Ok, it's that time of the year again, and you might well be thinking of gifts for this special people in your life. If, by chance, they happen to be photographers, here are some gift ideas that just might be useful. If you want need any clarification, contact me, and I will do my best to help! :)
If you have any other great ideas that are not on this list, please leave a comment at the end! I would love to give family some ideas too! :)
Lens Pen ~ 9 Euro
These are great. A brush at one end for dust and a pad for cleaning off fingerprints from your lens… It’s small, and should be in every photographer’s kit.
Spare batteries – 10-50 Euro
Spare batteries are always useful as a photographer, and as such, welcome gifts! I would only recommend buying original ones, but these can be more expensive. You can also buy 3rd party alternatives that are 80% as good, but for 20% the price, just be careful they actually work on the specific camera body, not all do.
Reflectors ~ 18 Euro
These things are cheap, and very useful for anyone taking portraits. Block out harch sun, or fill in the shadows, it is a very useful and appreciate part of my kit! :)
Memory card ~20 Euro
Pick up a 32gb card… You can never have enough of them! :)
EyeFi Mobi Pro ~85 Euro
This is more than just a memory card; it is also a WiFi hub, allowing you to transfer your images DIRECTLY to your phone from your camera! :) Great for those social media photographers! My wife loves hers.
Card holder ~9-30 euro
Whilst I am going on the memory card line of things, a wallet to keep all these new cards in is also useful! :) they vary in price, capacity and features, but all do the same kind of thing! :)
Card Reader ~30 Euros
Get the fastest transfer of your work to your computer… Always a good gift, especially for those who use CF cards, as these are never integrated into computers!
Halios 44-2 58mm f/2 ~ 20 Euro
Ok, this is a huge range, and a HUGE question in itself. Unless you know precisely what lens your loved one wants, I would not just hazard a guess. However, a cheap and great alternative involves buying older lenses and an adapter for the camera system.
This lens was mass-produced as a kit lens for the Zenith cameras in post-war Russia and is based on the pre-war 1930 Carl Zeiss Biotar 58mm ƒ/2. The story goes, as far as I know, some Zeiss factories were on ‘the wrong side’ of the wall when it went up, basically giving the soviets the designs and tools to make their own copies of the Carl Zeiss lens. And so they did and still do apparently! However ethical you think this was or wasn’t, their action meant there are a ton (metric or imperial) of these lenses on the second hand market, making them extremely affordable! Bonus!
Microphone ~75 Euro
The sound quality is the biggest drawback to using your camera to shoot movies. This microphone is a great way to drastically improve the quality!
Flash ~90 Euro
Ok, original speedlites (flashes) are great, but can be expensive, so I would personally recommend this 3rd part alternative. Yongnuo YN-568EX II.
A photo workshop or tour
Search for local or more exotic locations for a photo workshop or tour! :) If you’re in Bangalore, contact me for a workshop, special price will be given if you say you read this article! :P
External HDD ~ 100 Euro
Taking pictures takes up a lot of room, so any extra breathing room is welcome! I use the Western Digital My Passport Ultra all the time with no issues. There are many alternatives. For more ideas, please check out my post on my back-up strategy!
Adobe CC subscription ~ 145 Euro
Taking the image is often the start of the journey before the final image emerges. Inbetween you need to organize and process it. For this I highly recommend Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. So, if the ‘tog of your life does not have them already, get the a years subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography bundle!
Palette gear for lightroom and Photoshop ~ 200 Euro
Continuing on the theme of Adobe, here is an awesome computer accessory for editing. These knobs, buttons and dials speed up the editing process (as well as looking cool). I don’t have these, but I’ve heard many good things about them… They are on the pricy side, but if it would speed up time of processing, you might get more time with your loved one instead of competing with computer for attention! ;)
Lenses ~ 20-20,000 Euro
Ok, this is a rather large range, but is fairly accurate. Honestly, this is probably the best present for a photographer, but make sure it is the right lens for them. If you need some advice, contact me and I’ll do what I can to help!
Camera ~20-20,000 Euro
This is rather like the lens situation described above! So unless you know for sure they want that 7D Mark II, talk to them, or contact me. I’ll do my best to help!