Photography enthusiasts can be some of the hardest people to buy gifts for, especially given the scary-high prices of camera bodies and lenses.
Additional Research by Mason Resnick
There are seemingly endless amounts of photography gadgets, gizmos, and accessories available on the market, and it can be tricky to sort out what is useful and what is junk.
Photographers often don’t anticipate getting gifts they can really use to improve their pictures, since the equipment can be highly specialized and hard to decipher. The look of surprise and appreciation on a photographer’s face after they receive one of the gifts on this list will make your holiday!
This guide will help you make a smart purchase within a $100-250 budget, and will put a smile on the face of any enthusiastic photographer. (Note: Prices and availability are current as of early November 2011)
Wacom Intuos4 Small Tablet with Grip Pen, Mouse & Software
$190
Designed for limited desktop areas or for those who want a highly portable, professional-level tablet that fits comfortably in a laptop bag, The Intuos4 can record 2,048 levels of pressure, giving it the ability to recognize extremely subtle pressure for light brush strokes. You can rotate the tablet 180°, giving equal functionality to both lefties and righties. To keep its compact size, the Wacom Intuos 4 Small Tablete has two fewer ExpressKeys than all of the other sizes of Intuos4 pen tablets, and no illuminated displays. A default ExpressKey function called "show settings" provides an on-screen image of the ExpressKey configuration.
Western Digital Passport Essential 2.5 inch 500GB Portable USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 Hard Drive
$115
With its super-fast USB 3.0 connectivity, the small and portable WD Passport Essential 2.5 is said to offer transfer rates 3x faster than USB 2.0. Useful especially for videographers as well as high-resolution still photography, you can transfer a 2-hour HD movie in less than 5 minutes instead of 14 minutes. The 500GB capacity should handle even the highest-volume shoots.
Sony Bloggie Touch MHSTS20/B
$198
The Sony Bloggie Touch records both full 1080p MP4-format HD video and 12MP still images thanks to a 12.8MP CMOS sensor. Controlled via a 3-inch touch-screen LCD, the Bloggie Touch can hold up to 4 hours thanks to the internal 8GB of built-in flash memory. Features include: Image stabilization, video and image tagging for social networks, flip-out, built-inUSB arm, mono microphone, focus to 4 inches. The fixed-focus lens has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 37mm in 16:9 format.
Manfrotto ML360H Midi-36 LED Panel
$170
Designed for HDSLRs, the Manfrotto LED panel is a hybrid model that produces both continuous 6000 degree Kelvin (sunlight equivalent) light for video lighting, as well as a "flash" mode for shooting stills. Flash output is four times that of the continuous light. Two flash shoe mounts let you mount the unit on the camera either vertically or horizontally. You can also stack multiple panels to further increase the light. A dimmer controlls the light output from 0-100%, and there's an LED backlight so you can see your camera's controls even in total darkness.
DxO Optics Pro 6.6 Elite Edition
$240
Designed to improve the quality of both RAW and JPEG images, Optics Pro can automatically correct images based on specific combinations of lenses and cameras used to take each shot. Changes can be applied manually on signle images or automatically to batches of hundreds of images. Optics Pro can automatically compensate for lens distortion, increase dynamic range, reduce noise, and adjust color variances that can be introduced by different lenses. There are nearly 5,000 free downloadable lens modules available, so it's likely that DxO has a module that will correct any optical errors introduced by whatever lenses you use.
Polaroid Instant 3x4-inch GL10 Mobile Printer
$155
Small and portable, the Polaroid Instant Printer uses an inkless system to produce 3x4-inch photo-quality prints on thick paper, direct from your digital camera via USB connectivity, or from your smart phone via Bluetooth wireless technology and apps for Android and Windows-compatible phones. Prints can be borderless or have the classic white border reminiscent of old Polaroid prints. This printer is bundled with a 30-pack of paper to get you started.
Flashpoint 3-in-1 Digital Photo/Negative/Slide scanner
$110
If your photo buddie has been hinting that he or she has all these slides and negatives waiting to be digitized, here's your chance to help make it happen. The Flashpoint 3-in-1 Photo Scanner will scan prints up to 5x7 and 35mm negatives and slides and convert them into 3600-dpi digital files via a 5MP scanner. You can bypass the computer: The unit saves images directly onto SD and MMC memory cards.
