The Big Bucket O' Links > Oswego Photo > Photo Equipment

---

Old School (MF) | Lighting | New School (AF) | Accessories | Miscellaneous

---

Old School Stuff

Manual focus camera: Nikon F3
Mine's twenty-five years old but works fine. You might still find one new, which says how successful this design is: Nikon sold 'em for half the company's life. No other F-series professional model has continued in production long after its successor was introduced; the F3 even survived past the F5! It does nearly everything you need a camera to do, and it feels and sounds wonderful doing it. It's great in the hand, a nice, solid piece of gear, though smaller than most modern cameras; its main controls are logical and easy, and have the feel of quality. It has depth of field preview, back-up mechanical shutter release, mirror lockup, an eyepiece shutter, takes a standard cable release and does double exposure, all of which are easy. It has easily interchangeable finders (I have the high-eyepoint and the waist-level) and focus screens (I use the K, mostly, but I have a B for macro and long lenses, and a grid-style third-party screen that's great for low light). Its 80/20 center-weighted meter is amazing; the advantage of modern, multipoint matrix metering is surprisingly small in non-flash settings. Mine has the high eyepoint finder: bright, coverage is 100%, and manual focusing is much easier with a camera built with that in mind. An F3 will function with every Nikon F-mount lens ever made (although the inexpensive new AF G lenses wouldn't be much fun: Nikon's able to sell 'em so cheaply by cutting some important corners, like building 'em with no manual aperture controls at all!). There's a wealth of info on the Web for this legendary camera, and, while no one speaks well of its proprietary flash shoe (nonstandard is rarely a blessing), it works well, and the camera takes fine flash pictures and has Through The Lens (TTL) metering. The flash must be removed to change film or exposure compensation and the sync speed is slow at 1/80 sec (mostly due to the horizontal-travel shutters in use back when it was designed - remember, right at the beginning of TTL metering). The flash actually contains a mechanical linkage to "read" the camera's film speed setting, which helps explain its peculiarity. Bottom line, though: it's a joy to use this legendary camera.
[click images if you wish more information]

Manual focus camera: Nikon FM2N
Practically the backup body for decades of Nikon users, the FM series originated as Nikon's answer for those who wanted a fully mechanical body. It's very lightweight and compact, and everything but the built-in meter is mechanical, so it works fine with dead batteries. The FM2N, the model before the current FM3A, sports such advanced features as shutter speeds to 1/4000 sec. (though the slow end stops at 1 sec., unless you count "B"), flash sync at a very nice 1/250 sec., depth of field preview, takes a standard cable release and does double exposure. It's a very simple, back-to-basics kind of camera, which does put one in a thoughtful mode, and helps me really learn exposure settings for common situations. Its major limitation is that it doesn't have TTL flash metering, though flash compensation is absurdly easy in Auto mode, so the theme of simplicity is upheld. It doesn't have mirror lockup, either, but the self-timer pre-fires the mirror long before the shutter is tripped. The viewfinder's eyepoint is slightly insufficient for glasses wearers like me; I can't see all the displays at once (they are kind of scattered). Lacking auto-exposure ability makes it better for deliberate photos rather than quick candids, but, within that limitation, it's terrifically easy both to use and carry. (For those interested: for quite a lot more money, the FM3A removes some of the limitations, adding aperture-priority auto-exposure and TTL flash metering.) The feels and sounds of this camera are every bit as pleasing as those of the F3.

Rangefinder: Yashica Electro 35 GSN
My only non-Nikon camera, the Electro 35s were rangefinder cameras Yashica introduced in the 1960s, the first cameras with electronic automatic exposure. The GSN, in 1973, featured an extremely sharp and fast 45mm f/1.7 lens, focusing down to 2.6 ft. (0.8m), and a Copal electronically-controlled leaf shutter with speeds from 30 sec. to 1/500 sec. (flash sync at all speeds, though without TTL metering). They're strictly aperture-priority automatic-exposure cameras, with a very simple two-light display (both in the viewfinder and on the top!): red for overexposure, yellow for shutter speeds longer than 1/30 sec. (to suggest tripod or flash). Parallax-corrected coupled-rangefinder cameras are the ultimate in simplicity (for manual focus cameras, anyway): focus by superimposing the images in the finder, adjust the aperture if needed, and shoot. Since there's no reflex mirror snapping up and down, they're extremely quiet, so they're favorites for settings like churches, museums and the like. It's about the same size and nearly as heavy as my FM2N with the 50mm f/1.8 mounted, so it's not tiny or flimsy. It feels quite solid, and its circuitry (over 30 years old) calculates perfect exposures even in extreme conditions, so I feel very confident in its ability to get the shot. Fixed lens rangefinders aren't for every situation, obviously, but for "normal-lens" use, including very low light, this is a surprisingly capable camera with an excellent lens in a compact package.

