Rookie Hiding Behind a Canon 20D

[jimmmyzz]

I know absolutely nothing about cameras. I have been using a Digital Olympus 4000 for about two years. We do a lot of motorcycle racing and ithe 4000's not fast enough to take the pictures. I asked one of the Race Track Photographers what I need to buy. So now I have a Canon 20D shipping to me on Tuesday. So heres my questions: What Compact Flash Card do I buy? What lens Should I use? Is there a good / bad camera bag? He mentioned buying some kind of music recorder / player and using the card out of it and selling the recorder / player, What was he talking about?

Please Help!

[Lionheart]

My two pennies- Get a 512 MB card, any major brand will work just fine (Lexar, Sandisk), get the faster cards if you really feel the need for speed-I haven't noticed much difference between my 40x Lexars and my generic Sandisk cards. As far as lenses go, you'll eventually add some pretty expensive glass ("L" lenses), but for now I'd recommend Canon's EF 28-135 IS lens. It's fairly versatile, relatively inexpensive (compared to the camera body) and quite sharp. Congratulations on your purchase. Share your findings on viewfinder too. I'm sure there are at least a few of us interested in this camera body.

[setiprime]

Yup-
Gotta go along with Lionheart. I will shoot a couple of 512's at a typical road race. Get a card reader (to transfer your shots to the computer). much quicker and easier than hooking up your camera each time.

THIS IS IMPORTANT - reformat your card in the camera, NOT in your COMPUTER. You run the risk of corrupted file registry info.

And BACKUP your shots !!