Camera Equipment:

The first good camera I bought was a Minolta XG7.  It was so long ago I can't really remember why.  It probably had something to do with Nikon being more expensive to get the same features.  (I don't think Canon was even a minor contender back then.  I don't remember looking at them in any case.)

I have stayed with Minolta since then.  I am now using the Minolta 7D.  I did not think I would like digital.  I would not be able to choose different films to get different colors.  Boy was I wrong.  I have not shot my film camera since I got the digital one.

Online I buy equipment from 2 companies.  These are also the companies that get the most recommendations in the photo newsgroups.

B&H  -  Adorama

Computer Equipment:

I am on my third Gateway Computer.  I find they are usually the lowest price for the most computer/software package.  Although Dell was a very close contender in the last round of buying.

With the exception of the computer itself I get 90% of my computer equipment and software from Buy.com.

I use Photoshop CS 2 for my photo editing.  It is a great  program but rather expensive.  I got a lite edition with a flatbed scanner and upgraded from there.  I would recommend Photoshop Elements for those who can't afford Photoshop.

I use FrontPage 2003 to create my web pages.  I downloaded a multitude of demo programs to try and FrontPage fitted my needs the best.  (You don't know how much it pains me to say that.  In general I am not a fan of Microsoft.  I hate Windows with a passion and would go back to DOS in a heartbeat if I could get the selection of software that is available for Windows.  No I haven't tried any of the other operating systems out there.  There just isn't enough software written for them, especially games.)

I am using the Epson Stylus Photo R1800 printer and it is fabulous. 

I currently use a Minolta Scan Multi with a slide feeder to scan my slides.  I started out with a Scan Dual (or is it Dual Scan, I can never remember).  The Scan Dual is great if you are not scanning in a multitude of slides.