Just make sure you get EF and not EF-S. The latter is only suitable for cropped-sensor cameras, and will vignette appallingly on a FF camera. Some protrude backwards too much for FF and will damage the mirror assembly.

Thanks again, Peter. I have indeed wondered about the difference and was not at all clear on that.

OK Mr. Jones, I did the deed.

Because I will be on a sailboat a lot with this new camera, I decided not to go all out for a 5d now, plus the price is not dropping like I thought it would with the mark II arrival. Still $2000 for the body.

And boy were you spot on about the lenses. When I do upgrade, those L class lenses are gonna hurt the ol pocketbook.

Went with the Rebel xsi aka 450d. Reviews says it's the 40d but with the lighter plastic body instead of magnesium and 12Mp instead of 10, for a little more than half the price of the 40d. I handled all of them, the 40d is too big, xsi just right. Took a while deciding on the sole lens for now, went with the EF 28-135mm IS f/3.5-5.6, which will stay on for good with this camera.

For underwater and all-around use in a wet environment like the sailboat, I replaced my old Nikon p&s with a Canon SD770 IS 10Mp and proprietary Canon underwater case which I'll keep the camera in most of the time. Including underwater!

Thanks for the advice and info. I will be posting images in the near future.

Well done Skippy! I regret to say that I've also been foolish recently, having just bought a Canon G10 with housing!

If you go to POTN you'll see there's a long-running thread on the Tokina ATX 12-24 Pro DX zoom (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=160701&page=20). Only suitable for cropped sensors, it's clearly a very impressive and superb value UWA lens and if I had a cropped sensor camera like yours I'd be buying one right now, for use quite often as my "walk-around" lens. Would complement the 28-135 very well.

If you come down here with the new Canon make sure to make contact, and you can try my 100-400L on your body, which of course would give an effective 160-640. And you can try the 24-105L as well, though that wouldn't be so impressive.

Peter, do you keep the UV filter on all the time as a protector? If so, do you remove it for imaging? It's just a regular Hoya filter, not an expesnive one with better glass. Seems like it could diminish image quality, but might be a hassle to take off and put back all the time between shots. I'm not concerned about UV, just protecting the lens.

I did also get the polarizing filter, which I will use, especially on the water. But I got the UV filter just to have something between the lens and the environment.

I do leave a filter on every lens all the time. On the 100-400 and the 50 it's a UV filter, on the 24-105 it varies between UV and circular polarizing. I do have other filters for indoors use, such as one for fluorescent light.

I feel very uncomfortable leaving a lens exposed to the elements, knowing how much greasy dirt & dust gets deposited. After a day's shooting I take off whatever filter I was using and wash it in fresh warm water and mild detergent. You'd be amazed how much muck comes off it.

Although there are several UWA zooms available for cropped sensors, there aren't many for FF. There is a Sigma that I've considered, but given the profile of the front element it can't take a filter, and I don't think it would survive long in this environment.

Some lenses are quite intolerant of filters, and you have to be careful only to use one recommended by the lens manufacturer. Otherwise you can get auto-focusing problems and some vignetting.

Didn't spot one nuance in your question. Only indoors in poor light do I use a lens with no filter fitted. Generally I use the filter that's already fitted to the lens, though occasionally I have to change it. I do always keep a lens cap on, to protect the lens both from impact & inadvertent touching, but also from the air which here is permanently greasy and salty.

Canon "L" lenses are hermetically sealed when a filter is fitted and they're either attached to a camera or have the back lens cap on. A pretty good reason for me to follow those basic instructions, especially when you see what can happen to unprotected glass down here.

More excellent advice, thanks. I am glad I can keep the filter on, except when I change to the circular polarizing.

One more thing, since you mention the greasy, salty air. Moist as well, obviously, and as I'm going to bring cameras, lens and all in zip-lock type freezer bags as well as the camera case, I was thinking about throwing dessicant packages in each bag. Do you use dessicant bags or those little canisters? Or is the air so moist it renders them useless? Again this would be in a freezer bag zipped closed most of the time.

Get Pelican Cases!!!

If I had your money, I would.

Hey, my birthday's coming up! "To stinky, I mean skippy, with love, jesse"

They are too bulky for this trip, but that might be the solution long-term. Of course, the case would cost more than the camera...