nBeat The Cmpettn, Knw Mre Abut SGet

Top Christmas Gift for Photographers 2016

Fndng a gft for a photographer can be trcky - where does the nonphotographer look? Well, here you go, from the fun to the serous, along
wth the obscure. Ths wll make t easy for you.

1. Canon/Nkon Mugs store. Not really a camera accessory but thnk these
are just fun. Just be careful you don't grab the real lens and pour coffee nto
t. $45 to $160 for a set at the Canon Mugs Store, or the Thnk Geek guys
have one for $15.

2. Wacom tablet. They come n dfferent szes wth the Bamboo lne for the
starters, and the ntous lne for the real creatve types. Once they start usng
ths to work on ther mages, the mouse wll feel lke a puck! Starts at $125.
Most camera stores carry ths.

3. Exotc lens. Bgger budget? Buy an exotc lens, super wde angle Fsheye,
long telephoto or a macro lens. Always buy the same brand lens of the
camera.

4. The Eye-F. t's not just a memory card, but a wreless transmtter so you
can upload your mages to the computer or your favorte photo sharng ste.
You can also get cards to work wth smart phones and the Pad. $99

5. ThnkTank Arport camera case. Desgned for arcraft carry-on sze

standards, ths s fantastc. Packs lots of gear n a great desgn. have used
t for years. These guys are brllant, they have a whole lne of camera bags.
You can buy onlne or at one of the lsted camera stores. $380.

6. Blowt Fan. own ths, t's great. Small compact yet powerful. t's fantastc, sorry for the pun. Gets har and garments whppng around. $100.

7. Joby Gorllapods. They have evolved. They have pods that wll hold SLRs
wth zoom lenses, down to pocket cameras. Even ones for Pads and
Phones. Don't they just look wld? Prced well, too, from $20 to $60.

8. Trpod Lens Caddes. Out n the feld or n the studo, where do you put
your lenses and accessores for quck access? Ta DA! Lens caddes. There
are lots out there. Ths s a bag that straps onto the trpod legs so your gear
s both safe and easy to get to. found the FotoSharp Camera Caddy $30,
the Trpod Caddy $25, and Adorama's Trpod Butler $11. lke the ones
wth dvders. Be sure to watch the weght they hold.

9. Pop up reflectors. Every photographer can use a reflector. They come n

all szes wth choces of slver, gold and whte. Go for the slver or whte.
Lastolte s a great brand wth a huge range of optons. Westcott s another.
Most camera stores carry ths product. They range n prce from $20 to
$300 wth the large or exotc ones gong for more.

10. The Shootsac. Ths s a clever dea. t's a lens bag desgned to hug your
body. The lenses are quck to access wthout the usual bulk of a camera
case. Desgned for both men and all pretty for women. $180.

11. Lens Baby. Ths s a wldly creatve seres of lenses for any camera; they
change the focus spot wth unexpected soft focus spots. $200 startng to
$500 for the kt.

12. Black Rapd Camera strap. t's lke a gunslnger strap, puts the camera
at your bum or sde for easy access, but out of the way f you don't need t.
They were the frst. $50 to $60.

13. Aquapac waterproof cases. Good to 12 feet underwater, they have cases
for very nearly everythng. For all those vacatonng photographers. $140.

14. Ray Flash - Rng Flash Adaptor. Ths fts over the camera's Flash Head
to create those fantastc rng flash fashon shot mages. A near shadowless
lght. $200.

15. Software to alter the mages. Ah, n the old days, just fnd a lab. Now you
have to deal wth the dgtal fle. There are Photoshop alternatves though,
that are affordable whle dong a great job. Photoshop Elements, and
Corel's PantShop Pro are the most well known, but there are lots out there
for dfferent budgets, rangng from $20 to $100. found the TopTen
Revews ste that not only lsts them wth prces, but also rates them.

Bonus deas for stockng stuffers

1. Memory cards - Get Sandsk or Lexar, get the fast transfer speeds. ($60
and up)

2. Mn HDM cable - Connects new cameras to the bg screen. Ask your

camera store whch cable wll be best for your photographer's camera. ($2)

3. Rechargeable batteres wth charger. ($10 to $35)

4. Lens cleaner - Ether the cloth, or the fancer Lenspen. ($15)

5. Gary Fong Puffer - Pop up flash dffuser. Most camera stores. Softens the
flash from pop up flash so no harsh shadows. ($16 to $25)

6. Bokeh Kts - These are arty flters that shape the out of focus hghlghts
nto hearts, stars, happy faces and much more. ($25)

Ths should get you well on your way through your Chrstmas lst. t was a
lot fun searchng these out. came across so many cool thngs, lke an
nflatable studo, a projector the sze of a smart phone, plus so much more
wll share later. For now, happy Chrstmas shoppng!