It’s never too early to start thinking about getting your
holiday shopping started. Those Black Friday specials are just
around the corner. Every year I always say I’m going to get my
shopping done before the 1st of December. Realistically, that’s
never going to happen. I’ve picked a few photography and
tech-related items that should make great gifts for any of the
photography enthusiasts on your list. Let the shopping begin.
EOS C300 Digital Cinema Camera
— Since this is a wish list, I might as well reach for the stars.
The recently announced EOS C300 Digital Cinema Camera, a
state-of-the-art video camera, would bring my home movies to a
whole new level. Maybe more people would want to watch them. This
camera uses the Canon EF lens or one of their newly designed,
expensive cinema lenses. How can you miss with a video camera that
list for about $20,000? Of course, lenses are going to be
extra.
The camera is really designed for video production companies
that are used to paying much more for professional cameras. So for
some, this is going to be a higher quality alternative at a lower
price. Certainly not for me. Actually, I should probably move this
to my 2012 Christmas list since it’s not going to be available
before the first of the year, but I figure you better start saving
your money now.
Leica D-Lux 5 Titanium
— It’s
time to drop down to the $1,000 toys, which are still out of my
price range. Anytime you put Leica, titanium and special edition
together, you know you’re looking at a very nice Christmas gift.
With a list price of $1,195, this is the one expensive, shiny gift
on my list. This is the ultimate in point-and-shoot. This special
edition titanium camera includes a leather case and Adobe Photoshop
Lightroom editing software. The camera features a 24mm-to-90mm
Leica DC Vario Summicron lens. The camera also features 720p
high-definition video.
Nikon 1 J1
— OK, we are
closing in on my price range. Nothing would say
Christmas more than a shiny new
red Nikon 1, priced at $649 for a one-lens kit. Just out and very
new for Nikon, and if you snap this up, you’ll probably be the only
one on the block to have one of these. This is Nikon’s entry into a
mirror-less camera and small compact camera with interchangeable
lenses. It seems to be the wave of the future. Everyone is looking
for smaller size. The important factor here is the loss of
the viewfinder and a smaller chip compared with the basic DSLRs.
It’s time for Nikon to venture into the small mirror-less option
because it’s an expanding market. Did I mention it comes in a
beautiful red? This really fits in well with the holiday
season.
Canon PowerShot S100
– I am really
enjoy using my Canon S95 camera. This is my go-to point-and-shoot.
I wouldn’t mind upgrading to the full 1080p HD video with the new
model. I can’t really justify it, but if you’re looking for a nice
compact camera, this S100, priced at $430, is my choice. It
features full manual mode, fully automatic adjustment, an f/2 lens
and bracketing of exposures if you enjoy shooting HDR (high dynamic
range imaging). This camera is small and will easily fit in your
pocket or purse.
Grid-it
— Now we are really getting to
the more affordable gifts. This is a cool organizational tool if
you are fed up with trying to keep all your cords and chargers
organized. This is a great option if you travel a lot and
have a tough time keeping track of all the small extras you need to
carry for your laptop, cellphone, iPad or other digital
rechargeable power device. The Grid-it comes in a variety of sizes,
depending on how much equipment you’ve accumulated over the years
and your need for electronic wizardry. Prices range from $10 to
$40. It holds everything in place with a bundle of stretchy
straps.
Lynda.com
— Most people never think of tech
video tutorials as a typical holiday gift, but Lyda.com has made it
simple with gift subscriptions priced for one month at $25, three
months for $75 and one year for $250. It offers a wide range of
photography, video and tech topics, including Photoshop, Lightroom,
PS Elements, Aperture, Final Cut Pro X, portraiture, photo
restoration and scanning.
ScreenCast App for Mac
— This is my
cheapest gift and well worth the cost if you’re using an Apple
computer with the Lion operating system. I have been so confused
making the switch from Snow Leopard to Lion. Don McAllister of
ScreenCasts online has combined his Lion video tutorials into a
single video application available on the Apple App Store for
$5.99. It’s an easy download and will make the transition to the
newest operating system much easier.
