Buying a DSLR soon, what accessories should I get when?

what are you shooting because the list you just posted is a wide range of stuff for photos and video...

Congratulations on your impending purchase.

That being said, I dont get why people feel like they need to go out and spend money on accessories when they pick up new gear. The camera (if you're buying new) should come with just about everything you need. Yeah, getting a different strap can make things easier and more comfortable, but at what cost? Do you actually need a tripod (and a pistol head or any other kind of head for that matter)? Do you NEED a polarizing filter (or any other filters for that matter)?

You need to establish what exactly it is you're going to be focusing on. Then, you need to go out and try to do it with what you have. If you have a hard time with some things, or you wish certain things were coming out better than others, take notes and think of ways to improve.

There are a couple of exceptions; if you're definitely going to be doing some video, it wouldn't hurt to get a decent mic, but for $50 I dont know what you're hoping to get. Most cameras dont come with memory cards, so that's something to consider.

Rushing out to blow that $50 on 'stuff' you may or may not need is just going to make it harder when you do what I've suggested and realize you need to save $150-$200 for a decent tripod but you're starting at $0 because you wanted to buy a polarizing filter. Sorry if this seems harsh, but if it saves you from buying something you wont use and leaves that money in your pocket to get something you will, then it's done its job.

in the 50-100$ price range you will not find a good quality LED panel light that mounts on top of the camera. double that price if you want a bottom of the line professional light.

as someone that works in video a lot i can tell you that there is no good quality accessory for under $100 for video shooters. maybe spare batteries for your microphone and that is it. the only thing i have bought for under $100 that is an accessory is a bar that goes on your hotshoe to lift a mini LED panel higher so you dont get shadow from your lens in the shot. it was $80 and on adjustable ball joints. overall i dont see lights as an accessory but as a needed tool for a video kit but not for a beginners kit. just remembered the cheapest accessory i have ever bought for video is a 100 pack of wooden clothes pins to attach wax paper to lights to make them softer

if you are serious about doing videography and have considered trying to do professional quality work *i am only being realistic and not trying to be rude but on average a dslr package with all needed gear to do videography all together will total up rather close to $10,000 with professional priced camera and lenses. it is possible to spend waay less and still do very good video but here is other junk you need to make it work: camera mount rigs to go from tripod to shoulder, follow focus, monitor or viewfinder adapter to LCD, external recording for sound, light kit, gels, reflectors, flags, microphones, spare memory cards and batteries. that is just the main stuff.

i hope this post isnt rude as it is intended to inform and not discourage. i apologize if it seems anything other than trying to inform

Conspiracy, as much as I like your advice, and yes you are very knowledgeable, you seem to be to caught up dumping your knowledge onto people that just want "something a bit better than average".

Your point that an "average a dslr package with all needed gear to do videography all together will total up rather close to $10,000" is off topic. Why the heck would OP care about professional level stuff when all he wants something along the lines of "a $100 external mic"?

The fact that you point out that there is "no good quality accessory for under $100" is pretty naive considering the consumer grade stuff will obviously be lower in build quality than professional equipment. It's like saying the D3100/5100 are low quality because they're mainly plastic and not magnesium alloy therefore they're not viable.

Off the top of my head, the Nikon ME-1 is just over $100 and is much better than the onboard mic.

Sorry if it seems like flaming, but all your posts - as informative as they are - are always so imposing.

I love the cheap china ebay stuff.

$2 gorilla pods for my strobes
$45 Yongnuo strobes
$1 Flash Diffusers
$4 grips
$5 neoprene lens bags
$2 pinch-type lens caps (I'm a canon user)
$5 macro tubes
$5 shutter release remotes
$4 lens hoods
$0.50 posterboard for backdrops
$1 Foam core boards to construct a lightbox

etc etc

No, you don't need any of these. Yes, the quality isn't as good as the name brand originals. However, they are dirt cheap and offer a lot of bang for buck.