With Christmas only round the corner, let's take a look at some gifts that will really help anyone thats into photography. That may well be a gift from you to you, lets face it we've all got to treat ourselves sometimes!
I'm not going to talk about lenses or cameras as they're definitely more pricey, and probably not something the average person would buy as a gift. If you are looking to get something like that, and really go all out then I have some recommendations here, here and here.
Camera Cleaning Equipment
Buying some cleaning equipment, is practically the same as buying socks for the average person. A practical and useful present. We are forever trying to keep our precious gear clean, and in the best condition it possibly can be. The majority of items in a cleaning kit are one size fits all, so you won't have to worry about type of camera, brand etc etc.
This is my recommendation of a great cleaning kit I use myself- here.
I would also recommend getting microfibre cloths, they are very useful while out shooting, and in general for cleaning your camera, here.
Tripod
Tripods are a fantastic piece of equipment, and will be welcomed as a great gift for anyone that like taking pictures. They have many uses, which I go into much more detail with here. Tripods are compatible with any camera, so again you don't have to worry about brands etc.
I would recommend these two tripods, the value one here and the more expensive/amazing one here. Whatever you do, don't go cheap on tripods, they will break and potentially break your camera too (not very stable).
Shutter Release
Shutter releases go hand in hand with tripods, such a useful piece of kit too. For you gift buyers they aren't expensive either! You can use them for long exposures and taking pictures from a distance (eg if you wanted to take a shot of you with your family and theres no one around).
The shutter releases I am about to link in here, are wireless and compatible with Canon, Sony and Nikon camera (covers most bases, most people have one of those brands). So here's the release for Canon, Nikon and Sony!
Filters
Filters can really get your creative juices flowing, allowing you to achieve effects simply not possible using a camera alone. Before you buy filters you will need to know the lens thread of the lens you are buying it for. You will have to come up with a cunning way of finding this out if thats your plan
! All the filters out there vary a massively, so I would personally recommend this as a solid choice (variable ND filter). I love mine! Get yours here.
Camera Straps
Camera straps are an awesome present, and certainly not something to scrimp on! You want to keep your camera safe, so buying a dodgy strap is a bad idea. Although buying a nice strap for someone is a great idea. There are a lot out in the market at the moment,
I would personally recommend this one here quite a new and really cool idea! Or this one here, people have been using these for a while and they're very reliable. Again, they fit all cameras, as long as they have a screw thread at the bottom, which most do!
SD Cards
An SD card is always going to be a welcome gift. I know I get through them like no tomorrow and its always good to have a back up, for your back up for your back up. You never want to run out of memory on a shoot, thats like the worst thing.
So with SD cards, you want to make sure that they are fast, and they have a good amount of memory too. I have found one here. Thats a standard size SD card that will fit the vast majority of cameras.
Waterproof Case
A waterproof case is awesome to expand the range of places you can shoot, I mean the earth is 71% water after all! While top end cases are not cheap, you can still get a good case for a reasonable price. This one is a great choice, here.