Datacolor Spyder 3 Elite Monitor Calibrator
$210
The Spyder 3 from Datacolor allows laptop and desktop monitors to be calibrated, so they display colors correctly. What this means is working on a calibrated monitor dramatically increases the likelihood of a print matching what is on the screen. It even calibrates projectors, great for preventing the excuse “it’s the projector” when having to explain weird-colored photos during a presentation.
B+W 77mm Circular Multi Coated Polarizer
$160
Polarizing filters should be standard in any photographer’s kit. They help reduce glare and reflections, and give blue skies an extra “punch” of color. B+W filters are some of the highest quality on the market. It is easy to get a cheap filter, but keep in mind you would be putting cheap glass in front of an expensive lens! Not sure what size to get? The 77mm size is extremely popular, and about as large as most lenses get. It is easy to get “step-down” adapters to make the 77mm size fit smaller lenses.
ExpoImaging ExpoDisc 77mm Digital White Balance Filter
$100
White balance is the key to getting the right colors in a photograph. When shooting with a digital camera, the color of the image will change as the type of light changes, for example, when shooting under fluorescent lights versus daylight. The ExpoDisc allows the photographer to take a “reference” image, and then set a custom white balance for every shooting situation. This means even in tricky, mixed lighting, colors can come out looking great.
ExpoImaging Ray Flash Ring Flash
$200
For the photographer with an external flash like the Nikon SB-900 or Canon 580ex II, the Ray Flash gives the unique quality of light that only a ring flash can provide. Great for portraits and macro photography, the ring flash “look” is unique and a lot of fun to experiment with. The Ray Flash is an adapter specific to the flash unit, so make sure you know what flash unit it will be attached to.
Eye-Fi Pro X2 8GB SDHC Card
$130
Eye-Fi's wireless remote SD card series got faster and more sophisticated with the introduction of the X2. Features include wireless uploads with built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi networking abilities, streamlined workflow, an Endless Memory Mode in which the card automatically frees up space once your photos and videos have been wirelessly transferred, access to 10,000 hot spots, and automatic wireless backup into the photos of your choice.
Joby Professional Gorillapod Focus Adjustable Tripod
$85
The Gorillapod is a small tripod with highly flexible legs that allows a camera to be attached to almost anything the legs will wrap around. The Professional model will hold a camera up to 11 pounds, which covers about any professional digital SLR camera available today. Also works as a regular table-top tripod. The Gorillapod should never be far from the camera bag, especially when traveling.
Think Tank Urban Disguise 70 Pro
$190
Think Thank makes some of the highest quality camera bags on the market today. This bag is brand new from the company, and will store a lot of camera gear without attracting attention while walking the streets or traveling. With a seemingly unlimited amount of configurations, the Think Tank Urban Disguise is a great “walk-around” camera bag.
Manfrotto 190XPROB Tripod with 804RC2 Pan/Tilt Head
$230
Bogen/Manfrotto makes some of the best professional tripods on the market. Even smaller cameras can be difficult to hand-hold at longer shutter speeds, and cheap, plastic tripods create more problems than they solve. Stepping up to a solid tripod like the Manfrotto 190XPROB is a great idea for nature/landscape photographers, and portrait shooters.
Manfrotto 682B Self-Standing Pro Monopod
$140
It's the best of both worlds: the Manfrotto 682B is a monopod with three legs that come out from the bottom to give you quick, additonal support. Made of black adonized aluminum, the monopod has three sections, a rubber grip, quick action leg lock system, and the Manfrotto 234 Quick Release Swivel Tilt Head. Consider adding even more stability when using this as a standard monopod by adding this Shoulder Brace.
Honlphoto Complete Kit of Small Flash Modifiers
$230
Working with external flashes is a great way to improve the quality of light in your photos, and the next step is to shape and modify the light. Honlphoto light modifiers are designed specifically to work on small flashes; the “speed strap” system consists of a Velcro strap that secures around the flash, allowing any of the Honlphoto modifiers to be easily attached. The complete kit comes with a wide range of accessories to control light like never before.
Nik HDR Efex Pro
$140
HDR is a tricky thing. Most photographers are put off by the hyper-color "velvet Elvis" look that too many HDR images suffer from, but when used sensibly HDR can combine multiple images to create a range of light that looks natural. Nik's HDR Efex Pro gives you enough styles and custom controls so you can choose the level of HDR-ness to apply, from artsy and exaggerated to the natural, organic look. This stand-alone software is an impressive tool that makes HDR easier.
