Hey man. Got lots of advice for you. First off - the filter thing. A polarizer work amazing , you'll love it. Darkens blues and reduces reflections like magic. Also for the uv filter - it's a must. You'll hit yourself for not having one on when you scratch the front element of the lens. Also when cleaning the lens, use a real lens cleaning kit, with cloth. Don't buy a lens pen. As far as price goes - since the lens you got isn't pro quality, you don't need to spend 75 bucks on a polarizer or 50 bucks on a uv. Buy a mid range filter, not a house brand and also use your lens shade - it adds a little more protection from being scratched. Keep your camera manual in the bathroom for a month - that way you'll read it several times over. Don't spend the extra money on 1 gig or 2 gig cards, 512's are fine, buy a couple if you shot lots. After deleting photos from your card (once they're uploaded on your computer and burned on a backup cd) reformat your card each time (in camera). If you buy another lens, when changing lenses, hold your camera face down, this way dust is less likely to fall on the sensor. Having a dirty sensor is a B+@#H, and even more of a pain in A$$ to clean. Play around with your perameters (found in menu) this will let you fine tune and customize your camera even more)(sharpness, contrast, saturation, ect). Experiment with RAW files when you get the chance. Just remember to switch the quality back to normal when you don't need it. (the files are huge).
Here's another tip that might surprise you. Don't print at home. Sure it's convenient, but better quality, and less money spent if you take it to a lab.
Always shoot on the highest quality, you can always resize after the fact, not vice versa. This also allows the aspect ratio of your images to remain the same as the aspect ratio of your lab prints - 8x12, 4x6 ect. If you shoot medium res, like most cheap didgis, the aspect ratio is more of a square then a rectangle. Take full advantage of your sensor size. Also when storing your camera in your bag, keep the lens on. And don't forget to fill in your warrentee cards.
One last tip. Buy backup batteries, just not Canon. The cost is rediculous, and you can get better ones for $20.00 for two from an ebay store. Believe me one this one, here in Canada bp-511's cost over 100 bucks each. If you have any more questions feel free to pm.
Good luck and have fun
