With the Christmas Holiday rapidly approaching, now is the time to get something special for the digital photographer on you gift buying list. If you aren’t a photographer buying a gift for one isn’t always easy. My wife hates buying gifts for me because she never knows what I have, what I need, or what I would like in the photography department. Well, I’m going to make it easy on you by describing 10 relatively inexpensive gifts that any digital photographer will love to find under the Christmas tree or in his or her Christmas Stocking.
The first gift on my list of recommended gifts for the digital photographer is the Sony GPS-CS1KASP GPS Unit for Sony Digital Cameras. With a street price between $112 and $136 depending on where you buy it, it isn’t the least expensive gift on my list but it’s a gadget that every owner of a Sony DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera will love and treasure. Geotracking of photos taken is the in thing today and this little GPS system does it all keeping tract of the place, the date and the time of still image & movie taken.
The second gift on my list is for the Nikon type of Guy or Gal, buy him or her the Blue2Can by Red Hat to geotrack their photo expeditions. The Blue2CAN Bluetooth Adapter from Red Hen Systems links the Nikon camera with any Blue Tooth compatible GPS receiver, portable or mobile. With a street price of $194 it definitely will not be the cheapest gift on my list but it’s one that almost every Nikon owner will love to receive for Christmas.
If you want to learn more about Geotracking and these two gadgets, read my article on the subject, Digital Photography: How to Geotag Your Photos. Here’s the linkhttp://factoidz.com/digital-photography-how-to-geotag-your-photos/.
The third gift on my list is the Sunpak Mini Tripod with a 3-Way Panhead. With a street price of $30 this truly is an inexpensive gift that every photographer needs to have in his or her photographer’s tool kit. Unless a person is a professional photographer it’s unlikely that they tote a standard size tripod around with them at all times. Still, it never fails; it’s when you don’t have a tripod with you when you need one the most. This little gem is light enough and compact enough at 2.2 pounds and 7 ¼", to strap to the outside of a gadget bag so the photographer in your life never has to be without a tripod ever again. Although compact and light in weight this tripod isn’t light in features with a pan-tilt head that’s equipped with a level system that makes it ideal for the landscape photographer who wants to make panoramic photos. This little gem had one more feature that comes in teal handy if you want to use it on an uneven surface like the roof of a car, it has a suction cup on its enter extension.
The fourth gift on my list is an ideal gift for the photographer who started out shooting 35-mm film. If he or she is anything like me, he or she has file boxes full of 35-mm negatives and boxes full of 35-mm slides. There are commercial services available that will convert all those negatives and slides to digital files for the photographer for a price but here a nifty little scanner that will enable the photographer to do it himself for a fraction of the cost. The 35mm-to-digital Film Converter available from Frontgate for $49.00. This little gem is the easiest negative and slide scanner to master that I have ever used. The scanner does everything for you. It adjusts the focus, the color, and aligns the negatives or slides for you. Things don’t get much simpler than that.
The fifth gift on my list is theEye-Fi Share Wireless 4 GB Secure Digital SD Memory Card with WebShare. At a street price of $79.95 this memory Wi-Fi card combination allows the photographer to upload his pictures from his camera to his computer and even to the web without ever removing the card from his or her camera. The card comes with a one-year manufacturer’s warrantee and unlimited secure web sharing. This card is compatible with any camera accepting SDHC memory cards.
The sixth gift on my list of great gifts for any digital photographer who is also an avid Ebay auctioneer or shoot pictures of small items for others to use in their Ebay auctions. This tabletop studio by Hammacher Schlemmer at $99.00 has everything he or she will ever need to make professional photos of everything from earrings to model cars. The 20 Inch, Tabletop Photo Studio comes with two backdrops to provide contrast for light and dark objects, a compact light box with an integrated diffuser screen, a tripod that extends to 16" H and folds to 8 1/2" H, and two 35-watt lights with adjustable, retractable legs. Backdrop folds flat for storage, and the set includes a handle and a built-in carrying case. 20" L x 20" W x 20" H. (6 lbs.). I have two of these studios that I use to shoot photo of jewelry and other valuable in homes for people who are constructing picture inventories for insurance purposes.
The seventh gift on my list is actually for the young, aspiring digital photographer. If you have a child who’s been after you to get them a real digital camera for Christmas but you haven’t been sure what kind of camera would be best for them. They are too old for a toy yet not old enough for a real DSLR, here’s the answer to you quandary, the VTECH Kidizoom Camera. This camera was designed for kids but it’s no "toy." This is a quality 2 Megapixels camera made to take the rough handling younger children will give. Like a Timex, it’ll take a beating and keep right on ticking. This is he ideal camera for any young photographer 3 years of age and older and it’s well worth the $79 dollars that it cost. I reviewed this camera not to long ago. Here’s the link to the review http://factoidz.com/vtech-the-kidizoom-camera/.
The eight gift on my list is the Hoodman Professional Right Angle Viewfinder. In my opinion, this is the greatest accessory that any DSLR shooter can add to his tool kit. This little gem turns your DSLR into a camera with a waist level viewfinder. With the Hoodman Pro RAV you can get way down low and shoot at a child’s level or a pets level without having to stretch out prone on the ground. The Hoodman Pro RAV is also indispensable when shooting over the heads of the crowd at concerts, weddings, and other events. The Pro RAV eliminate the need to aim your camera by instinct the way most pro photographers did at events. Actually, most of us became very good at firing from the hip, so to speak, but the Hoodman Pro RAV make getting great shots in these situations easy even for the rank beginner. The Hoodman kit comes in its own pouch that stores neatly in any gadget bag. This is a great gift and well worth the $129 street cost. To see what I’m really talking about read my review of the Hoodman Pro RAV here http://factoidz.com/waist-level-viewfinder-for-your-dslr-reviewing-the-h-rav-professional-right-angle-viewfinder/.
The ninth gift on my list is also the most expensive, the PocketWizard MultiMax 32 Channel Radio remote control transceiver at $295 each. This little gadget allows a single photographer to control numerous different lighting setups right from his camera; this would be the ultimate stocking stuffer for the advanced amateur photographer or the professional photographer. You can read all about it right here on Factoidz http://factoidz.com/photography-equipment-review-pocketwizard-multimax-32-channel-transceiver-radio-slave/.
The tenth gift on my list is the ultimate in custom white balance adjusting tools, the BalanceSmarter. For a guide on how to select the right one for the photographer in your life read my article on them here http://factoidz.com/the-ballancesmarter-the-perfect-gift-for-every-digital-or-film-photographer-a-review/.
Well, there you have it, the ten perfect gifts for any photographer on your list.
