Unfortunately most of the gear, gadgets and new technology I try out these days is usually disappointing in some way but just lately I've been fortunate and feel I have bought into some really good stuff, for once.
Here are my fave bits of kit at the moment:
Hasselblad H4D-50 - My new baby. 50 megapixels with fast and accurate true focus and solid Firewire 800 tethering. Unlimited bursts continuous shooting to card coupled with massive amounts of detail is fantastic. Lens corrections in Phocus software rock.
Macbook Pro 17 - Fast enough for location work. Great hi res antiglare screen, well made and looks beautiful.
Crucial SSD drive - Expensive but worth it for some, super quick, quiet and durable. The Macbook Pro flies with this installed.
Gitzo Systematic Tripod - Simply fantastic solid support for the Hasselblad. The best all round tripod I've used yet.
Really Right Stuff Ball Head - So sweet to use, solid as a rock and feels wonderfully precise and smooth. Made in the USA and built to last.
Canon 5D mkII - A great all round DSLR, good high ISO usability, HD video @24fps. Great add ons available for video etc and the compatible lens lineup is now massive.
Lightroom 3 Beta 2 - Awesome free software I now cannot do without - can't wait for when the full version comes out. A powerful tool and essential.
Photoshop CS5 - I only installed it yesterday but I'm already impressed with the upgrade. Great new tools and features plus 64 bit architecture. Bridge CS5 is so useful too.
HRT Music Streamer Plus - A bargain for hi fi nuts, USB Dac sounds seriously good, USB powered, version 2 out now, made in the USA.
Spotify Premium - Now upgraded to work with iTunes, great sound quality, shared playlists, simple sweet software that becomes part of your life. The Spotify iPhone app rocks too. Alas not available in the US - but you guys have Pandora.
iPhone - Of course! I only have the 3G but wait patiently for the new iPhone and OS 4 this Summer... lets hope the phone part works better this time.
IO-Play - Bluetooth hands free car kit that works really well with iphone. Good sound quality, easy to use, essential. Having Spotify working in the car is the nuts!