XT + 2 Lenses + CF

[quaggy]

Is this a good deal for $1169? Seems good to me.
Make it a 20D for $1699.

Canon EOS XT Digital Rebel SLR Body (Silver)
SIGMA 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro Lens
SIGMA 28-70mm f/2.8-4 HSZ AF Lens
Hitachi 4GB High Speed Microdrive
Opteka High Definition Digital Filter Kit - UV, PL, FLD
Power2000 Pro 900mAh Extended NB-2LH Battery
High Speed USB Card Reader
Samsonite Deluxe Carry-All Camera Case
Professional Photo / Video 60" Tripod

[Vich]

Not sure (seems very good) about the deal but the setup sounds nice!

[dgshooter]

You did not mention the seller. Please use caution. It seems there are a few disreputable sellers of photographic equipment. be sure to check the where to buy/not buy section of the forum.

Also, try comparing the prices for the camera/lenses only. Be sure to compare the Canon lenses, with the triple rebates you can get more for your money. You may find it better to buy the accessories seperately. Sometimes you can get a better deal on tripods, cases and memory seperately at different vendors.

[Rex914]

This isn't that great a deal. Looks like a lot of accessories thrown in, but IMO, I'd rather yet the body and 2 Canon lenses instead. You also take advantage of the triple rebates this way whereas here, you can't.

[Clyde]

This isn't that great a deal. Looks like a lot of accessories thrown in, but IMO, I'd rather yet the body and 2 Canon lenses instead. You also take advantage of the triple rebates this way whereas here, you can't.

Let me get even more specific. The 70-300 is a lower quality version of an already cheap sigma lens. While the 70-300 APO (the more expensive cousin of the lens in this kit) gets some good reviews when the low price is factored in, it is not super high quality glass. The 28-70 lens goes for around $60 seperately. It is probably not even as good as the canon kit lens, which is not especially well thought of. You can get reliable lens reviews here (http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/).

The microdrive is an impressive engineering achievement. It is a miniature hard drive, with extraordinarily small disk, reader, bearings, motor, etc... These are all precise marvels. They are not nearly as sturdy as the solid state components of the type I compact flash card. Type I compact flash cards are slightly more expensive, but have survived washing machines without damage. I wouldn't trust any of my pictures to a microdrive.

All the other elements of the kit are the kind of incremental purchases you may make as you find yourself needing them. They are generally inexpensive convienences.

The camera is first rate. Everything else in the kit is not. Not even second rate.

I would recomend buying the items seperately from a well regarded merchant. Check out reseller ratings (http://www.resellerratings.com/). You might consider the camera body, a Tamron 28-75 lens, and a 1gb type I compact flash card (say 66x speed?) as a starter kit. That would probably run around the same as this kit, maybe less, and everything in the kit would be high quality stuff.

Sorry to dampen your spirits,

Clyde

[quaggy]

Thanks for everyone's help! I think I will take Clyde's advice and go with a body and another "good review" lens. Then a 1 or 2 gb CF. Thanks!