Products will not bring you joy

The tricky thing is this: there are certainly certain products in life which make our lives much more convenient, efficient, and productive. But this is what I learned: no matter how good or perfect the product is, it will never bring you joy. At best, you won’t hate it.

However this is a plus one to Wabi Sabi aesthetics. Things that become more beautiful overtime, with more wear and tear. For example Henri camera straps, which are made out of leather, which age in patina over time, and become more beautiful. And this is what you can have pride in, the more you use some thing, the more pride you have in it.

Therefore when it comes to purchasing products in life think this: invest in products which get better over time, avoid that which is simply robust or gets worse over time.

EQUIPMENT by KIM

EQUIPMENT by KIM

There is no “perfect” camera. Don’t fall into GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) and falsely believe that buying a new camera will make you a better photographer.

If you’re not feeling inspired in your photography, I recommend you to buy books, not gear. Also check out these 75+ Inspirational Photo Books You Gotta Buy. You can also download my free books.

Equipment Articles >

HENRI NECK STRAP
  1. DARK GEAR.
  2. EVEN THOUGH WE GET THE BEST, WE’RE STILL NOT SATISFIED.
  3. HARDWARE IS THE FUTURE.
  4. iPad Pro over iPhone Pro
  5. Is Leica Overrated?
  6. Fujifilm X-PRO 3 over Leica M10
  7. Equipment Creep
  8. Once You Got Perfect, Then What?
  9. WHY I LOVE RICOH GR III
  10. One-Handed Photography
  11. Why Rangefinders Are Overrated
  12. WHY YOU MUST BUY RICOH GR III
  13. The Best Equipment is The Equipment You Already Have
  14. The Best Camera is the One You Shoot with the Most
  15. Why RICOH GR III is the Best Camera
  16. Use and Abuse Your Gear!
  17. RICOH is the new LEICA
  18. In Praise of Banging around Your Camera
  19. Electric Cameras
  20. Why the RICOH GR III is Better than the Leica Q2
  21. Buy a new Ricoh GR III, not a New iPhone
  22. The Best Headphones are In-Ear Monitors
  23. Are Point-and-Shoot Cameras the Best Cameras?
  24. Gear Adaptation Syndrome
  25. Satisfice
  26. What is the Benefit of “Standalone” Digital Cameras?
  27. All Cameras are Good Cameras
  28. Why The Future of Photography is Software
  29. RICOH MAFIA
  30. Use and Abuse Your Gear!
  31. Why RICOH GR II is the Best Street Photography Camera
  32. The Best Photography/Vlogging Equipment Setup
  33. My Favorite Travel Street Photography Equipment
  34. Zen Body-Hand-Mind Connection with the Camera
  35. Why It Doesn’t Matter What Camera You Shoot With
  36. What is the Best Camera and Lenses for Street Photography?
  37. The Best Travel Street Photography Equipment 2018
  38. 6 Lessons I’ve Learned After Shooting All the Expensive Cameras
  39. How to Make Good Photos on a Shitty Camera
  40. Why I Shoot With One Camera and One Lens
  41. My Travel Equipment, Winter 2017
  42. What is the Perfect Camera For You?
  43. What to Consider When Buying a Camera

Digital Medium Format Photography

Smartphone Photography >

Film Photography 101 >


My favorite camera: RICOH GR III

Currently my favorite camera is the RICOH GR III:


Best Equipment by ERIC KIM

This is a list of my personal favorite equipment in photography, computers, and life:

Of course, this list probably won’t apply to you — but this is advice I would give myself (if I needed to buy stuff):


Film cameras

If you’re new to shooting film, pick up a copy of FILM NOTES.

eric kim melbourne benjamin thompson
Portrait by Benjamin Thompson // Leica MP + Henri Neck Strap + SF 24D flash + Leica 35mm f/2 Summicron ASPH lens

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

Hasselblad 500-series

Best black and white film

Kodak Tri-X 400 (pushed to 1600): $5

Best color film

Kodak Portra 400: $8.50

Best film scanner

For medium-format/35mm: Epson v800: $800

For 35mm: Plustek OpticFilm 8100: $270


Camera accessories

eric kim street photography gfx fujifilm medium format digital-7340

Best camera shoulder bag

SAIGON SATCHEL

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

MagnumPhotos.com

Best photography news blog

PetaPixel.com

Best photography software

Adobe Lightroom

Best video editing software

iMovie (free) or Final Cut Pro X ($300)


Books

See all my free books.

Best educational photography book

Magnum Contact Sheets

Best black-and-white photography art book

“Exiles” by Josef Koudelka

Best color photography art book

“The Suffering of Light” by Alex Webb

Best photography handbook

Street Notes

Best philosophy book

On the Shortness of Life – Seneca ($8) // 10 Lessons Seneca Has Taught Me.


Best digital tools

Best laptop

Maxed-out 13” MacBook Pro (Refurbished)

Best phone

The smallest iPhone available (currently iPhone Mini)


Best Mac Apps

Best writing app

IA Writer (for writing)

Best screen recorder

Camtasia

Best image resizer

JPEGmini Pro


Audio

eric kim hanoi street photography-0012663

Best earbuds

In-ear monitors


Apparel

Cindy Project Monochrome-3

Best underwear

ExOfficio Men Boxer Brief (black): $26

Best T-shirt

Outlier NYC Merino Wool T-Shirt

Best socks

Outlier NYC Black Merino Wool Socks

Best pants

Merino Wool Leggings (black)

Best glasses

LINDBERG – Titanium


Finance

eric kim street photography x100f fujifilm-7232

Best bank

Chase


Best entrepreneurial tools

Best blogging platform

WordPress.org + Genesis theme


Best paid online services

eric kim street photography gfx fujifilm medium format digital-7360

Best cloud storage

Dropbox (Pro)


Diet & Nutrition

Food

Intermittent fasting — with one big meal a day (only dinner)

Workout

Deadlifts (one rep max) + squats + dumbbell press + 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