What to buy next

[Mildot]

I finally took the plunge during the Dell sale last week and bought the 20D with kit lens. I then went to the local camera store and bought everything in the list below except for the tripod which I already had and the CF card which I ordered online. I am stepping up from my G3 which I have used for a year. I have been away from photography for over 20 years except for using the G3 and decided to jump back in. I have been reading the forum for a few weeks and searching the archives.

I will mainly be taking photos of buildings, a little wildlife use, some landscapes and some close shots of collectables.

The biggest hurdle will be learning the camera but I would like to buy another $1000 or so in gear. What do I need to add to the items I already have? [Lenses, remote release, filters, flash accessories for the collectable shots, etc.?]

Current kit;
D20 with 18-55 lens
580 EX flash
BG-E2 battery grip & extra battery
70-200 f/4.0L
17-40 f/4.0L
HOYA MC 77MM UV
HOYA MC 67MM UV
Lowepro AW5 camera bag
Sandisk Extreme 1 gig card
Misc. cleaning items
Bogen 3001BPRO tripod
Manfrotto Proball 308RC head
Bogen tripod case


Thanks for any input, Mike

[aam1234]

For the collectible shots you may need a macro lens, either the 50 or the 100. Unless the collectibles are big in size.

[natalka]

More CF cards, or a portable storage device like a Nixvue.
Extra batteries.
Hand Strap is a very useful item.

Natalie

[troy7997]

Wow. You have a lot more gear than me, but the only thing that I would be able to add (besides a Macro lens) is another CF card. I HIGHLY recommend everyone to have an extra CF card. Let's face it people. We are dealing with electronics here and it is always good to have backups. I was at the zoo once and was deleting photos from my card and all of the sudden I had a disk error. I couldn't write to the disk anymore. I could still access the pics but could not take anymore because I didn't have another card. And, we were only halfway through the zoo!!

Extra cards can be lifesavers!;)

[CoolToolGuy]

I do a lot of outdoor stuff, so I have a polarizer for each filter size. If that is a big investment, you could buy the one for the 17-40 and use a step-up ring on the 70-200.

Have Fun,

[gasrocks]

Hard call. Depends on which way you need to lean. Spend $ on lenses is a general approach. I would get the 10-22, or the 300 f/4 IS L next. And the 12mm, 25mm extension tubes. And, yes more CF cards.

[Mildot]

Thanks for all the replies!

I picked up another Sandisk 1 gig Extreme card tonight.

For my next purchase I have my eye on the 180 f/3.5 L Macro or the 300 f/4.0 L IS.

Thanks, Mike