So I'm getting a bonus for not using my sick days at work this year. My loving wife is letting me have $150 out of it, and the rest is going to pay our car insurance.
Originally I had wanted to blow all of it on a Sigma 10-20mm. Honestly I imagine the 10-20mm is out of my league anyways, being that I am a total noob.

So $150 in hand do I save it, buy a old used wide angle/prime lens off ebay, or I thought about buying a flash??? Or should I spend it on a JDM shift knob??

Flash 1
Flash 2

dont know if you can get a wide angle for 150 bucks.

either go for the sb600, so you can bounce the flash off walls and what not. the 35mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.8 prime lens.

get the shift knob. that's like a solid fifteen horsepower.

20 if its that carbon fiber print.....

absolutely, positively do NOT get the sb400

sb600 is awesome, I love mine

and there is no way the 10-20 is out of your league, but if you don't have any other nicer lenses, I'd look into those before the 10-20

I am friend of the Nikon



not to mention the significant weight reduction

they told me 30hp at the wheels

I was at a wedding last weekend and saw both photographers bouncing their flashes off the wall and had no clue what they were doing. Now I know. I always seem to end up taking pictures in low light and getting the stupid shadows and super bright faces on people.

I think I have decided on 35mm f/1.8 or SB600 flash or i also see 50mm f/1.8 for like $110. From what I read the 50mm is kind of a old school prime, but maybe it will be ballsax with DX body . Which of these 3 would you buy as a beginner.

from my limited experience

if you're shooting a lot of indoor poor light, then the flash is probably best

if you're in moderate-low light / portraits / outside, than the 35 would be nice.

The flash. I love my SB600! I have the 50mm 1.8 but I wish I'd never bought it, it's a fine lens but I just don't use it.

no doubt, the shift nob.... maybe spend an extra 75 cents on a nos sticker...

i already got like 10 NOS stickers already. makes my sh!t like VROOOOOOM VROOOOOOM!!!!! it's pretty rad.

Flash it is

thanks folks

I hear NOS stickers add an extra 1hp.

I would like to respectfully disagree with summer's post and offer the opposite

the 50/1.8 is a great way to introduce yourself to the capabilities of wide ap lenses and to discover how great super thin DOFs can make your photos

on the other hand, the sb600 is so advanced that you will likely not e able to fully understand it without extensive use and practice

if you do not have any 2.8 or wider lenses, I'd recommend the 50 1.8 so that you can learn and see what "all the fuss" is about in wide ap lenses

I have both the 50 1.8 and the sb600

I have to agree that I do not use the 50 1.8 as much anymore (but only because I got a 24-60 2.8)

I don't use the sb600 too often because a significant majority of my photography is done outdoors, however I will agree that using a real speedlight makes indoor photography much better

I still use the sb600 for studio macros and more regularly for photographing specimens for research

For me, I would choose the 35 over the 50. I have the 50mm f/1.8 canon lens for my canon camera. Since I have a crop sensor, it makes my 50 a 80mm reach. Which is way to far for small areas to really use this lens a lot.

It really depends on how and what you shoot, but yes Flash is great for indoors.

Get flash #2 you want the omi directional.

i've been struggling with this exact issue. i haven't decided for myself yet, but it seems to me that your decision should be wholly based on what your goals are. flashes are better for some applications, wider lenses are better for other applications. it just depends on what you're shooting.

that being said, WHAT SHOULD I GET???

35mm on a crop sensor body. Gives you an almost normal view.