Four Seasons of Yosemite: A Photographer’s
Journey
— A great coffee table book that should
inspire you for your next photography adventure into the wilderness
or your local park. Los Angeles Times photographer Mark Boster has
captured the beauty of the amazing landscapes, light and the
seasonal changes throughout his years of visiting Yosemite National
Park. The list price is $34.95.
Mr. Winkle
— I get a Mr. Winkle
calendar every year from my daughters. This stray dog, who
was rescued by photographer Lara Jo Regan, is about the cutest dog
ever. Mr. Winkle’s tongue is just a little too long for a dog so
small. Regan photographs Mr. Winkle in elaborate sets and creative
costumes. This year’s calendar, though, is the “Nudes Collections
2,” so I’m guessing Mr. Winkle is going to be au naturel. Then
again, I guess that’s the way most people take photos of their
dogs. It’s simply 12 months of super cute. This year she has made a
coffee table book called “Mr. Winkle: The Complete Character
Collection Photographs” ($39.95). Don’t tell anyone, but I already
ordered this one before I ordered Boster’s Yosemite book.
Rogue FlashBenders
— If you’re looking
for a way to give your photography buff a way to manipulate a
hand-held strobe light, the Rogue FlashBender might be the answer.
This handy device, priced from about $30 to $40 depending on size,
attaches with Velcro straps and then is pliable, bending into a
variety of shapes. You can use it to simply bounce the light if you
keep it flat or or bend it into a tube to tunnel the light for
total control. It’s the strobist approach for those on a budget,
using small, less expensive, hand-held battery strobes instead of
costly studio gear. This can easily fit in your camera bag, giving
you creative light for your subjects at an affordable price.
Fujitsu Scansnap S1300
— I did a
review of this product, and it’s still one my
favorite high-tech toys and organizational tools. Just drop the
paperwork in and it turns it into a PDF, to be filed into a folder
of your choice. It’s a breeze. It has a great small profile on your
desktop and costs $295. If you have mass quantities of paper, you
may want the larger 1500 model ($495).
GoPro Hero
2
— The new camera from GoPro has just hit the market
at about $299. It’s an upgrade from 5 to 11 megapixels, giving a
much higher-resolution still frame, and they’ve upgraded the video
choices. This camera is a lot of fun, with a variety of mounts and
waterproof housing. It’s the ultimate toy for the camera hobbyist
or pro who needs a small camera with a super wide-angle lens.
Canon CanoScan 9000F Film & Negative
Scanner
– This is my choice (for about $200) if you
need a scanner and have a lot of film and slides to scan. Finding a
scanner that will do film is becoming a thing of the past. The time
is now: Those negative are just getting older and less inviting to
get processed into digital images.
Kindle Fire
— How much iPad news can
you take? Of course I have one. Now it’s time for Amazon to take
aim at the tablet market with its Wi-Fi connection and 7-inch
multi-touch color screen. The Kindle Fire, with its $200 price tag,
should be one of the hottest sellers on the market this holiday
season. I’m still trying to figure out the justification for me to
get one of these. It really looks good, and it has an affordable
price tag. It gives you the ability to watch movies, read books,
browse the Web, play games, listen to music and access storage with
Amazon. Order this one early if you’re interested; it might be hard
to find the closer it gets to Christmas.
Olympus Pen E-P3 – This compact-sized camera,
priced around $900, features most elements found in today’s DLSRs.
This camera would look great under the Christmas tree. The Olympus
Pen E-P3 offers a 3-inch OLED high-resolution touch screen, full
1080p HD video, 12.3-megapixel sensor and a built-in flash. It
shoots at three frames per second. The EP-3, with its stylized
look, uses a wide array of interchangeable E-System M.Zuiko
digital lenses, ranging from 17 mm f/2.8 to 14-150 mm zoom
f/4.0-5.6. This camera is a great example of the trend of reducing
camera size but still producing excellent quality images.
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