The other morning I received a text message from my sister: “WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR X-MAS?” This came as a shock since I'm still brewing pumpkin flavored coffee and thinking about what I may dress up as for Halloween next year.
But, tis the season! So I decided to give my picks on what to get for the photogs in your life. [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="162" caption="Rogue 3-in-1 Honeycomb Grid"]
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First on my list is a Rogue-Grid flash modifier- This is a simple solution for griding a speed light and it comes with 3 different options! A gridded speed light can add more dimension to your photograph and is great for lighting up backgrounds. There are additional gels that you can purchase that work nicely with this system and enable you to use color effects, as well as your own CTO/CTB color balancing.
Click "More" to see all of my suggestions! [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="162" caption="AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G 2199"]
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No stocking should be left without a Nifty 50! All of the powerhouse companies have a lens that work great in low light, are reasonably fast in focus, and at most $250. For the Canon shooter, the Canon 50mmf1.8 retails at $125 msrp. For the Sony Shooter, the Sony 50mmf1.8 Retails for $150. For the Nikon shooter, there are 2 lenses to choose from. If the photog in your life has a D3100 or D5100, then the 50mm1.8G is the best. Now this is the most expensive in this group at $220 msrp, but it has the motor built inside the lens, so it works best with these cameras. If your photog owns a D90, D7000, or D700, the Nikon50mm1.8D would work just fine and is priced at $135 msrp.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="162" caption="Nissin Di866 Mark II Professional Speedlite"]
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Dreaming of a bright Christmas? How about the Nissin di866 Mark II? Now I already have a flash for my camera, but I would like to add another to my arsenal. This flash has the same output as the top of the line from each manufacturer, plus works with each manufacturer's wireless systems. If you can’t afford this model, the Nissindi622 is also a great model that sports the wireless feature as well.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Westcott 7ft Diffusion Parabolic Umbrella Kit"]
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Make next years holiday group photo a little better with a 7ft-Umbrella-Kit from Westcott- $150- This kit is great for portraits, especialy for the photog on the go, as well as the one without a proper studio. It is a huge light modifier that will really wrap your subject nicely, plus it folds up to store much easier than a softbox.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="162" caption="Sony Alpha NEX-7 with 18-55mm lens"]
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Good things come in small packages: The Sony NEX-7 -$1400- This camera may be the hardest thing to find this year, but for the pro shooter looking for a smaller camera that is light in weight, but heavy in image resolution, look no further! Different from other NEX cameras, this one boasts a viewfinder and built-in flash. This camera’s sensor is the same size as Nikon’s D300s, but at about a third of the size!
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Lexar Professional Compact Flash Memory Card"]
[/caption] Shoot on the cards that the pros do with Lexar Professional Memory Cards. Plus you'll save money when you buy a double pack! Compact Flash and SD cards are available in a wide range of sizes! [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="172" caption="LaCie Rikiki USB 3.0"]
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A reliable hard drive like the LaCie Rikiki USB 3.0 (320GB/500GB/1TB) is a gift that keeps on giving. Photographers can never have enough drives. I own about 6 drives and counting myself...with cameras getting larger and larger in resolution hard drive space is quickly depleting. It only takes one hard drive failure to know how crucial it is to have a backup. These drives range in the $100 price tag area.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="129" caption="Fuji Instax MIni 50S Instant Camera"]
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Capture the jolly good times with Fuji's Mini Instax 50s- $105 - This is the perfect party camera! Remember polaroid? This guy is a smaller version, which makes it easier to handle, plus the price for film is reasonable, at about $15. It also sports a self-timer and tripod socket. Get your photog this camera, a few packs of film, and a cork bulletin board from Ikea and let the fun begin!
[caption id="attachment_6516" align="alignleft" width="162" caption="Epson Artisan 730 Wireless All In One Printer"]
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Increase the quality of your holiday cards with the Epson Artisan 730-All-In-One Printer - $199 - This printer is great for high quality photos from 8.5x11 and smaller, plus it has the ability to print directly onto DVD’s which makes your presentation 100% better than that sharpy marker! The big selling point is that it is wireless, and it can work with iPhone, iPad, tablets, and other smartphones!
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="170" caption="Think Tank Photo Retrospective "]
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Carry your camera in style with the Think Tank Photo Retrospective 10- This bag is great because it doesn’t look like a typical camera bag, but it will still hold a camera with a mid-range zoom attached, a flash, and a prime lens. There's even room for all those Lexar memory cards and other nicknaks.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="171" caption="Kodak Portra 400 120 Professional Film"]
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Finally, for the film enthusiast I recommend Kodak's Portra 400-120 -about $5 a roll- I like shooting this film in the multiple Holga cameras that I own. The reason I really like this film is that it is a fast film for everyday use. I rate my holga lens at an f/11 or f/16, not the f/8 that the manufacture states and its shutter speed is about 1/125. I find this film to be great since I cannot change either of these factors. Only having the film choices of 160, 400, and 800, I think that 400 is the best choice. The only time I use 160 is if I use a flash on the hot shoe. I barely ever use 800, but it is a great option if you don’t have a speedlight and know that you are going to be using the camera in really low light situations.