NAS (Nikon Acquisition Syndrome) & other thoughts
I own several normal prime lenses, (I prefer available-light photography, after all), and one "perinormal" zoom, but I also like, if not the extremes in focal lengths, at least their milder cousins, since they often help provide great compositions: the intimacy and depth of wide angles and the detachment, subject-isolation and compression of long telephotos.
And for those who want the "perfect" camera, I'll suggest, that, for a lot less money, you can have several competent cameras with differing capabilities, each covering a part of the photography spectrum. My examples: 1) A modern one with fast, configurable autofocus, fast motorized film transport, smart multi-mode metering, high flash sync speed and multiple flash modes (e.g., N90s). 2) A classic system camera that's lighter and compact, with mirror lockup, an excellent viewfinder for manual focusing (with interchangable screens & finders), capability of using nearly all Nikon lenses, with great feel and simple, traditional controls, quiet & discreet operation (e.g., F3). 3) A really light, small yet competent SLR that's inexpensive enough to keep in the car and take into hazardous situations (e.g., FG). This is one of the beauties of the Nikon line: more choices. (And they make the F6, if you still want to buy the perfect camera.)
FYI: The average human eye is about 16mm in focal length and its iris can manage effective apertures from about f/2 to f/11, the retina can manage a range of speeds and highlight-to-shadow far beyond that of film (let alone digital). The optic nerve contains about 1.2 million fibers, each connected to a neuron and capable of 200 bps, for a total data transfer rate of about 200 megabits per second.
[Why the old-school stuff? - My answer here.]
[A primer on lenses, with photo samples here.]

Nikon Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 AI
A classic wide-angle lens (what's this? see focal length examples); this MF lens is slightly superior optically to the modern AF offering. It's a compact, fairly light lens with good clarity, sharp all the way to f/2.8. I feel this is about the focal length at which perspective alteration begins to be objectionable, so it's the extreme wide-angle in my bag (I prefer the 28mm for general use). It's great for capturing a whole scene, with its 84° angle of view, ability to focus down to 1' (.3m) accurately due to Close Range Correction (CRC), and inherent depth of field, augmented by being able to stop down to f/22. Even before I started using wide-angle lenses, I noticed what a high percentage of my favorite photojournalism shots are taken with 'em. They do tend to force you to think differently, and their available-light capability is pleasant to rely on.

• One comment about all the Nikon MF lenses: as you'd expect, they have good-feeling controls, not like the loose, too-quick focus rings typical of AF lenses.

Nikon Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AI
A mild wide-angle lens, and one of my favorite lenses. This is another case where the MF lens is superior optically to the modern AF offering. It's a compact lens with nice clarity, though heavier than the current AF version, sharp all the way to f/2.8. I feel this is the shortest focal length at which perpective alteration isn't a problem, so it makes a fabulous utility lens, with good coverage and a pretty "normal" feel, unlike the more "wide-angle" look of the 24mm. I truly like this lens; it's good for capturing a scene, with its 74° angle of view, ability to focus close, and inherent depth of field. Shots with it usually look great, and it works well in low light. The later AI-S version has a better rep, but I have no complaints.

Nippon Kogaku Nikkor-S 35mm f/2.8
Practically the classic wide-angle lens, 35mms were so common as to be accused of being overused, at one time. This is my oldest lens, though it was professionally converted to a full AI mount by a former owner. It's my only lens with the early orangeish single-coated glass and silver filter ring, and one of my two "Nippon Kogaku" lenses. The 35 is so mild a wideangle that many consider it, justifiably, in the "normal" range. This isn't Nikon's best 35mm, by any means, and (like the next lens, below), it's soft wide open, improving immediately upon stopping down. But it works pretty well for shooting small groups at close quarters, with its 62° angle of view, without wideangle distortions.

Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-S
Nikon's fastest lens in current production, and still available only in manual focus. This is some pretty big glass, admitting 2.25 times the light of my 50mm f/1.8 lens at maximum aperture (and over 11 times the light of a decent point-and-shoot's f/4 lens) (see illustration). Easy indoor photography and negligible depth of field (see examples) are characteristics of a lens this fast, when wide open, plus the brightest viewfinder and easiest focusing, with great clarity and, helped by a 9-bladed diaphragm, decent bokeh (what's bokeh? see Ken Rockwell's explanation). Tests indicate the 50mm f/1.8 is sharper, but consider this: those tests aren't done with someone praying they'll hold their camera still enough for a 1/15 second exposure because their lens won't open up further. If there's enough light to see well, I can usually get handheld pictures with this lens. Though it is soft at f/1.2, it's sharp by f/2, and truly saves the day when using low-speed films. Nikon's price indicates how proud of it they are; I was patient and got a used one (AIS lenses go back a couple decades, after all - that's a lot of customers, even for a pro-level item like this).

Nikon Nikkor 85mm f/1.8
A satisfyingly chunky, compact mild telephoto that opens up enough for easy low-light photography, or to soften backgrounds. Some consider the 85mm focal length the most natural perspective; it is a great portrait lens, with its flattering perspective, shallow depth-of-field and decent bokeh (even with a 6-bladed diaphragm). Mine is the last pre-AI 85mm (though "AI'd" by a prior owner, so it works like any other AI lens) in this series; all the AI versions were f/2.0 and less sharp, the f/1.8 aperture came back with autofocus, sharpness and more bulk. It's sharp, contrasty and bright; affordable even in good condition, even if you have to spend a bit more to have it converted to AI. Nikon's 85mm's have long been coveted by those who understand the delights of well-made prime lenses; I find that having the reach of an 85mm without any major tradeoff in speed is a happy thing.

Nippon Kogaku Nikkor-Q 135mm f/2.8
My other "Nippon Kogaku" lens, a 135 is the classic portrait lens; they were in everyone's kit, before zooms took over. This is my second-oldest lens, though it is new enough to have the purplish multi-coated glass. I had it AI-converted, to make it usable by all my cameras. While bulkier than the 85mm, it's still another fairly compact telephoto, which makes it good for candids and street photography. I find that f/2.8 is wide enough at this focal length, DOF is pretty shallow, though it's a bit lacking in contrast wide open. Bonus: Nikon built in a very nice retractable lens hood that locks in or out.

Vivitar Series 1 200mm f/3.5 Autofocus
An oddball made by Vivitar in Nikon AI-S mount. The autofocus mechanism no longer works, but it's still a sharp, reasonably fast 200mm prime I picked up on the cheap. Until I get, say, one of Nikon's 180mm f/2.8s, this is my only long prime. It's some fairly big glass (67mm filter ring), especially for its short length, which contributes to its decent handling. Caveat: like other Vivitar lenses, its focus ring turns oppositely to the Nikon standard, which makes for occasional confusion on my part. I have no complaints about the images I get with it, though: contrasty and crisp, with good color and bokeh (even with an 8-bladed diaphragm). Since it's a full AI-S lens, it'll work with my TC-16A to make a surprisingly sharp 320mm autofocus telephoto.

Nikon Series E 75-150mm f/3.5 zoom
One of the most highly regarded Series E lenses, a respectable zoom in every way except zoom range; these days, a zoom with only a 2X range wouldn't be popular (I admit, I more often reach for my 70-210 f/4; it only gives up a half a stop and has that extra reach on the long end). Still, some of the most useful focal lengths are within this range, and (in spite of having an f/3.5 maximum aperture) it's very compact (52mm filter ring). "Series E" are what Nikon called its consumer-grade lenses in the early 80s, and, while often not quite as solidly made as the Nikkors of the day, they surpass many of today's AF products, and, when evaluated honestly, many have optics and performance that are very similar to those highly regarded Nikkors. Mine doesn't have the major zoom creep that some of these have. Again, since it's a Series E, it's underappreciated; I picked it up for $80 Canadian, (~$60 US). It's handy, very sharp and has great bokeh (7-bladed diaphragm), and it's my favorite lens for concerts and portraits.

