Tis the season and photographers are just like everyone else; there are things we’d like to get as well. So here is a list of some goodies that I think would make great presents for yourself or that other photographer in your life.
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Cameras – The trend in cameras tends to be heading towards mirrorless with Nikon and Canon recently joining into the fray that already has had Sony and Fuji in the pool. I cannot speak for any brand other than Sony which DH and I have and we LOVE ours. My Sony A7Riii is full framed with 42 megapixels but it is small and light enough to fit into the pocket of my raincoat or in a medium sized purse.
What about a tripod? I can highly recommend the 3Legged Thing tripods. I have the 3 Legged Thing Punks Brian carbon fiber travel tripod. It is fantastic! Folds down and slips into it’s own bag that you can carry over your shoulder or – and this is awesome – it can fit into your carry on suitcase which is how I packed it for a recent trip. Another cool feature of it is that it has an included multi purpose tool for tightening screws on your base plate, etc. and even works as a bottle opener.
What to put your gear in? Camera bags come in so many shapes and sizes it can be difficult to pick the right one without taking your gear to the store and trying them on for size. While I have a backpack camera bag, lately I’ve been using two insert bags from Tenba with my camera. The BYOB 10 insert holds my Sony mirrorless camera with a 24-105 mm lens attached, an extra batter, media cards and lens cloth. This slides right into a regular backpack and I’m good to go.
They make these BYOB bags in various sizes like the BYOB 10 DSLR insert which will hold a DSLR camera with extra gear or in my case, two mirrorless cameras with some extra gear. Pop it into your backpack or other bag you use regularly.
Already doing off camera flash or are you using a flash beyond the pop up one on the camera? Thinking about using a flash modifier? While I haven’t tried it yet, I have heard good things about the Magmod. This one is their starter kit to introduce you to their flash modifier system.
What about where to put cables, batteries and other wires? Try the Tenba Cable Duo 4 for size. I even put my phone charger in mine when I travel. It also comes in larger sizes.
How to neatly store and carry those little media cards? Try a card wallet like this one from Tenba.
Need to blow dust and dirt from your camera body or the sensor? This little Giotto rocket blower does quite well. It’s saved me a few times when I’ve gotten something on my sensor when changing lens in less than ideal circumstances.
And of course there are always gift cards to your favorite camera store or maybe for online lessons like the ones offered at Creativelive.com They have lesson taught by renowned creators who will teach you anything like photographing babies, how to operate your new camera, Photoshop lessons and more.
There are other great gift ideas like a small flashlight for those night shots, hand warmers for those cold shoots, a small first aid kit or at least a small packet of bandages; accidents do happen. An online depth of field calculator is free and comes in handy when you want to figure that out. I have the one from www.photopills.com on my phone.
These are just my suggestions of what I use or have reliable recommendations on. What is it that you’d love to have as a gift? I hear Santa reads blogs 😉
Teri 📷
Images by T.Dashfield Photography 
Nice list! I’ve been eyeing a Fuji mirrorless for awhile, but the micro-two thirds Panasonic keeps calling my name 😏
Hi Ingrid. My first mirrorless camera was a Panasonic Lumix GS1 I got in 2010. I loved that camera. It got messed up when a driver turned left into my car, and my GS1 slammed into the the steering wheel in 2012. I replaced the GS1 with the Fuji X-Pro1. I literally wore out the X-Pro1 and now have a Fuji X-E1, which is more compact than X-Pro1. The Lumix produced excellent photos as does the Fujis. I have always used them as carry cameras, that I have at hand all the time, but I find they don’t focus fast enough for action photography or in difficult lighting. I believe Sony makes the sensors that go into many of the APS-C and Full-frame mirrorless cameras these days. Sony has alway made excellent sensors. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them.
Thanks for the insight Tim. I’m not a fan of Sony for some reason. I have a little Sony P&S that I’ve never liked and when the a6000 came out I bought one and 2 weeks later exchanged it for a Panasonic. I know I’m in a minority because I keep hearing great things about Sony. It’s me 😏
HI Ingrid. Panasonic makes great cameras. I like the 4/3 format because the aspect ratio is the same as 8X10. I had Panasonic and Olympus DSLR bodies with fast Olympus and Zeiss lenses up until 2012, but when Panasonic and Olympus started going to all mirrorless cameras, I switched to full-frame Canon Pro DSLR bodies.
I have bought all kinds of higher end point and shoot cameras for facility evaluation at work over the years. I had purchased several Sony models, all of which produced beautiful photos, but they were not very rugged, and our evaluators broke most of them fairly quickly. Back when CompUSA was open, I would by the Sony cameras from CompUSA a purchase the replacement warranty with them. We had one evaluator that broke everything she touched. I after returning the sixth camera she broke in a three month period for replacement, CompUSA refused to replace it and banned me for life from purchasing replacement warranties. Olympus P&S cameras are by far the most rugged and reliable. Our Evaluators now take all their photos with their iPads.
Sony may not be for everyone but give it another look you may be surprised – just saying 😉
Thanks. May Santa deliver your hearts desire.
Please, Santa, I’ve been a good boy, so don’t forget my Fuji X100F ! 😉
I forwarded your request 😉
I really like the Lowepro Passport Sling DSLR Camera Bags. They are comfortable, roomy, easy to access and sling to the side, front or back easily to be out of the way.
I’ve gotten very comfy with the BYOB inserts and chucking them into my regular backpack. It’s a lot more comfy than my ThinkTank backpack.
Thank you for your list, Teri! It gives me some great ideas of what to ask Santa! I’m still dreaming of the Sony a7rIII, but in the mean time, I’ll keep learning my a6000. The tripod you listed is probably within my financial reach right now!
You might be able to trade in or outright sell your a6000 for money towards the A7r3. I’m still learning mine and keeping it away from DH who loves to program shortcuts into it. I hope Santa brings you the ideal gift 🙂