Photography Equipment Question

[creative_one]

Hi EveryOne,

I’m adding on to my photography equipment.
The equipment I all ready have is listed below:
1. Nikon D60
2. 18mm-55mm
3. 55mm-200mm
4. Tripod
5. Wireless remote

I’m trying to add more to the lenses but I don’t know which ones are a must have or the basics lenses to have.
I’m already planning on buying a fish lens i've been dying to have one for a long time!
I would like to add a flash to my equipment as well but don’t know a good basic one to get started on.
what are some good lens to have???
Or what is a good starting list ?? ( lens , flash, etc)
Thanks

[inkista]

First off, I'd say, slow down and make sure you've mastered everything you've got before adding more gear.

Originally Posted by creative_one

I’m trying to add more to the lenses but I don’t know which ones are a must have or the basics lenses to have.

OK, here's the thing. There are no basic "must have" lenses that are always basic "must have" lenses for everyone. What works for someone else may not work for you. I make the analogy that a dSLR system is like a big red toolbox. What a plumber puts in his toolbox is not what a carpenter puts in his. When shopping for a lens, figure out what you want it for and how much you want to pay, and remember that someone else's review of a lens may be in a different frame of context. A pro shooter can write her lenses off on her taxes. Someone else may be using full frame instead of a crop, or rates image quality above size/weight or cost. You want to find the best fit for you. So fairly evaluating what your needs are before you go hunting is an essential step in choosing a lens.

That said, the one basic lens I think you may be missing is a fast prime, like the AF-S 35mm f/1.8, which would give you a good portrait lens with available light capability. But if you don't shoot portraits or lower light, you probably don't need one.

I’m already planning on buying a fish lens i've been dying to have one for a long time!

Comrade! My second lens was a fisheye. I got into dSLRs specifically to shoot with one. The Nikkor 10.5mm is fantastic, but there are a few other options around, and if you don't have a lot of budget, you may want to look into the Samyang/Rokinon/Vivitar, etc. etc. fisheye. I believe the Rokinon version is labelled as 8mm. It's a little different in how it maps the distortion, but it's well worth the pricetag. It is, however, a manual lens, which means no manual focus, only shooting in M or A, possibly no metering, and no communication between the body and the lens. But for $250, since most good fisheyes are upwards of twice that? It may be worth it.

For a basic flash/speedlight, it matters on how you plan on using the flash. If you plan to have it on your flash hotshoe and you're going to be event shooting where you don't have the time to retake a shot, you'll probably want an iTTL capable speedlight. But if you're going to go off-camera Strobist-style in a studio-type lighting setup, then a completely manual speedlight or even a monolight studio strobe might be the best bet. A lot of people start off with the Nikon SB-600 or a manual speedlight (like an SB-24 or LP160), or an AlienBee.