Nikon Series E 70-210mm f/4.0 zoom
A lens that sees a good bit of use on my cameras. Its highly useful range of focal lengths, its ability to focus to 2' (0.5m) - including lens and camera, remember - and constant f/4 aperture make it a very satisfying utility lens. It gives snappier results than my much newer 70-300mm AF zoom, below, and has minimal distortion. Would I like to own the legendary Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8? Sure. But this one makes a really handy combo only one stop slower: nice size, weight and balance, one-touch focus/zoom, bright, sharp and easy to focus, with good bokeh (7-bladed diaphragm). Plus, until more people figure out how nice the Series E lenses are, good ones are bargains.

Vivitar 120-600mm f/5.6-8.0 zoom
A manual focus lens by Vivitar with a Nikon AI-S mount. This is my biggest lens (shown here zoomed to 600mm, on my F3). While not as fast or sharp or cool as Nikon's current multi-thousand dollar gems, I picked it up lightly used for an irresistible price, and it still beats a zoom plus a teleconverter for clarity and speed, and handles nicely (it's a two-touch zoom, and all the controls work beautifully). You don't want to carry anything this size (nearly 5 pounds, 82mm filter ring) very often, especially since it means you're likely carrying a monopod or tripod, too, but it'll bring things pretty close. You can be a long, long way from your subject and get a decent shot with this lens (parasurfer at about 1/4 mile). No, it's not a Nikon, but I'm happy with mine.

Nikon SB-22 Speedlight My light-weight flash for convenient use with my N60, N90s and FG. Nearly the classic the SB-16 is, it's one of Nikon's most compact flashes to have bounce capability. About half the size of the SB-16, it's still not tiny or basic. It has quite useful power (GN 82 feet / 25 meters (ISO 100)), while not fitted with a zooming head, does have a convenient built-in diffuser for use with lenses down to 28mm, it tilts from -7° to 90°, supports all the usual TTL and non-TTL modes, and has an AF-assist illuminator. It has a very fast recycle time, too. I highly recommend getting a flash with at least bounce capability (or getting one of the add-on bounce devices); the lighting is much more natural, used properly.
Nikon SB-26 Speedlight My modern, full featured flash. Nikon brought this out specifically dedicated for use with the N90s. More features than just about any other Nikon flash: auto-zoom head (when using autofocus lenses), flash compensation, it tilts -7° to 90°, swivels 270°, zooms 20mm-85mm, has built-in wide-angle diffuser (for 18mm coverage!), AF-assist illuminator, bounce card and wireless slave unit, as well as features I don't use, like repeating flash and high-speed sync. It supports multi-sensor and matrix TTL, standard TTL, non-TTL auto (with a wide range of apertures), and manual (down to 1/64 power), and has monitor pre-flash. The controls work easily for manual adjustments. It's also my most powerful (GN 164 feet / 50 meters (ISO 100, flash head at 85mm)). My only real gripe: its red-eye reduction isn't via pre-flashes, but through a bright, steady light for a full second, long enough for anyone looking to assume a squinting, pinched expression. Stay away from that, and it's a great flash.
Nikon SB-16 Speedlight This is a classic, but still a truly great flash. Again, though it's nearly as old as the F3, you can still buy it new. This picture shows it with the AS-9 foot (for standard TTL ISO hot shoe); I also use it with the AS-8 foot (for the Nikon F3's ... um ... peculiar flash mount). This flash lets you do it all: it tilts 0-90°, swivels 270° and zooms 28mm-85mm, with a very cool secondary flash that stays straight ahead for catch lights and shadow fill, and is compatible with pretty much any Nikon SLR. It has gobs of power (GN 138 feet / 42 meters (ISO 100, flash head at 85mm)) and enough TTL moxie for modern Nikons to do matrix-balanced fill-flash, which eliminates both that horrible stereotypical photoflash look and hard thinking on my part. It far surpasses any built-in flash. I've made shots with my 70-300mm clear across a gym with beautiful results, and closeup headshots (dogs, even!) without any red-eye. Disadvantages: it's a big sucker (though that does get the flash head even farther from the lens) and not very kind to its 4 AA batteries. I use NiMHs, so I don't have to buy new ones, plus the recycle is faster.
Beyond Bounce: TTL Cords I have the SC-14 for my F3, and the SC-17 for the rest; each lets me use the flash off the camera (and even further from the lens). I highly recommend this.
Vivitar F3 TTL adapter My tests (shot with ISO 400 film) indicate it does appear to allow TTL on the F3 with regular hot-shoe flashes. Pictures taken with F3 and SB-16A look just like those taken with F3, SB-16B and this adapter. You can't set the film speed, so I don't know whether it'll work as well with other speeds. The connection to the camera is less than completely reliable, and the LEDs blink for "possible exposure error", but the results look OK. Bottom line: not a real substitute for Nikon's AS-17, but better than nothing.

