Brandon, I am shooting a Canon 40D and due to upgrade to the 50D. The lens is a Sigma 10-22mm and shoots a magnificent pic. also have UV and polar filter. this camera has seen a lot of salt water, sand and been dropped repeatedly and somehow still works a treat. although I am wanting to get into underwater photography I am going to Purchase a Lumix ($400) and is 12megapixels.
As for the 40D as big as it is, I have a special bag I got in from Singapore that carries everything in it I need.
It is hard photographing and fishing which is why these days i spend more time taking photo's. Most people don't know how to use camera's correctly which is why i spend a lot of time doing so......to get the right shot.
So far, My 40d has over clocked itself and is up to about 15000 photo's. My last, a Canon 350d shot over 20,000 images before I upgraded........