This is exactly my current setup, and thus represents my only major complaint about the otherwise robust MacBook Pro. I use a G4 PowerBook with FW800 and SATA external drives (via a CardBus card) for storing and editing and backing up thousands of digital images. Both FW800 and SATA are very fast, noticeably more responsive than FW400 for almost every kind of task. And USB 2.0 in my experience is less than half the speed of FW400.
Unless someone creates a new 34mm expansion card with both FW800 and eSATA on it, I would have several very fast external drives/enclosures that I couldn't use (yes, I know I could dumb the FW800 drives down to the FW400 bus). There must be many other professional users with similar needs. I hope another MacBook Pro will have better external drive options.
BTW, I don't do any digital video work, but I have come to rely on FW800.
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Unless someone creates a new 34mm expansion card with both FW800 and eSATA on it, I would have several very fast external drives/enclosures that I couldn't use (yes, I know I could dumb the FW800 drives down to the FW400 bus). There must be many other professional users with similar needs. I hope another MacBook Pro will have better external drive options.
BTW, I don't do any digital video work, but I have come to rely on FW800.