
This is a list of my personal favorite equipment in photography, computers, and life (as of 2017):
Of course, this list probably won’t apply to you — but this is advice I would give myself (if I needed to buy stuff):
Cameras

Digital cameras:
Best digital compact camera
Best 3-inch screen protector
For Ricoh GR II: Expert Shield 3” LCD protector ($14)
Best designed mirrorless camera
Olympus Pen F (silver): $1200 + Olympus 17mm f/1.8 Lens: $500 //my review
Best value mirrorless camera
Fujifilm XT-2 ($1600) + Fujinon XF23mmF2 WR Lens ($450)
Best value street photography camera
Best digital rangefinder
Leica M10 + Leica 35mm f/2 ASPH Lens
Best digital video camera
Sony A7S II ($2700) + Sony 35mm F2.8 Sonnar ($800)
Best SD card
Transcend 128 GB SD card UHS-3: $73
Best Digital SLR
Pentax K1 ($1800) + Pentax 31mm F/1.8 FA Limited Lens ($1,100)
Best wedding digital camera
Canon 5D Mark IV ($3500) + Canon 35mm f/1.4 II ($1700) + Canon Speedlite 600EX II-RT ($480)
Best fashion digital camera
Pentax Medium-format digital 645Z ($6500) + Pentax 55mm F2.8 AL ($960) // 7 Lessons I’ve Learned Shooting Fashion Photography For the First Time
Film cameras
If you’re new to shooting film, read the book: The Film Street Photography Manual.

Best film rangefinder
Leica MP + Leica 35mm f/2 Summicron Lens
Best affordable film rangefinder
Leica M6 + Voigtlander 35mm f/2.5 Lens
Best compact film camera
Contax T3
Best medium-format film camera
Fujifilm GF670 (discontinued, find on eBay)
Best black and white film
Kodak Tri-X 400 (pushed to 1600): $5
Best color film
Best film scanner
For medium-format/35mm: Epson v800: $800
For 35mm: Plustek OpticFilm 8100: $270
Camera accessories

Best camera shoulder bag
ThinkTank Retrospective 5 (pine): $150
Best camera backpack
Fits 13” Laptop and Camera: Thinktank Perception 15 (black): $120
Best photography neck strap
Best photography wrist strap
Best photography inspiration website
Best photography news blog
Best photography software
Adobe Lightroom
Best video editing software
iMovie (free) or Final Cut Pro X ($300)
Books
Best educational photography book
Best black-and-white photography art book
Best color photography art book
“The Suffering of Light” by Alex Webb
Best photography handbook
Best philosophy book
On the Shortness of Life – Seneca ($8) // 10 Lessons Seneca Has Taught Me.
Best digital tools
Best laptop
MacBook Pro 13” (2017, 3.3 GHZ, 16GB ram, 512GB HD): $2,500
Best value laptop
11” MacBook Air (used) — 2015 (maxed-out)
Best tablet
iPad 9.7 inch, 32gb, Space Grey ($330)
Best phone
iPhone 7 (matte black)
Best value phone
iPhone SE (cheapest model): $400
Best cheap phone
iPhone 5S (used)
Best android phone
Best value android phone
Best cheap android phone
Moto G Plus (5th Generation) – Lunar Gray – 32 GB – Unlocked (no ads): $230
Best Mac Apps
Best writing app
IA Writer (for writing) + Ulysses (for note-taking)
Best email
Default Apple mail
Best screen recorder
Camtasia 2
Best movie-playing app
VLC (free)
Best image resizer
JPEGmini Pro
Best notes app
Evernote
Audio
Best noise-cancelling headphones
Best noise-cancelling earbuds
Best earbuds
iPhone/Samsung default headphones
Transportation
Best car
Toyota Prius 2017 (Model ‘One’) in white: $23,000
Apparel
Best watch
Casio Men’s F108WH Illuminator Collection Black Resin Strap Digital Watch: $13
Best underwear
ExOfficio Men Boxer Brief (black): $26
ExOfficio Women Bikini Brief: $18
Best shirt
Uniqlo V-Neck Mesh (black): $12
Best socks
Best shoes
Nike Free Flyknight RN Motion (black/white) // my review
Best dress shirt
UNIQLO cotton button-up (black)
Best pants
UNIQLO jeans joggers (black)
Best glasses
Finance
Best bank / credit card (USA)
Chase / Chase Sapphire credit card
Connectivity
Best phone carrier (USA)
T-Mobile
Best entrepreneurial tools
Best blogging platform
WordPress.org + Genesis theme (I use the ‘Infinity Pro’ theme on this blog)
Best paid online services
Best cloud storage
Dropbox (Pro)
Best streaming music service
Spotify
Diet & Nutrition
Food
Intermittent fasting — with one big meal a day (only dinner)
Workout
Deadlifts (one rep max) + chin-ups + pushups
Conclusion

Of course this is just a list of stuff that work for me. It probably won’t work for you.
But I got inspired to make this list– because it took me about 10 years to figure out the best equipment for me. And this works for me, and I hope it can help simplify your purchasing decisions (at least in photography and some other details).
I’ll continue to do articles and videos related to equipment– because I do believe (up to a certain degree) having the ‘right’ equipment in life makes life easier. But the problem is falling victim to GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) where we are buying stuff for the sake of it (has happened to me).
If you already have a bunch of equipment that works for you– stick with it. But if you need some help, I hope this list helped you.
Always,
Eric
Equipment Articles >
- How to Make Good Photos on a Shitty Camera
- Why I Shoot With One Camera and One Lens
- My Travel Equipment, Winter 2017
- What is the Perfect Camera For You?
- What to Consider When Buying a Camera
Smartphone Photography >
- The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Smartphone Photography
- Benefits of Shooting Street Photography With a Smartphone
- In Street Photography, The Smaller the Camera, the Better