Christmas is a time for family and giving. And of course for photographers to delight in all the new gear available to fill out their kit. But, when it comes to buying gifts for a photographer, it can be a little daunting as to what to get them. And believe us, when shopping for photographers it is more about what they want versus what they need.
If you have a photographer in your life, you will know that it can be tricky to find the right gift – especially if they are one of those people that already have at least one of everything. To make it easier, Georges Cameras have curated a bespoke guide to the best XMAS presents for the photographer who has it all.
In this gift guide, we take a look at a range of products that cover a broad spectrum of price and usage. Be it photography, videography or the perfect accessory to boost someone’s creativity, we’ve got you covered. Fortunately, the items we have hand-picked are the sort of things that most photographers would not even know that they need until it is presented to them. So you’re in luck and also about to make someone a little more cheery and merry this Christmas.
Stable Creativity That Fits In Their Pocket – OSMO Pocket 2
The tech for visual creatives seems to be getting smaller and smaller every year. With that in mind, the perfect stocking stuffer this Christmas is the DJI Osmo Pocket 2. This pocket-sized stabilised camera packs all you need to produce actioned packed and stable video content. Regardless of capturing a family group shot at the Christmas table or footage from your summer holiday, the Osmo Pocket 2 is just the ticket.
The Pocket 2 is the perfect photography companion thanks to its high definition panoramic shots allowing you to build a composite image from the 3 x 3 panorama or 180-degree capture. Also, the camera creates stunning images with 64-megapixel resolutions thanks to the 1/1.7 inch sensor. The Pocket 2 boasts an 8X digital zoom for gaining greater reach and creative control.
For a video on the move, the camera archives smooth and stable content thanks to the 3-axis stabilisation and use of Active Track 3 to stick to your selected subjects like glue. Also, Pocket 2 relies on a Hybrid AF system for sharp image quality. In terms of video quality, it can capture super smooth 4K video at 60fps – the kind of performance many high-end cameras only dream of. High-quality video is half-baked without good audi0. Fortunately, Pocket 2 uses DJI Matrix Stereo technology for outstanding sound quality and playback.
The Tool For Every Photographer – Leatherman
Anyone that is serious about photography needs to possess some DIY skills to manage and maintain their gear. This is especially the case when out in the field far from home or your local camera store. The ideal gift this Christmas for the photographer who has it all is a Leatherman multi-tool.
Leatherman is a well-respected brand in the pocketable tool business, and every photographer should carry one of their high-quality products in their kit bag. If you need to tighten a wobbly tripod leg, remove a dented filter or secure a plate to the bottom of your camera, this is the ideal tool. Leatherman develops a wide range of tools ideal for every purpose and for every budget. Made from high tensile products and precision engineering, Leatherman tools are built to outlast even you.
An ideal tool for the photographer in your life is the Leatherman Surge in Black Oxide. The Surge packs stranded-wire cutters, wire stripper, standard knife, serrated knife, scissors, diamond-coated file, bottle opener, a large bit driver, two screwdrivers and much more. With a Leatherman Surge tucked into your kit, or attached to your belt via the included sheath, you are prepared for anything.
Stop Viewing Images on Your Phone – Watch Everything on a Portable Projector
Gone are the days of inviting all your friends and family over for a post-holiday slideshow. Now, thanks to the BenQ GV1 Portable Projector, you can take your slideshows on the go and let everyone enjoy them in the comfort of their own home. While mobile phone devices allow you to showcase your photography or videography skills, being able to project your content large-scale is much more appealing.
With a BenQ GV1 Portable Projector, you can quickly set up and display the fruits of your labour within minutes. Plus, the set up is hassle-free and wireless thanks to its current-gen WiFi tech. The GV1 is tiny and weighs only 708gm allowing you to carry it in your camera bag. This portable projector can produce a sharp 100″ display accompanied by Robust 5-watt chambered audio – it can be used as a portable Bluetooth speaker too.
If you want to stream content directly from your computer, laptop or phone, the GV1 includes a single USB-C port that can also content directly played from a flash drive. The BenQ GV1 Portable Projector boasts a three-hour battery life and LED projection light source that lasts 30,000 hours, making it ideal for small space gallery exhibiting of your work.
Use Bounce Back To Record Scenes Using Syrp’s Genie II Linear
Are you a videographer or photographer who has to record interviews?
The Genie II Linear is the ultimate B Camera tool for professional creative shots. This clever slider automation tool is brilliant at being a camera operator, so you don’t have to employ someone else! All you need to do is set up the rail system then mount your camera onto the Genie II Linear, and the hard work is almost done.
From here, you will need to set the A and B point for the camera’s automation movement. To set the horizontal axis and rotation axis open the Syrp app and move the camera remotely to Position A. Then move the camera remotely through the app to position B. Afterwhich, you can set your action speed for the camera to move between both positions. This is where the Genie II Linear cleverness shows. Through the app, you can program the camera to continuously ‘Bounce Back’ between point A and B throughout the filming of the interview.
Using this method adds greater creative control in the edit suite. Plus you will only have to focus on one camera during the shoot.
Consider a NiSi Starter Kit for a Photographer Friend or Family Member
Photographers often want to know how they can obtain better-looking photos. For many, they have the lenses, tripods and flash units; however, quite a number are missing an essential tool – filters. NiSi filters are premium in design and quality. They offer a chance for a photographer to enhance their photographs. One of the most popular kits available is NiSi’s 100mm Starter Kit Plus. It’s the third generation kit that’s specially for landscape photography.
