Tripod or Flash?

13 years 6 months ago #5351 by Stanly
I'm a high school student with limited budget. I have saved up for a few months now and have enough to to buy a flash or tripod. I have $400 to spend. My question is I have enough for one but not the other, which would you buy first? I have a Nikon D80 that my father gave me a couple years ago along with a few lenses.

Thanks for your help and advice.

Nikon Z6 | Nikon FM10 | Nikon D80 | Nikon 50mm f/1.8D | Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S VR | 35-105mm f/3.5 Macro | 80-200mm f/4.5 | SB600 | Pocket Wizard II
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13 years 6 months ago #5353 by Solstar
Stanly, my initial thought would be to buy the tripod. It will allow you to keep learning about what your camera can do without a flash. Many many great photos were taken without a flash (in fact of all my personal favorite photos none was made with a flash).
I might also suggest that you look for used equipment at reputable dealers. KEH, Adorama and B&H are trustworthy. That will stretch your budget a lot. Good luck and don't hesitate to ask more questions as you go!


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13 years 6 months ago #5357 by Scott Knell
As stated already, buy used. You might be able to get both in one shot


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13 years 6 months ago #5373 by CanonKid
Check with KEH and Craigslist and Ebay for used. You should be able to find both used for what you have to spend.

Canon 7D, 15-85mm, 18-55mm, 70-200mm, 100mm Macro, Sigma 120-300mm, Speedlite 430EX II

A bad day at the race track is better than a good day in the office

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13 years 6 months ago #5406 by PhotosGuy
This $100 Tiltall is not a big, heavy tripod, but one that I've had for 40 years & it has held up well. I have others, & while it's not as fast to set up as others, it's the one I keep in my trunk & use the most. I used to do a lot of travel for PJ work & it's the only one that went with me then, too.

What are you planning to use the strobe for? Are you willing to use one that's not integrated with your Nikon?


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13 years 6 months ago #5411 by Jeffster

CanonKid wrote: Check with KEH and Craigslist and Ebay for used. You should be able to find both used for what you have to spend.


Have you had much luck with buying from Craigslist? There is no way to rate a seller if they rip you off?


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