What photo gear is in my studio and why did I choose it?

My photo gear is critical to producing the quality of photograph I desire.  Unlike many of the high-end pros in this field, I cannot afford the top of the line products and certainly not have a stock of spares standing by in case something malfunctions.  Therefore my equipment buying decisions are based on acquiring quality gear that will give the result I want that are proven reliable and at a price point the average photographer can afford.   I always welcome comments and discussions in this area.  That’s how we learn from each other.   Here is a list of all the photo gear in my studio.  Beside just showing a simple list of my photographic equipment, in many cases I have written a short review and/or a discussion of why I chose that particular item and the thought process supporting my decision.  Also, when available, I’ll include a link to the manufacture’s website and/or a shopping site, such as Amazon.com, where the reader can see more product specifications as well as other’s reviews of the item.  If I see a good video testing the product on YouTube I’ll attach that as well.   Click on any item below that has a hyperlink for the additional info I talked about.  I’ll even try to post a photo of the item, although trying to take a picture of my camera presents a challenge.

 Cameras and Lenses

• Nikon D90 12.3 megapixel DX-format DSLR
• Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8 SP XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) with Built-In AF Motor for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
• Nikon 50mm f/1.8G AF-S NIKKOR Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
• Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
• Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR [Vibration Reduction] Nikkor Zoom Lens
• 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens

Lighting

• 2-Alien Bees B800 Monolight Strobes
• 5-Alien Bees B400 Monolight Strobes
• Alien Bees ABR800 Ring Flash
• Various slave strobes as background and accent lights

Light Modifiers

• Pro Studio Solutions EZ-Pro Beauty Dish Octagon Softbox soft box Octbox, 60″ with Speedring Speed ring for Alien Bees Strobe Light
• Fotodiox Pro Strip Box softbox 12″x80″ soft box with Speedring speed ring and Eggcrate (2x2x1.5″ Grid) for Alien Bees Strobe Light
• Pro Studio Solutions EZ Pro Beauty Dish Strip Box softbox 12″x56″ soft box with Speedring speed ring insert for Alien Bees  Strobe Light
• Fotodiox Pro Octagon Softbox soft box Octbox, 36″ with Speedring Speed ring for Alien Bees Strobe Light
• ePhoto 22″ Large Photography Studio Beauty Dish with Honeycomb Grid and diffusion sock for Alien Bees
• Numerous 5°, 10° and 20° grids for accent lighting

Tripods and Accessories

Stands and Accessories

Backgrounds

Other

• Sekonic L-358 Flash Master Light Meter
• Lastolite LL LB8867 6 x 7 Feet Hilite Background

Editing and post-processing

Hardware

• Intel Core I7 2600K Sandy Bridge based computer with 16 gigabyte RAM
• Intel 320 Series 120 GB Solid State Disk with 64 GB dedicated as cache for the hard drives using Intel Smart Response Technology
• 2-1 TB SATA II  hard drives configured as RAID 1
• Dell UltraSharp 2501 25″ Monitor primary editing monitor
• Various ASUS/Hyundai 23″ Monitors as secondary displays
• Pantone Huey Pro Color Calibration

Software

• Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit OS
• Adobe Lightroom 3.6 workflow and editing software
• Adobe Photoshop Elements 9
• X-Rite ColorCheckport Passport