If you use Apple, or PC products even, Apple makes the Time Capsule which is part of their wireless routers that will automatically backup your files locally. You can also backup to iCloud. Just make sure the photos are successfully downloaded off the camera card before you erase the card. Sometimes added cards are a useful item so you can keep shooting and process the cards when you have time. Backups should be to an off site location in addition to locally to be well done. A separate drive sitting next to your computer is good but not likely to save your photos if there is fire, flood or tornado. You can occasionally burn your photos to DVDs and store them with a friend or relative that lives some distance from you or put them in a bank safe deposit box.

Putting a lens filter on the lens seems to make sense to most people as a safeguard. I have used them for nearly 40 years, but I have never damaged a lens or filter. Maybe I am lucky or more careful but I try not to mishandle my equipment. If you are going with filters I would get high quality ones, not $5 ones from Walmart.

Lens hoods are another option instead of filters and Tony Northrup says skip the filters and just use a lens hood for protection. I can see his point and the truth in it. But he is also,thinking like a pro and has many cameras and lenses. I think the more average among us look at the cost of our equipment differently than a pro photographer does. Pros are shooting a lot each day while I may not get a chance to shoot for a week or two. On my newest lens I have a UV filter and a lens hood... But I can remove one or the other or both before shooting I want. Personally, I'm not sure I believe that one little high quality UV filter impacts the color and quality of my photos. Certainly the wrong white balance will impact it much more in my opinion. So, go with whatever makes you feel better about protecting your investment. There are many other factors that will impact the quality of your photos than having a UV filter on your lens.

Nice shot, keep on shooting! And don't be afraid to,delete the bad shots either.

Thee are certainly factors besides all the possible issues with the camera and lenses. Just think about what heat waves coming off a hot blacktop road can do to distort the long distance view on a hot sunny Sumer day too.

Consider a 1D Mark III in good condition. You can find average ones for less than $1,000 and very nice ones for a couple hundred dollars above that. Rugged, fast focus, 10 FPS, large buffer and fast write capability.

1.3 crop and uses only EF lenses.

7D if you have many EFS lenses and want to shoot sports. If you didn't have the EFS lenses I would say take a look at the 1D Mark III . That's what I ended up getting recently. But it also only uses EF lenses.

Keep in mind that IS is not always an advantage for shooting sports. So you could save some money by getting a 70-200 without IS...unless you need the IS for other shooting you are planning to do with the lens.

The Canon 400mm prime would be another possible outdoor sports lens at a new price of about $1350, used less of course. It is a little slower lens but gets you into the action and has very good reviews.

I recently was compelled to replace my original 10-12 year old Rebel as it finally died. I looked at the 70d, 7D, 1D Mark III, and the Nikon D7100. For the kind of shooting I do I ended up going with an excellent condition used 1D Mark III and I love it. A few years ago this was a $6,000 body and I got one for less than 1/4 that amount. So, understand what features you want and need in a camera and understand that good used higher end cameras can be reach.

As for lenses I had a cheap Canon 75-300 which works on the 1D Mark III and my daughter has the Canon 40mm Pancake which also works on it. It is also a great lens for the small money and comes out to a 52mm lens on the 1.3 crop 1D Mark III. That is another thing I like about the Mark III is it sort of nicely falls between the full frame and the 1.6 Canon crop cameras. The old EFS lens from the Rebel is basically a give or throw away in today's world IMHO.

I wanted to buy a higher quality lens to use with the Mark III. Looked at 50mm 1.4 and 1.8, but ended up going with the 85mm 1.8 as it is about 110mm equivalent on the Mark III. It is a very sharp and fast focusing lens that I can use for shooting portraits as well as drag racing and indoor volleyball. It is very good build quality too for a reasonable price. I'll add some more L lenses as time and funding allow. But for now I have jumped several magnitudes above the old Rebel which took some great photos too.

So, give some serious thought to what you want to shoot and what you want to keep from your current kit and what you want to get in the future and then go for it.

Canon T5i sounds about the best match to me also.

My friend is planning a November wedding for his daughter. Location of wedding is California. He said he was quoted $3000. Not sure what that includes but maybe it is a data point for you anyway....

I'll add " if you are lucky"!!!!

There are several videos on YouTube comparing the 3 Canon 50mm lenses and some comparing the canon to other 3rd party brands too... Worth an hour to view some of them in my view to get some other viewpoints too. After that I was in part pushed to investigating the 85mm as an option too.

Good lenses well cared for will retain a large part of their value even if you decided to change brands somewhere down the road. Buy the best glass that you can afford and treat it with care and it will serve you well through multiple bodies, FF or Crop sensor.

I looked at both the 50 1.8 and 1.4 lenses. Ended up going with the Canon 85mm 1.8 which gives me a 110mm equivalent on my 1.3 crop sensor camera. Great for portraits and gives a bit more reach for candid photos and even some close up sports shots. Better build quality than the 50mm 1.8.

Part of my decision was also that my daughter has the 40mm pancake which is a 52 on my camera. That is a great lens for the $150-$200 price tag too. Very sharp, not as high of overall build quality as the 50mm 1.4 or the 85mm 1.8. Still a fun and very sharp lens for the money too!

Well worth the money in my opinion unless you already have a fast lens that covers the 40mm focal length. Then it might just be duplication of an option you have.

Congratulations!
You will love the new lens and what you can do with it!

My daughter has one she uses on her Canon T3i and I will be using it on my recently acquired 1D Mark III where it will look like I have a camera cover or no lens at all. It works out to a 52mm equivalent on the 1D Mark III and a 64mm on the T3i.

It would work fine for sports if you can get in close to shoot, but isn't going to reach very far. It is a very sharp lens for the money especially at the edges. For the money it is worth having in your bag in my opinion.

I recently purchased a 85mm 1.8 to rather than the 50mm 1.4 to shoot portraits, volleyball and up close drag racing until I can afford the 70-200 in a few months. This is a 110mm equivalent on my 1D and 135mm on the T3i so it gets into the sports a little more than the 50mm or 40mm. It is also very sharp and fast focusing and better built than the 40mm or the 50mm 1.4.

Good luck with your decision.