Dell is running a special on Kingston elite CF cards, 2gb for $65. Has anyone heard of any quality complaints on the Kingston Elite cards?

Also, I have a friend who runs B+W UV filters. Although his lenses are considerably better than mine, I noticed that a lot of my colors were washed out compared to his under similar conditions. I am running a lower end Hoya. Does the filter make that big of a difference, or is it the glass?

Kingston cards are very good.

As for the filters - better filters like B+W, especially multicoated ones perform a little better, but the difference shouldn't be very obvious. They do introduce less flare in difficult lighting situations.

The color/contrast difference you are seeing is more likely due to the lenses you are using and/or shooting conditions and processing