Do you need a sim card to use an unlocked iphone?

I live here in the US, but I want to buy an unlocked iphone from Apple because I travel ALOT. My question is this....besides using it as a phone, i also want to use it to shoot video with to edit on my ipad while travelling.
When i buy it, i understand it wont have a micro sim card. But can I use it without a sim card after i buy it for shooting video? I mean, can i activate it...or rather turn it on WITHOUT putting a sim card in? And just use wifi for awhile. I know i cant make phone calls until i put a sim card in....but right now i am in the states, and i dont know where i will be travelling yet....but i do still want to play with the phone and shoot video with it and get to know it. But i dont want to have to put a sim card in right now or commit to any carrier. Is this possible?
Or will i have to wait until iOS 5 comes out?
Thanks!

You can't do anything with any iPhone until it is first activated. Thus, you will have to purchase a sim card to activate the phone. T-Mobile has just started selling micro sims. That will do the trick.

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