Question: I'm flying soon to Mongolia for a few weeks and I'm still somewhat of a beginner to photography, at least equipment-wise! So, I'm looking for equipment advice mostly. I currently have a Canon EOS 400D with an 18-55mm lens, and I recently purchased a 50mm F/1.8 prime (can't wait for it to arrive!), but I realize that to properly capture the open plains and skies of Mongolia, I'm going to need a wide angle. 

I don't have a massive budget to spend, and to be honest, I've been a bit rough on my camera in the past and don't want to bring a long an expensive lens while I'm backpacking. Is my 18-55 going to be good enough? I'm definitely willing to purchase a new lens to take with me, and I would prefer something that would stay useful to me after Mongolia when I move to a city for a bit (heading to Sydney, Australia!).

Also, what would be the right filter to bring along? I don't know much about those and only have a UV filter at the moment.

Answer: 
Personally I would stick with the 18-55 as it will be good enough, and instead invest in A) a good camera bag
B) a good tripod
C) a polarising filter
D) a set of full and graduated neutral density filters

If you're travelling around you want a well-made bag to keep your stuff safe, preferably one you can lock with a padlock.

Any self-respecting landscape photographer needs a good, solid tripod. Don't bother with a cheap and cheerful one, they're just a waste of money.

A polarising filter is great for deepening skies and reducing glare and reflection from the long Mongolian grass, enriching the colour.

Finally, full neutral density filters can be used to make long exposures (think dreamlike clouds in the massive Mongolian sky), and graduated ones will let you get properly exposed shots when the sky is significantly brighter than the land. See [this question](https://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/13857/how-do-i-use-graduated-neutral-density-filters) for more info on them.

If my budget was $500, I'd spend $100 on the bag, $300 on the tripod, $70 on the ND filters and $30 on the polariser.
what about fish-eye lens? I have Samyang 8 mm for few weeks and found it absolutely fantastic for stitched panoramas and also for those "planet" panoramas.

Ken Rockwell wrote a nice review about this lens here:
<http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/8mm-f35.htm>

the lens is not so expensive, costs about 360 USD.