Last updated: 2023-05-31.
Phone
Currently on the Honor CMA-LX3 (also known as the X7). Before leaving for my last trip, I dropped my Moto G9 Play which meant I had to buy whatever I could at the terminal. I bought one of the cheapest options at the time and I haven’t had any problems with it so far. I still adhere to the “buy cheap phones” philosophy:
I tend to go for the cheapest phone that meets my needs and my reasoning is that the smartphones are the most abused things in our daily lives: they get dropped, they’re always on and constantly being charged/discharged, we might leave them in the sun at the beach or in the car and therefore I can’t justify paying too much for a device that I know I’ll be replacing in 3 years or less.
Computer
I recently (April 13 2023) built an entirely new PC. It was quite an expensive build for what would be considered “mid-range” specs. However, my previous build was mid-range as well and it lasted me around six years, so I don’t see a need to upgrade this thing for a long time.
I don’t do heavy work nor play games on the laptop, that’s why I’m still using a Dell 7359 from 2016. I’d love me some Thinkpad X1 but considering how little I use the laptop, that would be a waste of money. There’s also a MacBook laying around somewhere but I use that thing even less.
Headphones
Been using the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x everyday since 2018. The pads have been changed twice and need replacing again, the headband is all worn out but has been covered with kinesiology tape. What matters is that they still sound great.
Most devices can run them without much effort, as these are 38 ohms, but I also got myself a FiiO E10K USB DAC which is small, sounds great and is one of the best bang for the buck DAC options when it comes to computer audio for mere mortals like you and me.
Cameras
Everyone will tell you that, in photography, gear doesn’t matter. Yet, the same people won’t stop talking about gear.
Camera bodies
Most of the time I rely on the Canon EOS 70D which, despite of the rain, heat, cold and a few bumps now and then, still works as it did on day 1. Well, except for hot-pixels becoming more of a thing during long exposures or stacks.
When I don’t feel like bringing a DLSR either because of weight, or risk or just because it would be socially inappropriate, I rely on the Canon G7X II. It can do much of what the 70D does, but this one you can throw on your jacket’s pocket.
I also got myself my first action camera, a GoPro 11. While very useful, the performance at night/low-light is quite disappointing for the price.
Then there’s the Canon EOS M50 which, while not a bad camera, left me kinda disappointed. If I had a chance to go back in time I wouldn’t buy it. Not saying it’s bad, it would fit nicely between the G7X and the 70D, if I had some EF-M glass other than the included 15-45mm. I should get myself the 18-150mm on EF-M, that would make it a good & lightweight travel/general-purpose combo.
Finally, I still have the Canon EOS 500D but I don’t use it anymore. I’d rather keep in than selling considering how little value it has. Older cameras would be my old Fujifilm point-and-shoots (FinePix A345 and S5600) but they broke a long time ago.
Camera lenses
Speaking of cameras, lenses are everything. Most of the time I’m using one of the following:
- Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, at 10mm this is wide enough even for APS-C crop cameras while 22mm is just long enough to save me from a lens change.
- Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM, if was forced to have a one lens only, this one would be it. With apertures this wide and image stabilization, you can get stay relatively low on the ISO while hand-holding the camera. Stop that aperture down to something like f/7.1 and the sharpness will blow you away.
There’s also some other lenses that I won’t get much into because I very rarely use them. One is the “cheap” EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM which is “ok” if you stay under 150mm or so, turns into garbage past 200mm. Another one is the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM which is overrated IMHO. Yeah I get that’s the cheapest lens, and crazy wide aperture, but on a crop camera I find 50mm to a kind of awkward focal length, this lens probably makes more sense on a full frame.