Where our data comes from
Source types we accept
For an item to make it onto a creator's page, the model name has to appear in at least one of these source types, ordered roughly from strongest to weakest:
1. Creator's own channel or site
A setup video on their YouTube channel, a pinned video description, a kit list on their personal blog, a Shotkit / B&H byline article they wrote themselves. This is our preferred tier and most entries on the site come from here. Tagged confirmed.
2. Vendor / brand platform article they appear in
Pieces like Sony Alpha Universe's "What's In My Bag" series or Nikon's creator interviews. The creator is the subject and the gear is theirs, but the publisher has a commercial interest in their brand showing up. We accept these but downgrade them to reported, because the published kit can skew toward the host brand. We note the platform plainly on the entry.
3. Independent media interview or gear registry
A podcast production agency's equipment list, a documentary filmmaker interview in a trade publication, or a Reddit AMA the creator answered themselves. Tagged reported; we name the outlet so you can judge the source for yourself.
Source types we don't accept
- Screenshot inference from the creator's thumbnails, B-roll, or hand-held shots, even if a model number is partly visible.
- Wikis, equipboard, or kit.co listings when those collections were assembled by third parties without citations back to the creator.
- Forum posts claiming a creator uses X, unless the post quotes a primary source we can re-verify.
- Marketing copy from manufacturers that name a creator as an ambassador without specifying which exact gear of theirs they sponsor.
How to verify an entry yourself
On any creator page, every gear item has a Source: line directly under it. Click the link and you'll land on the original page where that model name appears — usually with a date. Compare what the source says against what we wrote; the two should match exactly.
The matching tag (confirmed vs reported) tells you how directly the creator themselves authored the source. See our methodology for the full standard.
Found something we got wrong?
We'd rather hear it from you than have a wrong entry sit there embarrassing both us and the creator. If a gear model is wrong, outdated, or you've seen the creator publicly switch to something else, email hello@lensbook.com with the slug of the creator page and the source you saw. We aim to investigate within a few days.