I’m a believer that it’s not the gear that makes the photographer. That said, having better tools doesn’t hurt. This is why I traded my trusty Canon EOS 350D (aka Digital Rebel XT) in for an EOS 7D (aka awesome). The video capability and 8fps stills were a couple major deciding factor along with weather sealing … ok, there were many factors. To those starting out, the Rebel XT and its predecessors are excellent tools.
Philosophical disclaimer aside, I will not be listing my current equipment as it can be seen in the EXIF data for each photo. If you really want to know how I made a photo shoot me an email as I’m more than happy to be an active contributor to other photographer’s learning the art.
And for those doing research on equipment I recommend these websites for reviews and testing data:
1) www.dpreview.com
2) www.the-digital-picture.com/
3) reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/