Digital camera: Nikon D200
This is the camera that has seduced me away from film almost totally, as of January 2009. It's a terrific camera: solidly constructed, easy to use and capable of great images. Practically a pro-level camera with specs as good or better in every area as the N90s, below. This is Nikon's first serious DSLR that works fine with manual focus lenses, and it's been out long enough (and superseded by the D300) that a good used example can be found for a reasonable price. It's even easier to use than the N90s, and its viewfinder is better, especially for manual focus. Its controls are mostly logical and handy, particularly those needed often. Many have dedicated buttons, like mode, ISO setting, exposure compensation, flash compensation, flash mode, image quality and size, white balance, metering mode, focus mode, focus area selection, frame repeat mode and rate, DOF preview and finder illumination. There are still menus, naturally, and they're much less well organized. With patience, you can find and set what's needed to set, and be happy that most common settings don't require delving into the menus. I only have two real disappointments: i-TTL (its TTL flash metering) requires a new speedlight for TTL flash, and it doesn't drive the TC-16A, the supercool gizmo that gives limited auto-focus with manual focus glass on the N90s.

DX lens: Nikkor 18~70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED IF AF-S DX zoom
This is the kit lens that came with my D200, which I'm quite happy with. Its 18mm wide end gives me the equivalent of a 28mm lens on a 35mm camera, which is crucial to have, in my opinion. It's sharp, contrasty, very compact and not too slow (note that it only deteriorates to f/4.5 at the tele end, not the much more common f/5.6). With the 1.5X DX crop factor, it's the equivalent of 28-105mm, which makes it a very useful everyday zoom lens. Plus, I have three other zooms that go up from where this one leaves off. I'm really very fond of the AF-S focusing system that allows you to override focus manually without fiddling with any switches or such; one of those well-thought-out things that just works.

Autofocus camera: Nikon N90s
A darn-near pro-level camera (what's missing? mirror lock-up, interchangeable finders and built-in automatic exposure bracketing & double exposure capabilities), AKA the F90x. It features a very serious predictive autofocus system with adjustable focus area, 3D matrix, center-weighted and spot metering, electronic rangefinder-assisted manual focus and all the modes you need (variable program, aperture-priority, shutter-priority and manual), shutter speeds from 1/8000 to 30 sec. Its flash capability includes rear-curtain sync (in the body!), slow sync, and standard sync up to 1/250 sec. Film handling is good (up to 4.3 fps), the viewfinder is bright (92% coverage, though) and uncluttered, has a high eyepoint and is well-lit in the dark. The finder displays most of the data you need, and all at the bottom: focus area mode, focus indicators, exposure mode, shutter speed, aperture (AF lenses only), exposure meter (when needed), frame number, exposure/flash compensation indicator, flash ready light. It can use most Nikon lenses, and Nikon's matrix-balanced & center-weighted fill-flash algorithms are the best thing to hit flash photography since TTL metering. It's out of production, now, superceded by the F100. The main advantage over entry-level Nikons (and even the N80!) is that it'll work fine with (metering, etc.) manual focus Nikon lenses or a bellows, and its rangefinder works with them as well. Also, autofocus is much faster. It is indeed a substantial piece of gear (912g vs my F3HP's 800g) that feels great, and most of the controls are handy and logical. My favorite part? With AF lenses you get all the new stuff, when you put on an MF lens it automatically switches to center-weighted metering & aperture-priority mode, and the AF motor even politely shuts itself off. The center-weighted metering is 75/25, not just 60/40, so it's much like the F3's, and it has spot metering available. It's a great AF body if you also use MF lenses. I still kinda miss the split-image screen, though.

