Equipment

I'm often emailed about what equipment I use.

This page is intended as a catch-all response.

Please don't be offended if you emailed and I just sent you this link. And see some caveats at the bottom of the page.

DESKTOP

1. iMac
27-inch late-2013 (I had to actually look this up).

2. MacBook Pro
Retina 15-inch late-2013 (I had to look this up too).

3. Some crappy Dell laptop
Don't even ask - it is used on another desk to do grunt work processing high-speed camera files and running old software.

4. Wacom Tablet
Could not live without this - I use it for editing, Photoshopping and, most of the time, even just as my mouse.

5. Big Lacie Drive
I think this is 20TB - there are other ones not even in the photo, hidden under the desk.

6. Another Big Lacie Drive
This one in a puny 4TB.

7. USB Hub
Not pretty, but necessary. And powered.

8. Lots of SD cards
Of course. Usually as big and high quality as possible... Buy nice or buy twice!

9. Cool little USB Drive
This goes on my keyring - it is so useful for transferring files. Seriously, buy one.

10. Countless portable hard-drives
I must have over a dozen, mainly for editing on the road and back-ups. main ones I use are Lacie, WD and Samsung. I like the durable Lacie Ruggeds best, but they cost more and the USB cable option is often more reliable than Thunderbolt.

11. Portable Wacom tablet
After years editing on the road with my trackpad, I finally got this for hotel room desks!

12. Yeti Blue Microphone
For the podcast and voice-overs.

13. Pop shield and soundproofing
Got this shield and some soundproofing to keep CGP Grey happy!

14. Calculator
This was bought for a jokey Numberphile unboxing video, but a big calculator with huge buttons is so much more useful than anything on my computer or phone.

15. Four-colour pen
Essential when I was at school and still super useful! Great nostalgia value.

16. A Lamp
Let there be light.

17. Rubik's Cube
I sometimes put this in ebay photos "for scale", but really I include it in photos and videos because nerds go crazy when they see unsolved cubes (I can't solve them!)

18. Periodic Table mousemat
Actually useful, but this one does not have element names so I sometimes turn my head 180-degrees and use the huge one on my wall - just to be sure.

Software is obviously too numerous to mention, but I edit on Avid Media Composer and use Photoshop all the time!

CAMERA KIT

1. Canon C100 Camera
This is my workhorse camera (replacing an old Sony Z7 I used for a long time). The Z7 was actually nicer to use, but this one lets me use all my Canon lenses. The main lens I use is 24-105mm. And I have a Sennheiser shotgun mike attached so the sound I capture is of the best quality.

2. Various Canon lenses
See below.

3. GoPro cameras
I have an old one and newer GoPro3.

4. Rotating GoPro mount (timelapse)
Nice little toy this.

5. Mini Tripod
Handy for the GoPros and also the LED lights.

6. GoPro Jaw Arm
Also handy in the chemistry labs when putting the GoPro in odd places.

7. Carbon Fibre Tripod
I have a bigger fancier one (by Manfrotto) but this little Sirui is just so light and handy for carrying around (and on planes). 

8. LED lights
Sometimes you just need a bit more light. Also handy for high-speed stuff.

9. Canon 650D DSLR
A handy second video camera - but also my camera for stills!

10. Intervalometer/Remote
Just cool for taking pictures of stars and stuff.

11. Sennheiser radio microphone
Essential. The sound of the interviewee is key to everything.

12. Phantom Miro LC110
The high speed camera. Expensive.

LENSES

1. Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM
High quality L lens and main workhorse on my C100.

2. Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II SLR
Kind of crummy lens that came with my DSLR, yet I still use it loads for photos?!

3. Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
Great for the wide angle stuff.

4. Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom (with a 1.4x extender)
New addition. Am loving it so far!

5. Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
For super close-ups.

6. Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
Great lens, though I use it almost exclusively on the high-speed camera or for arty stills.

BAGS AND PACKING

I am often changing how I pack and what bags I use... And exact matches are hard to find online. But here goes.

1. Portabrace over the shoulder
This was my main bag for years but became a shade too small. I still get it out for some foreign trips because it is may favourite.

2. Portabrace Backpack
This bigger bag has became my main bag for the C100 and associated stuff.

3. Pelican Case
Hard case for some valuable camera stuff. Quite heavy though.

4. Portbrace Padded Bags
May main bag is full of various padded sacks to stop stuff bouncing around and getting hurt!

5. Small GoPro Case
Recent case I bought as my little "GoPro grab-and-go kit"

6. Soft partition case for lenses
A recent addition to my main bag. Handy.

7. North Face Backpack
Because I always need just one more bag

8. Manfrotto Tripod
So heavy and bulky I rarely take it out of the house. Prefer the little Sirui but sometimes you need a bigger, badder tripod!

CAVEAT

I do not claim any expertise or knowledge in these technical areas. I am merely "showing what I use" because I am often asked.

Please do not feel the need to suggest alternatives or ask for more details.

I have also not included everything on the page. Just what I had to hand.

Finally, I have linked to Amazon Associates links. If you do buy something on this page with the supplied link, I might get a dollar or two towards my next lens!

Where possible I've linked to the exact or nearest match to what I use, but this was not always possible.