I understand that this is a big decision. You are going to invest a great deal of time getting to know whatever software you use for post-processing and organization. As a user of all the software being mentioned in the replies so far, I hope I can give you some encouragement.
First, you are right to go to RAW as you will have much more to work with in post-processing.
ACDSee is a much smaller operation than Adobe. Photoshop and Lightroom are the choice of most professionals and serious amateurs. Any simple and any sophisticated tool you can imagine will be available to you in the Adobe products.
ACDSee has consistently upgraded their product over the years. I currently use the Ultimate 10 version. Early versions were not all stable, but later versions have been very stable. New tools are added regularly. Training videos are excellent, especially for the new user. I was first drawn to the cataloging features (tagging, sorting, filing).
The ACDSee Ultimate 10 product does all I need for the type of photography and editing that I do. (Competitive amateur at the Masters level). Backup of photos and the catalog database is automatic and reliable.
Having used LR for organizing for my camera club and PS for special editing features, I personally found the system difficult to use. So many tools and options it is bewildering. The importing into LR and location of images in the filing system was not intuitive for me.
The ACDSee system maintains the original image while processing (developing) stays with the file in its original location. If you more the file, the edits stay with it. I have 35,000 images. Most are cataloged, many with multiple tags. Maybe 5% have been developed and edited. I can always re-develop as my skills improved. If I want to locate an image of a family member, visiting Cape Cod, at 10 years old I can click 3 boxes and up it comes. Love it.
Bottom line:
Either product will give you significant editing tools. ACDSee has a free trial. (not sure about Adobe). Both have significant on-line "community" support and training. You are about to make a big commitment, somewhat in money but mostly in time and mental energy. Try them before committing and see which makes the most sense to you. They are very different, so it is worth the effort.
I just saw that you are from Maryland, so DC is not really much of a great trip - and not what I would call adventurous.
How about the Virgin Islands. I loved St John's as it is the most verdant and protected (National Park). Lots of cool people, cool bars and restaurants. Mountains to hike. You can boat to any of the VI like Virgin Gorda to explore the caves or rent the boat and scuba or snorkel in a natural aquarium of sea life.
Check on the hurricane damage. Some islands got clipped.
DC. Cherry blossoms. Great weather. (Likely) Bunk o/s town in Falls Church or environs and take public transportation in. If you go non-school vacation week, even getting around by car is do-able. Travel early in the day and you can even get a parking spot along the Potomac near the National Maul.
I tried to raise something from the blown out area without success. HDR involves taking several images at different exposure settings. Although not an automatic process in your camera you could do it with a tripod and a tender resetting of the exposure in each subsequent photo. Software like Photomatix http://www.hdrsoft.com/ has a free trial you can give a try. For myself - I always shot in RAW format which leaves me with enough pixel information to salvage most blown out or dark areas.
You're going to love the L-series lens. Best investment I ever made. Now I'd rather put my money into a new lens than a new camera.
Fear not the 1600 ISO. Post processing noise reduction can easily handle any problems in those solid area of your images.
Enjoy that new lens.
All nice shots. IMHO you might experiment with a few of these ideas...
Sunset: try making it more of a panel by cropping off a little from the bottom - which adds nothing to the real drama of those incredible colors in the sky.
Flag: sleectively brighten the flag as that is your main subject. Not much you can do with the blown out sun but try not to lose that dramatic sky. I find myself wondering what is below i.e. I'm distracted by the obvious crop of the foreground.
Protrait: The most interesting of the photos. I'm not sure sepia improves it. I'd like to see it in a high contrast B&W perhaps a little dark just as a comparison. The subject looking down makes him look sad as well as reflective. Another alternative would be to look directly at the lens - that would make the look intense rather than sad.
You have received good advice on this forum so far regarding the degradation of jpeg photos so I won't repeat. This is a good excuse to upgade your camera and the sensor on the Canon T2i is very good although not "full size". You might also want to take a look at ACDSee processing and organizing software. (I use ADCSEE Photo Pro 3) It allows processing of RAW files as well as jpegs and others while automatically preserving the original. Wicked cool stuff.
This is a quality camera. It is considered "entry level" for digital SLRs but that doesn't mean that you will compromise on quality.
The kit is adding about $400 to the basic kit price of about $780. That is a big increase.
I was not impressed with the 75-300mm lens. Not crisp enough in full telephoto. The tele-extender adds to that proplem. Same your money for a L-series lens. Now that will make a difference in your photos.
Same general idea for the batteries, add-on flash, memory card and bag. Quality makes a difference. That is not what your getting in a kit.
While many of the items in your kit are things you may eventually want, you will find that buying quality once you have more experience will make for a much more satisfying experience.
Pass on the kit.
I live in fear of loosing my 13000 images. I have an external HDD that backs up daily. There is also another external HDD that I stow in the detached garage that I use about once a month. That one is in case there is ever a fire.
Consider an internal HD. They are cheap and very easy to install in newer PCs (like Windows XP or 7). That on backs up my whole system.
Now lest you think that I am just paranoid remember that hard drives fail. You can expect 3-5 years dpending on useage. Computers crash and files corrupt. There are just so many ways to lose your precious files that it is hard to be too cautious.
Hi Hogs,
Looks like an interesting forum. By way of introduction I am a amateur digital photogrpher living on Cape Cod, MA and traveling throughout the US and Canada. I've just achieved Masters Class in my local camera club.
Primarily a landscape photographer I am looking to expand my horizons and actually "shoot" some people.
I process and catelog with ACDSee Pro with occasional edits in Photoshop. Shoot Canon, and sometimes present with ProShow Gold.
Happy to be in the "Hedge".