This is all the stuff I use to do what I do. I’ll keep this page updated as my experiences and recommendations change.

Note that the items listed below contain affiliate links. This means that I’ll make some sort of small commission if you make a purchase through these links, but that’s at no additional cost to you. Every item here is one that I personally use and have experience with, and any purchases made help support CameraSim (thank you!).

Gear

Canon EOS Rebel T3i
My last 3 cameras have been Canon digital Rebels (and I had a film Rebel before that). I upgraded to the T3i just a few months ago specifically because it shoots HD video, which is something I needed to create the video elements of my camera sims. I love this camera. I wasn’t sure about the flip-out LCD screen at first, but it does allow an extra amount of flexibility in how you shoot (like weird angles, tight spaces – stuff like that).

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens
This lens will change your life. Yes, I know that sounds dramatic, but I love it that much. Note that this is a fixed focal length, which means you need to get off your butt and move around to compose a shot because you can’t zoom in and out with this thing. However, the f/1.8 aperture will knock your socks off. This lens is pretty inexpensive and I believe every DSLR owner should have one. There, I’ve said it.

Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 telephoto lens
Quite frankly, this is a cheap lens and it shows. At f/4-5.6, it’s pokey slow, and I’ve lost count of how many disappointing shots I’ve taken with it. So why am I including it here? Because I still use it despite its flaws. If you’ve got money to spend on a faster telephoto lens, do it (I will at some point, but I’ve been saying that for years). Otherwise, having a cheap-ish telephoto lens is certainly better than not having one at all.

Adobe Lightroom 3
Lightroom is such an essential part of my photography workflow, it’s hard to even think about shooting photos without also thinking of Lightroom. I started using Lightroom because it makes color correcting and cropping so dirt-simple, but it’s also an amazing tool for cataloging, tagging and organizing my photos. Lightroom is awesome. Love it. Love. It.

Adobe Photoshop CS5
As a designer I’ve used Photoshop all of my professional life, and it is still my program of choice for open-heart surgery on an image. It’s simply the most powerful image editor on the planet. Anyone who tells you otherwise was raised by wolves. (I’ve played around with Adobe’s way-less-expensive Photoshop Elements, and it’s surprisingly good.)