Ah... Here we go, another never-ending "personal taste" thread.
You say mic's so you're not just looking for board patches.
Do you want to "stealth"? Since you're a professed newbie - I'll throw in that stealthing is the art of taping un-noticed, which obviously requires smaller gear as a choice.
Budget is also a consideration. I'd suggest you continue patching for awhile, and see what you like. Start out with used gear.
My personal preferences:
Pre-A/D: I chose the V3, due the to V2's reputation as a clean, transparant, low noise pre. I also liked the ability to go up to 192/24. But the thing I liked the MOST, was the LED Meters. If the Apogee Mini-Me had as good a metering setup, I would have went with that.
Mikes: Money was no object, nor was size. I went with the Nuemann TLM-170's, because
1 - I prefer the sound of Large Plate Diaphram microphones.
2 - The switchable polar patterns (omni-subcard-card-hyper-fig8) make the mic extremely versatile - like having 5 mics in one.
3 - Having run out of them before, I knew what to expect from them sound-wise.
You'll find as many personal preferences, as there are members here. Check out torrents and sample downloads from source rigs that interest you, then make a decision, based on your goals and budget.
YOUR EAR is the only one you have to really please. Trust it, go for it.
Rick