, you want these filters.

Bonus Edit: Why you want to use a CPL (video).
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Deleted

Senior Member
I'll need to differ slightly from my fellow Nikonite

Grrrr! That young @Eyelight! ;)

To be fair, it depends on your shooting style & how long you may be away on a trek. Myself, coming from 35mm cameras 30 years ago, I'm used to taking only 2 or 3 shots of a particular subject. My battery lasts for about 200 shots & I recently took a vacation for just over a week & made "only" 240 shots for the whole time. I did have access to a charger each night, but only charged the battery once. Some other photographers from the digital age may take 200 shots just of one subject & good for them! So it depends on your shooting style & how long you are likely to be away from mains electricity. Bear in mind that modern Lithium batteries are happy to be topped-up every night.
 

iamntxhunter

Senior Member
For those baby shots I suggest a flash for low light indoor shots and I would get a zoom 2.8 lens. I use a Sigma 17-50 2.8 and for the money it is hard to beat.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
You'll want a decent tripod and a ball head to go with it... I would suggest the Manfrotto 055XProB for starters. As for good ballheads, I use an AirHed II but if you want something less expensive (i don't know what your budget is for this) look at the Manfrotto 496 instead. I really prefer the Arca Swiss type mount, but the Manfrotto quick detach system is very popular.

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