Review my shopping list

Hello guys and gals, I'm wondering if you guys could look over my shopping list, see if its the "best" within budget.

I haven't exactly decided on a shooting style quite yet, but my budget is roughly $3,000.

My list:

30D - $1350

24-70 f.2.8L - $1100

B+W MRC UV filter 77mm - $ 80

Lowepro MiniTrekker - $ 110

SanDisk Extreme III 2 gig - $ 110

Canon BP-511 spare bat - $ 50

Giottos rocker air blowers (all 3 sizes) - $30

All that = $2720

I'm not sure where to go with the extra $300-400
Possibilities:
1) 580ex speedlite + stofen omni bounce
2) Manfrotto tripod + Manfrotto ball head + remote trigger
3) 100mm f/2.8 Macro (macro looks like a ton of fun)
4) save for 100-400

I'd say get the 50 F/1.4 for indoor/low light shots or get the 580 EX in combination with your 24-70L for the same situations. Looks pretty good for $3,000.00

get tripod aswell, if you want to shoot any night, and you may need it for macro aswell!

You need a speedlite - the 580 is excellent, and you really should look at a tripod. I don't see why you want three sizes of rocket blower though!
And I would suggest getting spare batteries from stirlingtek, see the sticky about third-party batteries on the Accessories section. You could get 5 batteries from them for the price of one Canon 511 - and they are actually better!

I'd also suggest getting the 18-55 kit lens ( I can hear the gasps!) because your selection leaves out the wide angle section. 24,mm on a 1.6 crop camera is not very wide at all, and I think you'll miss it.
I personally feel the 50mm lens of either version is just too long on a crop body camera, and is pretty much only good for portraits ( I hear more gasps). I'd suggest if you want a fast prime then go for the 35mm f/2.0 or sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC lens. MUCH more useful alround on a crop camera.
A remote trigger is a great idea, look for one of the Adidt ones off of ebay, they are very cheap and do the job well.
Macro lenses are whole heap of fun, I'm still not sure why I haven't got one yet, but there's always something else that is more important!

Otherwise your list is extremely well thought out, you'll like the mini trekker tho there will be a lot of spare space left in it. For a while, anyway!

GASP!!! lol, no the kit lens i believe is worth more than it costs, which is strange for Canon as normally things like a bit of cable are nearly £40!! TRIPOD!! maybe look second hand if your not bothered about condition...

Awesome responses, thanks a ton guys

I will certaintly see if I can rework my budget/list to squeeze in both speedlite and tripod.

Any more tips would be awesome!

-Ed

Great choices Ed, you've certainly done your homework. I wouldnt bother with the UV filter, but would put the money towards a good circular polarizing filter. As long as you always use the lens hood, you dont really need a 'protective' filter.

You might be able to trim off some costs on the body, in the U.S.

butterfly photo $1,274.80(with standard shipping)
http://www2.butterflyp​hoto.com …icegrabber&sku=​EOS30DBODY

ibuydigital has it for $1,277.79(with standard shipping)
http://www.ibuydigital​.com …14118805&CFTOKE​N=65936473

Beach Camera has it for 1300(with standard shipping)
http://www.beachcamera​.com …ign=CNEOS30D&sk​u=CNEOS30D

For the other stores and ratings, pricegrabber and reseller ratings will give you enough comments.
http://www.pricegrabbe​r.com …3818/sort_type=​bottomline
http://www.resellerrat​ings.com/

And the batteries:
Sterlingtek. They are awesome. I actually see them providing more power than my 2 Canon batteries in my grip. I've noticed the Sterlingtek outlasts my Canon.
http://www.pricegrabbe​r.com …rid=2651577&lot​_id=547965

Get 3rd party batteries. For the price of 1 cannon spare battery you can get 3+ 3rd party batteries. Not only that, but they're rated better and each charge lasts much longer.

why get all three sizes? Just get the biggest one.

(admittedly just a small part of your budget )

Enjoy!

NOT that im up on this but can the 30d use the speed of that card just a thought.most go for the 2 version
Rob