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 ED
The first lens I bought after getting my first Nikon (an N60). For under $100 US for this, arguably Nikon's sharpest lens, you can't find a better value. Crisp optics, sharp all the way to f/1.8, with excellent clarity and fair bokeh (7-bladed diaphragm), snappy AF focusing, and those using point-and-shoot or digital cameras or who only use zoom lenses (an easy mistake) are amazed at the shots you can get in low light without flash with this nice prime lens (I'm not a big fan of casual use of flash). The only real downside: MF use (like on my F3) is harder with most AF lenses because of less focus damping and the reduced rotation for the full range of focus; it does have DOF indexes, at least. I agree with those who recommend learning to think photographically with a fixed-focus lenses like this; my cameras tend to spend much of their time with 'em. Really low light? Learn to focus manually; get the f/1.2.

Nikon AF Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6D ED zoom
This one came with my N60 when I bought it (if you're buying a "kit", get one that includes an OEM lens, not a third-party one). It covers the most useful range from mild wide-angle through high-normal. Like any consumer-grade zoom lens, it's slow and has a variable aperture, but it's great for shooting a variety of subjects with one lens (that's why most cameras come with such). I've been pleased with the crispness and great bokeh (diaphragm has 7 rounded blades - the most circular for my lenses) in the results from this lens, even when enlarged, and it doesn't stop at 35mm, but goes on to 28mm. Downsides: MF use (as mentioned above): 1) this lens goes even farther, eliminating damping, the focal scale and DOF markings completely! 2) its 58mm filter ring isn't a standard Nikon size. It was discontinued, partly, I suspect, because folks couldn't get past its really light-weight plastic feel (even the mount is plastic) to appreciate its performance. Mine is not the current "G" series lens with two fewer elements and no ED glass or aperture ring.

Nikon AF Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6D ED zoom
This one's a real workhorse. It's light, truly compact until zoomed, and has a huge zoom range (from almost normal to 6x magnification, more than lenses can usually do well). It's a slow, somewhat soft consumer-grade zoom, but check the price (& weight) of Nikon's f/2.8 professional-grade equivalent. For its price, this is a super lens (this is not the plastic "G" series lens with no ED glass or aperture ring). I've done a lot of sports and nature photography with it (often with ISO 400 and 800 film, since f/4 is as fast as this lens gets), and have been pleased with the results, especially its wonderful bokeh (9-bladed diaphragm). Downside: pincushion distortion (no architectural photography with this lens), it's soft past 200mm, the usual MF gripes, though it does have some damping and a focal scale (but no index or DOF marks) and autofocus can be slower. Master manual focus again, and you're back in business. You need to anyway, since the choices an autofocus camera makes are often boring and safe, or too much dumber than I am (it's just a teeny chip, after all), and trying to use autofocus shooting softball through a chainlink fence is just silly.

Vivitar "Series 1" 2X AF Teleconverter TCs are the cheaper (and lighter, and smaller) way to get longer focal lengths without buying longer lenses (my 300mm f/5.6 becomes a 600mm f/11). Sharpness and speed are the tradeoff, but, until someone gives me, say, a 400mm prime, it's better than not having that magnification. Nikon's TC's lose you the advanced functions, except with a few pro-level lenses, so I got Vivitar's. Well made, 7 elements, multi-coated, with all the contacts and linkages to pass everything between camera and lens, even including "D" focus distance data! With my 70-300mm, it gives me 12X magnification I can carry in a pocket, and with my 120-600mm, I get 24X. You don't often use a 600mm lens handheld anyway, so the slower shutter speeds aren't as big a problem as I would have thought.
Nikon TC-16A Autofocus Teleconverter - an unusual item, a 1.6X teleconverter that couples MF lenses to AF cameras, allowing autofocus (by moving its elements), with limitations. It's very hip, if a bit eerie, using autofocus with a MF lens mounted. My 50mm f/1.2 becomes an 80mm f/2, my 200mm f/3.5 becomes a 320mm f/5.6, and the results are surprisingly crisp. The only real downside? It doesn't accept pre-AI lenses (even AI-converted, like my 85mm). Note: the AF only works on a few AF bodies, the N90s being one.

