What do you think about this starter kit?

[Hoomer]

Hi, i love to travel and take pictures; mainly of landscapes, monuments and people.
Until now i used a Canon ixus 50 camera but the magnified photos, even in maximal resolution aren't that great so i decided to buy a new kit.
And i'm thinkin to buy:

1- Camera: Canon EOS 400d (was in doubt betwenn this and sony a 1oo and nikon d80, but i prefer the canon to the sony, don't realy know why and compared to the nikon i think it isnt woth the peice difference of 200 euros)

2- Memory card: 2 CF extreme III 2 GB (instead of 1 4Gb, in case i loose or break one. And the little price difference justifies these cards compared to the ultra II, even if the speed diference isnt that noticible)

3- Memory Card reader: Sandisk ExtremeMate (to take maximum advantage of the extreme III crads, transferrin the photos to the computer)

4- Tripod: Joby Gorillapod SLR Zoom (it's more "adjustable" than a standard tripod so i can put it on a tree or door; and its better to transport than a standard big one; SLR Zoom because it supports to 3kg, so i can freelky upgrade the lenses in the future without worries)

5- Bagpack: Tamron Adventure 9 (usefull because i can put in a laptop and other stuff like books, pda, etc when im traveling)

6- Camera Armour: Made Silicon Armour (so the camera is protected even when im using the gorillpod in "strang" places)

7- Lenses: im going with the standard canon lens (18-55mm) so i can adapt and explore the camera while im a newbie and discover my future preferences

So, what do u think?
I'd apreciate some suggestions,
Thanks a lot,
Hoomer

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

Sounds like a good package to me. I don't know how much the Sandisk card reader is, but if it's more than $40, I'd just go with a cheap $20 reader.

 

[Hoomer]

The card reader costs 25€ (abou 30$).
Im considering it because i believe its the best way to take advantage of the transfer rate (20mbits/sec) when transferrin photos from the camera to the computer.

 

[Big Mike]

Im considering it because i believe its the best way to take advantage of the transfer rate (20mbits/sec) when transferrin photos from the camera to the computer.

I don't know all that much about it, so I can't say for sure. Is off loading speed really that big of an issue for you? If it takes a few seconds more to off load a card, it's not putting any stress on me. For $30, I'd say go for it.

From what I've heard, the real speed advantage of the Sandisk Extreme card reader, is only reached when you are using the Extreme IV cards, not the Extreme III cards. I have a couple Extreme III cards and a couple Ultra II cards...and I can't tell the difference when shooting or uploading.

 

[photogincollege]

Looks like fine kit to me.