In the kit, the gift receiver will get a 6 Stop ND, 10 Stop ND, Medium GND8, Reverse GND8 filter. Plus there are all the necessary tools to attach the square filters to the front of a lens. This set of Neutral Density filters will help a photographer capture incredible sunsets, sunrises and long exposures.
The creative control is possible as the ND filter can reduce the amount of light entering the lens. So essentially, the darker the filter, the longer exposure time is possible, leading to some incredibly creative photos.
Use a Colour Calibrated Monitor
This Christmas, you would be hard-pressed to find a photographer who didn’t have a BenQ Colour Calibrated Monitor on their wish list. A regular computer monitor or laptop screen is just ok for photo editing. But if you really want to master the art of image editing while working with a screen that is easy on your eyes, then our next gift is by far one of the most sought after.
BenQ Colour Calibrated Monitors are made specifically for photographers and videographers. The monitors have been specifically calibrated to ensure that optimal colour display and reproduction is as finely tuned as possible to real life. Plus, the folks at BenQ guarantee that their monitors are colour calibrated in the factory, so they are perfect right out of the box.
One of the best examples of this is the BenQ SW270C Photographer 27″ 16:9 HDR IPS Monitor. This is an outstanding piece of tech with colour accuracy to support 100% of the sRGB and 99% of the Adobe RGB colour gamut. This widescreen monitor has a resolution of 2560 x 1440 with a 60 Hz refresh rate with 10-bit support for 1.07 billion colours and a 16-bit lookup table (LUT) that improves RGB colour blending. The SW270C has a 178° horizontal and vertical viewing angles allowing you to see content from any angle. And the included shading hood only enhances the visibility of this monitor.
Get an A3+ Printer To Print From Home
Let’s face it, printing out your digital photos is both time-consuming and expensive. All too often, we overlook printing our best work and opt instead for postage-sized images on social media. But imaging gifting a photographer the ability to print out their images too hang on the wall as art.
And we are not talking about your run-of-the-mill home-office printers. To do it right, you need a Canon Pixma Pro 100S Inkjet Printer. The 100S prints A3+ borderless sized prints with a resolution of up to 4800 x 2400 dpi. It achieves such high image quality and colour reproduction through the use of an eight ink dye-based system for colour images and three dedicated monochrome inks for black and white.
With the Pro 100S, a photographer can be in total control of the entire workflow from taking the image, editing and then printing to their desired size. What’s more, thanks to the built-in WiFi and Ethernet connection, you can print from anywhere at any time.
Hold Your Camera Securely with a George’s Peak Design Strap
If you know a photographer who has everything, chances are they won’t have this peak design strap. Georges Cameras and Peak Design have teamed up to deliver the ultimate Christmas gift with the Georges Cameras Peak Design SlideLITE Camera Strap. Peak Design is a brand well known for its high-quality products made with the latest materials and design principles.
The SlideLITE strap is ideal for carrying everything from a big DLSR to a smaller mirrorless camera system. The strap is made from a nylon webbing that is durable and completely adjustable thanks to a pair of sliding buckles. As a result, you can both adjust this to suit any size and wear it as a sling, shoulder or neck strap.
Included with the Georges Peak Design Strap are four of Peak’s amazing anchors that can remain attached to the camera should you want to remove the strap. You can quickly and easily attach and remove the strap from the anchors at any time yet still retain the durability and security of your gear.
Plus, thanks to the unique Georges Cameras branding, you’ll have a strap like no other!
Still Can’t Decide? Binoculars Are A Very Good Choice For a Photographer!
If you know, a photographer who has everything for their camera chances are they don’t have a pair of Binoculars. These Bushnell Powerview 2 12×50 Binoculars offer wildlife, astro and outdoor photographers a chance to see the world through new eyes. Featuring 12x magnification this product is ideal for spotting wildlife or distant subjects. Plus the 50mm lens diameter offers great eye relief when hand-holding to view. Any less diameter is inferior as motion sickness is a common side effect when looking through binos for a long period.
Get a Vlogging Kit This Christmas
A few years ago recording yourself seemed to be a strange idea. However, as times have changed, more and more people want to become YouTubers or Influencers. This year has seen a massive rise in vlogging kits.
Vlogging kits come in all different types and styles to suit a variety of requirements. For instance, you may already have a phone. If this is the case, you may not want to invest in another camera. If this is you, then Rode has you covered.
- For Apple phone users, there is a Rode Vlogger Kit iOS Edition
- For Android phone users, there is a Rode Vlogger Kit USB-C Edition, or
- If you want the best vlogging setup for a smartphone, then Rode’s Universal Vlogger Kit is an ideal choice.
The complete mobile filmmaking kit includes the following essentials:
- VideoMic for clear directional audio capture.
- Rycote Lyre Suspension Mount that reduces any vibration noise.
- WS9 Windshield that covers the microphone to minimise wind noise.
- SmartGrip which attaches the phone to the tripod.
- Tripod 2 featuring a ball head for capturing footage at multiple angles.
- DSC-1 (Dual Cold Shoe Mount) to attach the microphone and LED to the smartphone.
- MicroLED on-camera LED light for lighting your subject evenly.
- Clip-on Diffuser to soften the LED light.
- 8x Coloured Filters for creative lighting effects.
- USB-C Cable
- SC7 3.5mm TRS to TRRS patch cable
As Christmas and Boxing Day approaches, we hope that this gift guide helps you in your quest to find the ultimate gift. So whether your friend or family member wants to print photos, edit them or capture a vlog the team at Georges has you covered. Order online now or visit us in our Sydney store today to pick up one of these items.