Vivitar Close-up Lens Sets Three different (+1, +2, +4 diopter) lenses that screw into a filter ring (singly or combined) and let me focus my lenses with 52mm rings (24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm and 135mm primes, 75-150mm zoom) or 62mm rings (70-210mm zoom, 70-300mm zoom) up to just a few inches away. Sometimes you just have to get close, and these are way cheaper (and lighter, and smaller, again) than another lens, and you lose none of the camera's functions. Results are pretty sharp, too.
Vivitar Bellows A bellows is the most flexible, cost-effective accessory for serious macrophotography. This Vivitar unit is a generic "T"-mount bellows, with Nikon F-mount adapters for attaching the camera, and for attaching the lens in either normal or reverse position. It lacks the full-aperture metering of the Nikon equivalent (so: stop-down metering only), but it gets the job done. Lots of fun for cheap.

Nikon Lens Scope Converter, a nifty eyepiece that makes any Nikon lens a telescope, with a power equal to 10% of its focal length (a 50mm lens makes a 5X telescope, a 70-300mm lens makes a 7-30x zoom telescope). If pressed, I'll admit it isn't strictly a photography item, but it's a great idea, perfectly executed. I always wanted to be able to look through my lenses all by myself.

• I put UV filters on all my lenses and mostly leave them there, and recommend you do the same if you have an SLR. They help a bit outdoors, don't hurt indoors, and protect your expensive lens from damage and general crud. Replacing a filter is much less painful than replacing a lens. And it's nice to be able to clean the crud off with your tee shirt if you want. Although, yes, I have lens cleaning materials in my bag. Buy quality multicoated filters (UV or Skylight) if you can afford them; if not, put on cheap ones and upgrade later. If the extra layer of glass bothers you, take it off for critical shots (like towards a light source).
• I have circular polarizing filters for most of my lenses' filter sizes (52, 58 & 62mm). These can be overused (picture postcards), but sometimes they're exactly what the shot needs, if you can live with the 2-stop light reduction.  [See example]   It's easy to go slippery-slope regarding filters. I don't use tungsten film or much mind the too-warm look tungsten lights give with color daylight (i.e. regular) film, and graduated density filters are in the cool-but-not-often-needed category (yes, I have Cokin "P" series ND grads and adapters for all my lenses). But one common situation I do dislike is the cold, blue-green cast fluorescent lights give with that film, which is easy to fix before you shoot with a magenta color correction filter. Special effects filters? I own one: a Cokin "P" center spot. Mostly I like the reality effect.
• I have a monopod cum tabetop tripod that's small enough to travel with me all the time for low-light shooting on the spur of the moment. You'd be surprised what you can get away with with just a little help holding the camera still. I have a tripod for nighttime photography (try it; you'll hate it or you'll love it, but it's different). Tip: cheap, wobbly tripods are only good for holding a secondary flash or such. For holding your camera & lens, you need something solid. I got a used Bogen with a heavy-duty (remember my 5 lb. zoom?) tilt/pan head for not much more money, and you can, too, as those with aluminum trade up to carbon fiber. Ball heads are nicer if your equipment isn't too heavy.
• I have hoods for all my lenses. The 70-300 came with a nice metal one that it nests into, the 135's and 120-600's are built-in; for the others I got folding rubber ones that stash in a pocket of my bag. They make it possible to shoot in the rain and at night and much closer to the sun's direction without flare, etc..
• Spare batteries. In the bag. Always. You never have enough warning that the camera's batteries are low, and it feels really, really stupid to have all that expensive equipment that you can't use because of dead batteries. Eco-tip: it's better for our planet, and cheaper for you, to use rechargeables. Get some NiMHs, plus a little charger that plugs into a car 12v socket or a regular outlet. You'll be glad you did.
• Which reminds me: you need a decent bag. Basically, something that holds all your gear in individual padded compartments and doesn't shout "Steal Me!" (tip: it doesn't even have to be a camera bag, really). I'm partial to backpacks by Lowepro. They're rugged, moderately priced, carry a lot of gear comfortably and are very customizable (mine's a Mini-Trekker).
• I have a LowePro folding reflector. They're small, cheap and weigh almost nothing; you set one up for composed shots to reflect light into an area with shadows deeper than you want. In some ways, more trouble than fill-flash, but the results are usually more natural and they don't use batteries. For times when there's nothing lying about to use. (Tip: silvered automobile windshield sunscreens - cheap & they roll up!)
• Notepad & pencil for writing stuff down. Like exposure info for that shot you'll be sending in to NG. Or the directions you get to the local pizzeria. As massively useful as a towel (we miss you, Doug). Also, it's handy to have a permanent marker you can use to write on stuff (rolls of film, for one) with.
• Personal stuff. Sunscreen & lipbalm, unless you only shoot indoors. A small flashlight, unless you only take pictures during the day, outdoors. Your pain reliever, antacid, allergy (or whatever) medicine of choice (say, a film can's worth). A compact mirror (use it to see how sunburned your face is). Some innocuous (but impressive) samples of your work you can show the sheriff if they come to see why you're taking pictures there. Or then. Be warned: lurking about with a camera and a telephoto lens looks suspicious to some, and more so after dark. Or if you're trespassing. Officials can be so unforgiving.
• Open mind. Photography isn't just looking at stuff with a camera in the way. OK, sometimes it is. But it's so much fun to have a variety of modes to function in. See the links in my section called Shuttered Up: Photography for some starting points for further exploration.

