What I use

I admit I have a soft spot for lists like these. Discovering the choices of others to gain from real life feedback, in order to avoid buying or using crap. Here's my little contribution that I'll update from time to time.

💻 Sofware

Apps I use most regularly. Note that I have a MacBook Pro M3 Pro so, this list is valid for MacOS. If I ever tinker a new Gnu/Linux computer, I'll update this page (I'm a former Arch Linux user and I really miss it sometimes).

• DaVinci Resolve: My Swiss-army knife for numerous works. It's not flawless but still pretty powerful. And I'm really glad that the Studio version is still a one-time purchase. On set, I also tend to use DayLight, the DIT software from FilmLight, based on Baselight.
• Capture One: My go-to photography app. Originally, I started with RawTherapee then Lightroom. I also tried DxO... But Capture One is totally fine by me.
• Affinity Suite: I often need vector graphics software or DTP software. Affinity's suite is pretty sweet even though I really don't like the fact that Canva bought it. I still use their old version... Sometimes, I still turn to InDesign for bigger projects but it's very expensive and I'm not the biggest fan of Adobe products.
• Obsidian: Digital notes... A deep rabbit hole for me. I've spent countless hours figuring how to manage that. I mainly use Obsidian with the "Canvas" function, to create maps of pictures I use as reference. Other than that, I try to centralise my various texts in this software but it keeps bugging me as I find it kinda slow.
• Org-mode: I'm a poor Emacs user but I do use org-mode to manage my tasks. And I'm taking notes on the go inside the same files.

🔧 Other apps

• NetNewsWire: My RSS reader.
• Antidote: To correct my spelling, to find synonyms.
• DCP-o-Matic: My go-to software to make DCPs.
• IINA: The best MacOS video player.
• Silverstack: The reference for checksum verified copy of video footage.
• ImageOptim: The best tool to reduce the size of a picture.
• SoftRaid: For managing the RAID volumes on my work tower (an OWC Thunderbay). I would've preferred an open-source option, though.

📱 On my phone

I try to limit the number of apps I install on my smartphone (an iPhone 16e) but here's my list:

• Obsidian: For the same reasons as on a computer.
• YNAB: I use it to manage my billions of dollars.
• Ice Cubes: To hang out, rarely, on Mastodon.
• Hackers: My HackerNews client.
• iGeneration: One of my favourite tech magazines.
• NetNewsWire: My RSS client.
• Affluences: To check if a place is currently crowded.
• Sun Surveyor: To anticipate the sun position in the sky.
• Cadrage: I use it rarely but it's practical to have a viewfinder in the pocket sometimes.
• Itsi: Quite specific. I use it to manage my timesheets when I'm working.
• Bitwarden: My password safe.
• Just Run: A very simple jogging app.
• The usual bank, news, and transport apps, and stock ones for the rest.
• Oh. And Instagram. This awful soul-eating social network I try to use less and less. Still kinda need it to publish my work sometimes though...

🎶 Music

I listen to music on a daily basis but I don't have specific gears. I'd love to get some big HiFi speakers and a large collection of discs... For now on, I don't have neither the money nor the space. I just have my Qobuz subscription and these two things:

• AirPods Pro 3: I tried to avoid them for so long... I was a headphones advocate but they aren't exactly handy. I finally cracked, bought myself a pair of AirPods. I must say that they are pretty cool.
• Sony MDR-7506: The best headset I've ever had. It sounds great, it's inexpensive. I love it. A long time ago, I used to have a Shure SRH-440. It was pretty good but it died eventually... I also had a Grado SR125i. Mesmerizing sound experience but a very cheap build...

📷 Photography

I love a small camera. Easy to pack when I'm away!

• Fujifilm X100V: Some years ago, I bought a XPro-3. It was a great present to myself but still a bit bulk for me. I kept it for 2 years and eventually sold it to buy a used X100V. I also got the telephoto add-on lens — TCL X100-II. Perfect combo.
• Sigma DP2 Merrill: It's something else... I love its picture quality, thanks to the absence of Bayer's matrix. But this Sigma can be so frustrating. Still, I've been using it for over a decade.

⛰️ Hiking

I love to hike! It's not like I'm away every weekend though, so I haven't invested in high-end gear. I've always tried to find the best balance of quality, weight, and price in my purchases.

• Ferrino Nemesi 2 tent: 2.2kg. Not that expensive, pretty light. I had my doubts about the waterproofing but a night of non-stop rain in Canada chased these thoughts!
• Sac Forclaz 50+10L backpack: 1.7kg. I bought it years ago and didn't put much thought into it. I just needed a bag. It turns out that one from Decathlon is quite handy and robust.
• Millet 0° sleeping bag: 550g. Perfect.
• Sea-to-summit mattress: 550g. It does the trick.
• Alpin Loacker walking poles: 500g. I bought a pair just before the West Highland Way. My life has changed ever since.
• 3-to-1 Patagonia jacket: 491g + 650g (removable linning). Very expensive. Luckily, I had bought it second-hand. Nonetheless, it's great!
• Lowa Renegade GTX Mid shoes: 1.20kg. I bought them before leaving for Canada because my latest pair of Meindl were destroyed. It's perfect.