if u shooting insects and stuff, suggest u look for lens with a macro function (e.g. Canon EF 100mm Macro). will cost more but a must u wish to shoot insects up close and personal. oh yeah, the F-stop (apperture) shld be small too (e.g. F2.4 etc). not a insect shooter, mebber other CSers can advise?
bag - hmm... depends on wat u want to carry. if just a lens and body, a small bag will do. but, if u wish to carry every single piece of equipment and a kitchen sink thrown in :bigeyes: then u need to get a big bag. i've got a no-name sling bag and a Lowepro mini-trekker. check out buy/sell, and find out who's selling bags. sometimes can get a good deal. or else, check out CP's collection of Lowepro bags, or Crumpler at Wheelock place (2nd floor).
dry cabinets - can get one from CP, mscolor etc... cost anywhere from $90+ (small ones) to well over $100+ (large ones). u can check out carrefour for offers on 30L cabinets.
we dun have a dedicated 300D grp who shoots together. just join any shoots, and u bound to find a mixed bag of DSLR, prosumers, phd (press-here-dummy) etc users. is quite fun to mix ard with other shooters of other equipment! then, if u nice enuf, u might get a chance to use some equipment which u'll not have a chance to use (e.g. 1DMKII....)!