Don't have Nikon equipment?

• That's OK with me. Canon makes a bunch of great stuff, as do others (if my old Minolta SLR hadn't been stolen, I might not have gone with Nikon). An aside: the respect accorded big-name gear will sometimes get you places the folks with the shirtpocket point & shoots don't get to go. I agree, that's not fair.
• And 35mm isn't all there is, although smaller (e.g. APS) is usually too small. Medium format stuff is bigger, heavier, pricier and less common, but many of the photos that knock us all out are taken with these (or larger) beasts. But if you have no legacy equipment you want to add to, read on.
• I think Nikon 35mm manual focus equipment is in the "sweet spot" in that you can still use great stuff from 20 or 30 years ago, so good used equipment is plentiful. I assure you, you can learn to focus a manual-focus camera so that it takes nearly no time or conscious thought, even if you wear glasses. Same with advancing the film. One caution: unless you're positive it's what you want, I'd recommend against a completely manual camera: if you have to both set the exposure and focus the lens, you're probably too slow for some shots. The F3 is a fine example of a classic aperture-priority automatic exposure camera, similar in concept to many others. You set the aperture for desired depth of field, or to ensure, say, fast shutter speeds, and that's about it until the situation changes drastically. Others abound, like the FG. Here is one example of a cheap Nikon system.
• If you really want autofocus (a plus if you're going to hand your camera to someone, for instance), I'd try to get into an upper-level Nikon that can use the MF lenses and still function (meter & set exposure). This is an arena where Nikon clearly has the advantage. A plus: the new, pricey image-stabilizing VR lenses become a possibility, if you get a camera that can use them (though I didn't). Like, say, an F100.
• If you really don't want to do manual focus, and want a do-everything camera, I'll suggest the Nikon N80 (for film) and the D70 (for digital), both best-selling Nikon bodies and both can take advantage of the very latest in lenses.
• But ask around. Try to borrow or rent the camera you're considering, and others like it, so you can evaluate 'em yourself. Folks who say that the body's just a light-tight box for bringing the lens and film together are overlooking the hassles of a confusing, awkward interface, the joys of a great viewfinder, and the satisfaction of good "feel".

Afterword

• If you're interested in getting into photography and have a camera and a brain, start with the ones you have. Don't have a camera, or truly need to upgrade your camera? Want some good advice? Click here. Or here. Or even here.
• Want to upgrade your brain (software upgrades only)? Click here.
• Want to see some samples of my work? Click here (for those who missed the link above), or here.