What camera accessories do you photography enthusiasts recommend for someone just getting going? I just bought a UV filter which the salesman talked me into -- it sounded like good protection for the lens and the with/without filter pictures were noticeably different. (Plus at under 20 bucks it was an easy purchase!) What is useful, what can be done with editing software instead of buying a filter, and what do you think is a waste of money?

It's getting to the point if you shoot in RAW you can fix, colorize, enhance and mimic just about every filter on the market. By blending exposures you can get the same effect as the ND grads as well. I think there's a heavy learning curve whether you're doing it with filters or doing it in Photoshop so it's kind of whatever direction you want to go. BTW I wouldn't recommend putting cheap UV filters over multi-hundred dollar lenses as they will affect the image quality. Stick with B&W or Hoya SMC's, stay away from Sunpak/tiffen - you get what you pay for!

Polorizing filter if you like the look. I haven't used mine much for wakeboarding. More for the fact that it lets in less light and by the time we have any good water its all ready getting dark. I have however used the polorizer for skating, landscape and others. <BR> <BR>Not sure what lens you have but get a lens hood if it didnt come with it. Also get a cleaning kit. A good camera bag is nice to have. They can be pricey but so was your camera.