help required choosing equipment please

[leerolo]

hi there,
i used to spend a lot of time on here a while back when i had my 20d (which i had to sell due to losing my job ) but now im in a position to buy a new setup and i would like to ask for your advice to help me choose it.
okay here it goes, ive got £2000 to spend on my new equipment and i would like to make it go as far as possible so for that reason i usually use a shop on ebay called digital-rev which is based in hong kong so that i get more for my money.

my photography interest's are landscapes, wildlife, and portraits but i have got a new birth in the family and also a wedding coming up so i would love to get some good quality photo's of them too so what lenses are best for me? the gear i am thinking of buying is listed below and i would appreciate your comments.

canon 30d
battery grip
sigma 18-50mm f2.8 ex dc macro
580 ex flash

then one of the following but which one will give me the best quality images and be most suitable for what i need?

canon ef 100-400mm 4.5-5.6l is usm
or
sigma 70-200 f2.8 apo ex dg
or is there a better alternative for about the same price that will do the work of 2 or more of the lenses? an 18-200 2.8 or something

also if you think there is a better camera alternative please let me know

many thanks in advance
lee

 

[Don Simon]

An 18-200mm f/2.8? Well, I guess you could have one made to order... if you have the GDP of a small country to spare

Personally I'd go for the 70-200mm over the 100-400, for the larger aperture. An 18-50mm f/2.8 and a 70-200mm f/2.8 should cover a lot of situations quite well. I would probably also consider a faster prime, maybe the 50mm f/1.8 since it's very cheap.