Professional lens for mobile
We talked in class awhile back about how you can attach an external lens to your smart phone. Of course, if you carry a DSLR this would be superfluous. But if you are an adherent of the "best camera is the one you have with you" school, that means you are usually carrying a smart phone and would likely benefit from an external lens or two. These things can go for as little as $79. There are also some professional options. Carl Zeiss, one of the world's great lens makers, also offers an external lens for the iPhone. At $200 for the wide angle lens and $250 for the telephoto lens, this glass is not exactly friendly to a student budget. However, if you plan to build your own kit at some point this might be useful information.
A wide-angle lens is especially useful for shooting news. Here's a review of the Zeiss wide-angle lens:
