Best Gifts
For Photographers
Welcome to the Holiday Gift Guide, detailing the best gifts for photographers. The following list includes some of the hottest cameras, lenses, accessories, and software of the year, such as the latest mirrorless cameras and drone technology. It also includes evergreen products that we’ll continue to recommend year over year, such as the time-tested 5 in 1 reflector and the Leatherman Utility Tool.
In this guide we mix of practical gift ideas with quirky gift ideas to keep things fun and interesting. We also separate each of the gift ideas by price range, so you can easily browse for your favorite photographer by budget.
We hope you enjoy!
Featured Gifts
SLR Lounge Premium
Gift someone the coaching, education and resources for real world success in photography!
Visual Flow Lightroom Presets
Gift your photographer the number 1 preset system for wedding and portrait photographers, created by SLR Lounge and DVLOP.
The Photo Argus Landscape Photography Presets
TPA is offering 50% off of their NEW landscape Photography Presets. These workflow presets give photographers a full range of tools for creating incredible, stylized image for travel and landscape photos.
Under $50
Lowepro GearUp Memory Wallet
The Memory Wallet 20 easily carries, organizes and protects your creative work. Book-style opening with page-style storage format and clear organizer pockets. Swivel snap on leash for securing the pouch.
Enola Gaye Smoke Bombs – $11
Enola Gaye Smoke Bombs are fun creative tools for photographers of all skill levels. The Wire Pull Smoke Grenade WP40 lasts 90 Seconds and features a simple pull ring ignition, non-toxic smoke, and a fully biodegradable body. Use code SLREG10 at checkout to save 10% off your purchase.
Manfrotto PIXI Mini Tripod – $21.85 $30
As more and more content is being created on our smartphones, a good stable phone tripod is becoming a must-have for professional photographers. This Manfrotto PIXI features a comfortable handgrip, push button locking mechanism for easy setup, and a sleek design. (Check Pricing: Adorama | B&H | Amazon)
Crystal Ball Photo Prop – $17
A crystal ball is an inexpensive creative prop that can help photographers create interesting and creative imagery. These are most commonly used by portrait and landscape photographers, but can be creatively used in any genre.
40-Inch 5-in-1 Reflector – $40
A reflector is one of the first tools any portrait photographer should because of its ability to easily shape natural light. At under $40, it’s a perfect tool for amateur photographers looking to take the next step in their photography.
LensPen Camera Cleaning Kit – $33 – Two things are common among almost all photographers. First, they need clean gear (and don’t clean often enough). And second, they often misplace their cleaning gear or don’t have it handy. Long story short, all photographers can use an extra cleaning kit.
National Geographic Magazine $19 – Every photographer would appreciate this classic, iconic magazine that showcases some of the best nature and landscape photography in the world.
Anker PowerCore 10000 PD Redux – $39.99 – Battery life is the beauty and bane of today’s photographer. Whether we’re on location on a mountain, working from a coffee shop, we’ll have a plethora of devices that need power to get you through the end of the day. As the technology and gear changes, so do our power needs and that’s why an Anker Battery Pack deserves to be in all of our gear bags.
Spider Pro Handstrap v2 – $70 – The SpiderPro Hand Strap v2 is a comfortable camera solution with a Nylon core that “remembers”, or conforms to your hand shape and shooting angle after repeated use. The updated v2 design features a wider memory foam interior for better hand support.
JOBY GorillaPod – $50 – Gorilla pods are flexible, portable, and surprisingly sturdy! Capable of supporting everything from your cellphone to a DSLR, these devices are made to last, giving photographers the ability to see things from nearly any perspective.
Under $150
Leatherman Wingman Multitool – $59.95
The Leather Wingman Multitool is a must-have for any photographer on location. Whether it’s fixing a light stand or trimming loose ends on a model’s wardrobe, this thing will come in handy sooner or later.
Magmod Flash Starter Kit
Magmod light shaping tools are essential, convenient tools for on-location shooters like wedding and portrait photographers. This is our recommended system for attaching grids and gels to your flashes, making this a great gift for photographers. Also check out their full Magbox System.
Crown and Paw Prints – $59.95 and Up
Turn your pet portrait into a work of art with Crown and Paw Prints. Hilariously awesome, these are sure to be appreciated by any pet owner.
DJI OSMO Pocket 6
The DJI OSMO Pocket 6 makes video creation easy and accessible. Never post a shaky video again with the powerful 3-axis motor. Tons of other great features include dynamicZoom, Gesture Control, and ActiveTrack.
Fujifilm Instax Mini Link Printer $99.95 – The Fujifilm instant printer bridges the gap between digital and physical prints by making it easy to print photos directly from your phone. Add fun filters and frames to your photos and even print photos from your videos, with a printing speed of just 12 seconds
Luminar NEO – $99 – A game changing image editor fully powered by artificial intelligence, Luminar Neo makes creating striking photos is fun and surprisingly easy. Replace skies, add fog and other atmospheric effects, and much more with a few clicks.
Under $300
Manfrotto Pro Light Multiloader Backpack
The Multiloader backpack offers an entirely modular bag that has 3 different carrying configurations.With the use of different combinations of the harness and straps, it can be carried as either a backpack for maximum comfort, a sling bag for speedy lens changing, or as a duffle bag for on-the-go full gear access
Datacolor SpyderX Elite – $269.99
Any photographer who creates physical prints or delivers professional photos to clients needs to calibrate his or her monitors to ensure accurate colors. Datacolor’s SpyderX Elite is the best tool for the job.
Profoto C1 Plus Smartphone Studio Light – $299 $465
A great gift for mobile photographers, the C1 encompasses the quality and precision of Profoto designed for your mobile needs. The round shape gives you a soft fall-off for beautiful light. Use the click-on magnetic mount to attach additional shaping tools. (Check Pricing: Adorama | B&H | Amazon)
Westcott 18” BiColor Ring Light Kit – $199.90
Although Westcott is known for their high-end cinema lights, they also have a great all-in-one ring light kit that is available for your increased amount of zoom calls with clients, your youtube side-hustle, or using during a photoshoot.
Loupedeck+ Editing Console – $249
If you spend any time in Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, Capture one, or basically any other editing and retouching application, then you’ll definitely want to have a keyboard/console like accessory from Loupedeck to help make your editing a breeze. These devices come fully configured with all the most used features and tools in the physical buttons and knobs, and they offer a wide range of customization to cater exactly to your editing style and workflow.
HoldFast Gear MoneyMaker Two-Camera Harness – $219.99 – If you’re looking for a gift for a two-camera shooter, then the Holdfast Moneymaker is a great option. The quality build and the stylish look make this a favorite among wedding photographers.
WANDRD – PRVKE Travel and DSLR Camera Backpack – $184 – A photographer you know will tell you they’re always searching for a better bag/backpack to carry all of their favorite gear, is comfortable to wear for long periods, and can fit in the overhead/carryon section of an airplane. That’s why the Wandrd Prvke is the perfect choice of fashion and function for the creative on your list this holiday season.
LaCie Rugged SSD 1TB Solid State Drive – $229.99 – One thing that goes hand in hand with photography is the need for multiple hard drives. Be it for sending files to a retoucher, giving them to a client, or just archiving and backing up in triplicate, you can never have enough storage! The Lacie Rugged Portable SSD Drive can make a world of difference with both capacity and speed making it a near perfect gift for the creative on your list.
Insta360 GO 2 – $199.99 – A fun, innovative way to capture stabilized, 1080p footage, GO features proprietary FlowState stabilization to keep your footage impossibly smooth, AI-powered FlashCut to find your best shots and edit them together on beat, and a wide range of in-the-box accessories.
Under $500
Visual Flow Lightroom Presets Bundle – 33% Off
Get 33% off the number 1 preset system for wedding and portrait photographers.
Peak Design Travel Tripod – $349.95
As SLR Lounge’s recommended tripod, The Travel Tripod by Peak Design gives you pro-level stability and load capacity, yet packs down to the diameter of a water bottle. The unique design gives you fast and easy setup and takedown capabilities with a secure, fast, and ergonomic camera quick release.
DJI Mavic Mini 2 – $449
The latest drone from DJI, The Mini 2 is less than 249 grams, with a compact and convenient design ideal for travel cinematography. Featuring a 3- Axis Gimbal, a 4K camera, and loads of the latest technology, this is a great gift for the amateur or professional film maker or photographer. (Check Pricing: Adorama | B&H)
DJI Air 2S – $999
Featuring a 1-inch CMOS sensor, powerful autonomous functions, and a compact body weighing less than 600 g, DJI Air 2S is the ultimate drone for aerial photographers on the move. Take this all-in-one aerial powerhouse along with you anywhere to experience and record your world in stunning detail. (Check Pricing: Adorama | B&H | Amazon)
Flashpoint XPLOR 600 HSS Battery-Powered Monolight
The most recent addition to the Flashpoint XPLOR series is the XPLOR 300 PRO. This offers enough power to be used in the studio or outdoors, and offers battery power to make on-location shoots a breeze.
Wacom PTH660 Intuos Pro $379 – The standard for photographers and graphic artists when it comes to graphic drawing tablets, the latest Wacom tablet is a great gift for photographers who spend significant time in editing their photos. This slim tablet design is their most popular size (13.2” x 8.5”) and features 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, tilt-response and virtually lag-free tracking for ultimate precision and control.
Mobile by Peak Design – $32 to $332 – Following in their tradition of innovation, Peak Design released Mobile this year, an entire ecosystem of mounts, cases, accessories, and chargers designed to better integrate your phone with your life. They’re made for any phone, and also compatible with Apple’s new MagSafe® system.
SkyWatcher Star Adventurer Photo Kit – $320 – Nightscape photographers will love this motorized portable tracking platform perfect for capturing incredible detail of the Milky Way, eclipses and other astronomical objects. The SkyWatcher features allows for integration with existing tripods.
Under $1000
Sigma Lenses – $399 to $1339
Sigma lenses are a great choice for any photographer because of their high performance in sharpness and overall image quality, solid build, and good price point.
Profoto A1x – $895 $1095
The Profoto A1 Light is an incredibly versatile flash that can be adapted to almost any situation on camera or off. The magnet ring makes attachments and accessory swapping a breeze and the TTL capabilities can do most of the heavy lifting for you in terms of your settings. Professionals will enjoy the fast adjustments and versatility, amateurs will take advantage of all of the intelligent and automatic operations. (Check Pricing: Adorama | B&H | Amazon)
Jarvis Bamboo Standing Desk – $664
With most of us working from home, stand-up desks have become an even hotter item to make the “must have” lists for the creatives in your life. The Jarvis Stand Up Desks have become one of the most popular desks sold today with a competitive price point, a wide variety of heights to accommodate most people, and stability in line with the best in the market.
![jarvis standing desk](https://cloudfront.slrlounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/jarvis-standing-desk.jpg)
Zhiyun Crane-2S Pro – $849
Zhiyun Crane-2S Pro 3-Axis stabilizer is one of the hottest products of 2020 in its category. The Crane-2S handles large cameras, and you can also mount multiple accessories on it. It features the new FlexMount System which simplifies the setup process while securing the camera with a double safety lock. (Check Pricing: Adorama | B&H | Amazon)
Over $1000
Apple MacBook Pro 16″ – $2,499
The most powerful MacBook Pro ever is here. With the blazing-fast M1 Pro chip – the first Apple silicon designed for pros – you get groundbreaking performance and amazing battery life. Add to that a stunning Liquid Retina XDR display, the best camera and audio ever in a Mac notebook, and all the ports you need. The first notebook of its kind, this MacBook Pro is a beast.
Profoto B10 Plus OCF Flash Head – $2,095
The B10 Plus builds on the laurels of the original B10, with the same quality, consistency, and design of the original, but now offers 500Ws of power, double that of its predecessor. (Check Pricing: Adorama | B&H)
Puget Systems Custom PC – Price Varies
If you’re looking to splurge on a custom built PC computer, we recommend going with Puget Systems. They’ll put together an optimized machine for your photo and/or video editing needs with operating speeds unmatched by any out-of-the-box solution.
Fuji X-T5 – $1,699
The X-Series cameras have been a favorite among professional creatives and the Fujifilm X-T4 has raised the bar even further. This flagship Fujifilm X-Series camera will be the perfect gift for the professional Fujifilm shooter in your life. (Check Pricing & Pre-Order: Adorama | B&H)
Canon EOS R3 Mirrorless – $5,999
Building on the success of the EOS R series of cameras and leveraging advancements in technology that have come along since, the EOS R3 combines some of the best of both the EOS R5 and EOS-1D X Mark III cameras to provide a robust, high-performance camera. The EOS R3 is the first “3” series camera since the popular EOS-3 film camera launched in 1998. (Check Pricing: Adorama | B&H)
Canon EOS R5 – $3,899
The R5 is one of the best cameras Canon has ever made, with 45 megapixels, a 5,940 auto focus zone, a 20 fps shooting speed and 8k movie capabilities. This is the camera for the professional photographer loyal to the Canon brand. (Check Pricing: Adorama | B&H)
Canon EOS R6 II – $2,499
The R6 II is a brilliant full-frame mirrorless camera from Canon. It’s more affordable than the R5 yet still boasts many of the same strengths as well as some improvements, such as best-in-class autofocus performance, in-body image stabilization, and more. (Check Pricing & Pre Order: Adorama | B&H)
Nikon Z 7II – $2,996.95
The Z7 II boasts a 45.7MP full-frame BSI sensor with dual processors and dual card slots, making a great option for professionals looking for the latest mirrorless technology under the Nikon Brand. (Check Pricing: Adorama | B&H)
Nikon Z 9 Mirrorless – $5,496.95
With an advanced autofocus system, 8K video resolution, fast and powerful processing engine, and more, the Nikon Z 9 full-frame mirrorless camera is Nikon’s newest flagship camera. The durable and feature-packed Z 9 is a perfect tool for photo and video creators looking to take their imaging to the next level. (Check Pricing at Adorama | B&H)
Sony Alpha a7 IV Mirrorless – $2,498
An all-arounder that pushes beyond basic, the Sony a7 IV does double duty with strong stills and video performance. An advanced hybrid mirrorless camera, the a7 IV has the resolution and AF performance that appeals to photographers along with robust 4K 60p video recording for filmmakers and content creators. (Adorama | B&H)
Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless – $3,498
Virtuoso expression. Sony’s full-frame mirrorless α7R IV reveals ever more overwhelming photographic vision, with expressive prowess once expected only in medium-format cameras, and remarkably high speed in a compact body. See how its enhanced rigidity and connectivity raise your productivity. (Check Pricing: Adorama | B&H)