When you order a camera with nothing to add on to in your collection already, what do you need to make sure you get?

So far I have:

Camera (gee)
Lens
Memory Card (and some way to get it on your computer)
Battery (and charger)
Probably some type of bag for transportation

Can't leave home without the keys, what am I missing?

filters

flashgun

tripod

Flashgun?

Which filters do you buy before you even open the camera and which can wait?

Circ Polariser bit of a must have....

Tripod is a good suggestion. I would suggest buying some cheap filters right away just to protect the lenses from scratching; it's much cheaper to replace a lens filter if you have an accident than the lens. Spare backup battery is a very good idea. I also got the wireless remote for my camera, handy for time lapse and family snaps although you can use the timer also. A good comfortable bag is essential for an SLR otherwise you will quickly tire of carrying the spare lenses around (assuming you have some). I can fit everything in my bag including the battery charger, the instruction manual, and my mini tripod, so I am never left short. You never know when you might need them!

Lets recap:

Camera, lens, battery and charger, memory card, circular polarizer, tripod, small bag, and possibly wireless remote.

Is a circular polerizer ideal under all conditions?

No. A circular polarizer isolates the direction light can enter the lens. WHAT? Example: If you are taking a picture of a glass store front or a lake on a sunny day and light is reflecting too much, you simply turn the circular polarizer until you see the lighting effect you want.

Then what would be the bare-minimum to never have off the camera? UV? Neither my mom nor myself have ever used a Circular Polerizer.

i have a UV on my lens all the time. It does the job to protect the lens. I would like a polerizer but its probably not essential. one more thing i might suggest would be some sort of cleaning stuff for your lens. I have some little lint free things that i use cuz i found them around my house. A lens pen also works well. Um, that is probably pretty good.

Get a circular polarizer if possible. It will remove most reflections from all surfaces. The most noticeable being windows and water. But, it will also remove reflections that you normally are unaware of. This lets the true colors come forth from vegetation, rock, etc. The end result is rich color! The greatest effect happens when the camera is pointing 90 degrees from the sun with little or no effect at 0 or 180 degrees.

Tripod is absolutely essential as is a off-camera shutter release. Kind of goes hand in hand with a tripod.

Spare battery and spare memory card...never know when they will go on the fritz.

The rest is just fun for the gear heads;-)

if you're getting a DSLR i dont think i'd recomend getting a spare battery. they're way more expensive than they should be, and one battery can easily fill up my 1GB card twice with normal shooting. i'd wait on that one and see if you'll actually use it. otherwise i'd go with Darryl's suggestions

Carl, that's fine if you are organised and have a good memory... but when you arrive at your destination which you have travelled to specifically to take photos, and you camera conks out after 30 seconds because you didn't charge the battery, you might wish you had packed a spare. Not that this has ever happened to me or anything ;-)

Im on carls side. I know with my camera it has a battery meter and when it starts going down i still have lots of time before its dead, so when i notice that is going down thats when i charge and im good to go.

Oh c,mon you can surely spend $30 DOLLARS for a no-name battery. Just go to The Source to get spares...they are all made by the same manufacturer! And if you live in Alberta where it is sub zero those batteries will not last quite as long...so I hear;-) I'm on your side lol

I have a bettery meter too, it is very useful because it means every time I turn the camera on to use it I remember that I should have charged my battery last time I was home ;-)

or you could just order an unbranded battery that works just as well for a fraction of the cost from the far east via ebay. ive found its better to cover every possible eventuality when your out and about with your camera including spare memory cards and batteries.

For instance - the high capacity battery packs for my Canon EOS 20D are £55 here but I bought two for the battery grip from Hong Kong for £7 each.