 | Olympus Evolt E500 8MP Digital SLR with 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 & 40-150mm f/3.5-4.5 Zuiko Lenses
Buy new: $999.22 / Used from: $435.00 You need to start with a good digital SLR, and this is (in my humble opinion) one of the best on the market. The two kit lenses are probably better quality than ships with any other DSLR, and cover 90% of what you'll want.
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 | Olympus 50mm f/2.0 Telephoto Macro ED Lens for E1, E300 & E500 Digital SLR Cameras
Buy new: Too low to display The kit lenses are all very well; in fact, they're as good as you're going to get in a kit, but this might be the finest piece of glass you can get without remortgaging. It's perfect for macros, portraits, and general photography. Sharp, clear and fast, it may never come off your camera.
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 | Mastering Digital SLR Photography by David D. Busch
Buy used from: $4.15 Learn how to get the most out of that expensive camera.
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 | Lexar 4GB Professional 133X Compact Flash CF4GB-133-380
Buy new: $48.99 / Used from: $35.00 A large, fast CF card (or three) is essential, especially if you shoot in RAW mode. Lexar are a good bet, as they offer free image recovery tools, and guarantee that you'll never loose an image off their cards.
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 | Olympus BLM-01 Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery for C7070, C8080, E1, E300 & E500 Digital Cameras
Buy new: $42.79 / Used from: $14.00 A spare battery is essential for long shoots.
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 | Olympus FL-50 Electronic Flash for Olympus Digital SLR Cameras
Buy used from: $250.00 The pop-up flash has its uses, but it's very weak and doesn't allow for a huge amount of creative control, so you'll want to invest in a flash unit before too long. The FL-50 is expensive, but it's well worth the money. If it's too expensive, then you might want to look at the FL-36, which is less powerful, but still excellent.
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![Adobe Photoshop CS2 [OLD VERSION]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41GZ0WT8G5L._SL75_.jpg) | Adobe Photoshop CS2 [OLD VERSION]
Buy used from: $649.00 The gold standard for photo processing. If Photoshop CS can't do it, you probably don't want it. Again, very expensive, but a cheaper alternative exists: Photoshop Elements. Or, if you don't mind a steep learning curve, there's The GIMP, which is free.
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 | Adobe Photoshop CS2 Classroom in a Book by Adobe Creative Team
Buy new: $34.64 / Used from: $8.23 What's the point in having pro-grade software like Photoshop if you don't know how to use it?
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 | HOYA 58CIR 58mm Circular Polarized Filter
Buy new: $40.35 A polariser helps you to cut out glare and reflections from any non-metallic surface, as well as punching up skies and foliage. It's the single most important filter you can own, and one of the few that can't be reproduced in post-processing. It's handy that both of the kit lenses have the same filter size (58mm), so that you only need the one filter for them. The 50mm needs a 52mm filter, though.
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 | Sunpak 620-060 6601UT Tripod with Extra Quick-Release Mounting Plate
Buy new: $16.30 You need a tripod. You need to be able to hold the camera steady during long exposures, and hand-steadying just doesn't cut it. You can spend several hundred dollars on a tripod, but I'm not convinced that it's worth spending more than $50, for most people.
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 | Lowepro Micro Trekker 200 Camera Backpack (Black)
Buy new: $64.95 So, you've got plenty of kit, but can you carry it around with you? This fits everything I own, with some room to spare (though a couple more lenses and I might have to upgrade again, or maybe move the flash out of the main body). It even holds my tripod!
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