Shopping for a camera fan can be tricky; with so much equipment on offer choosing the perfect gift for the photographer in your life can be a real challenge, especially as they often have their favourite brands. Do you go for something useful and boring that they really need? Or something not particularly useful but exciting that they really want? Or maybe you ‘say cheese’ with a pair of reliable novelty socks.
Whether they’re a professional photographer with an established set of equipment, or a beginner with a smartphone and a ring light, we’ve found some great gift ideas to suit all budgets (high, medium and low) and we’ve broken it down into different categories so that you can take your ‘pic’…
Equipment
While most photographers might have their preferred equipment, there are some extras that they’ll always be really grateful to have:
- High – everyone loves a bit of vintage at the moment, and you don’t get much more retro than a polaroid camera. With the original mechanism revamped to work like new, any camera fan will love this, just point and click and wait for the photo to appear.
- Medium – buying film as a gift might seem a bit dull, but as any photographer will tell you, you can never have too much film, particularly if it’s specialised, like this film, which is great for portraits.
- Low – as with film, you can never have too many memory cards. With 128GB of storage and fast transfer speeds, they’ll never have to worry about having to delete old photos to make room for new ones.
Accessories
You don’t need to be an expert yourself to buy gifts, these will work with any brand:
- High – this digital film scanner is a nifty little gadget that scans old film negatives and turns them into digital photos, a great way of bringing old negatives into the modern world so they can be looked at and shared, instead of being hidden away in a box in the attic.
- Medium – in an increasingly digital world, there’s something really satisfying about developing photos yourself. This Developing Starter Kit is a great introduction to learning how to develop film, without having to make a big financial commitment.
- Low – this camera strap is a great gift idea for vintage camera lovers. It works with lots of different brands and is sturdy and comfortable; it looks good too.
Smartphone
With these gifts anyone with a smartphone can be a budding David Bailey:
- High – get all the fun of a polaroid camera, but with a smartphone; this portable printer can be used anywhere to produce high-definition photos really quickly from a phone, for example, they could print straight from their social media accounts.
- Medium – everyone knows the importance of the right lighting when taking a photograph, especially when smartphone camera flashes can be so harsh, so this clip-on ring light is perfect for the selfie-addict in your life. A little light with a lot of power, it clips onto the edge of a desk and can be adjusted for the perfect angle, with adjustable levels of brightness.
- Low – let them take their smartphone photography to the next level with a mobile phone camera lens kit. It can be used with most brands and takes wide-angle photos, as well as fish eye and extreme close-ups.
Out and About
Both professional and amateur photographers get around a bit, so these ideas will make life a lot easier:
- High – backpacks are ideal for transporting equipment, they are hands-free and are much easier to lug around than a heavy case. This camera backpack is both stylish and practical, with customisable dividers to keep everything separate.
- Medium – we all know how easy it is for chargers and earphone cables to get tangled up within minutes of you leaving them organised, and photographers have that on an even bigger scale, so this cable organiser will be very welcome, keeping everything safe in one place, from sim cards to chargers.
- Low – losing a memory card can be a disaster for a photographer, and professional photographers often need to carry more than one, so a memory card holder is a great idea. It’s water resistant with a tough case which keeps them all in one place and stops them from getting damaged.
Subscriptions
The gift that keeps on giving. If you’re looking for a gift for someone who already has everything, a subscription is ideal. It makes the present last a bit longer, and they’ll always think about you every time they use it.
A magazine subscription ensures they get tips and information every month, or you could get them some editing software to help hone their skills. Maybe they’re not into social media but want to put their work out there, in which case a Flickr account subscription can help them organise and share their photographs, as well as putting them in contact with like-minded people.
Novelty
Christmas isn’t Christmas without some novelty gifts under the tree:
- High – a great game for anyone with a smartphone, Game of Phones is a really fun game that sets different challenges that you have to solve in 60 seconds; from finding the oldest selfie on your camera reel, to seeing who can bring up the strangest news story from the internet that day, it’s definitely a case of fastest finger first.
- Medium – nothing says fun Christmas gift like a novelty mug. Made to look like a Canon lens, complete with lid, these mugs are quirky and stylish.
- Low – this fun badge can go on a camera strap or bag and is the perfect stocking filler.
Money No Object
If you’re feeling generous and money is no object, take a look at this Mini Drone; portable and easy to fly, we defy any photography fan to not want a go! It’s great for trying out some aerial photography.
Conclusion
Photography isn’t the cheapest of hobbies, but this doesn’t mean you have to splash out on the latest Hasselblad when you’re looking for Christmas gifts, there are plenty of accessories and gadgets out there.
Just remember that all this equipment can be costly so it’s worth reminding the photography fan in your life that it might be a good idea to think about taking out camera insurance. The Insurance Emporium offers a 25% Introductory Discount* on their flexible camera insurance policies, so zoom in and take a look.
* The 25% Introductory Discount is available for the first 12 premium payments on lunar and calendar monthly policies or one premium payment on annual policies
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