Woah woah! Slow down… You just stumbled across the BEST guide for creative gift ideas for the photographer on your holiday gift list.
Sorted here by price and hand selected by pro photographers at RGG EDU, you’re bound to find something that works for a hobbyist photographer as well as professional photographer and retoucher.
Best of all, each of these special gifts are available online, and you don’t have to fight the holiday commotion in the stores. So, go ahead, don’t be shy. You’re going to be the best gift giver ever this holiday season.
4 Best Photography Gifts Under $200
Photography is an expensive hobby and career, so we applaud you for helping out your fellow photo buffs! But you don’t have to break the bank to really impress people with your mad gift buying skills. These photo gifts costs less than $200.
Lensbaby Sol 45mm f/3.5 Lens for Canon ($199.95)
You may or may not know much about lenses, but your photographer friend probably does. Most camera lenses are well over $800, but THIS lens is really affordable and totally legit. It’s unlike any other lens - creates a unique effect - and although most photographers won’t already have one, they will totally enjoy being creative with it. World-class UK photographer and RGG EDU instructor, Jake Hicks uses one so it has to be good, right?
For this gift, the only thing you need to know is what type of camera your friend has so that you can get the appropriate mount to work with their camera. Find a sly way to ask your photographer what type of camera they use and you should be good to go!
Check out the Lensbaby SOL on Adorama for $199.95.
Fujifilm Instax SHARE SP-3 Smartphone Printer ($179)
We bet you know someone who takes badass pictures with their phone. But when’s the last time they were able to PRINT that really cool pic? This smartphone printer is a perfect gift for anyone who loves photography and their phone. It pairs with any smartphone to develop an instant print in the classic square format.
Gift the printer in black or white and relive your memories forever with your photo-buff friends.
Buy the Fujifilm Share Printer on Walmart for $169.95.
Polaroid Originals Sun 640 Instant Film Camera ($149.99)
This vintage camera is fun for the social photographer in your world. Gift them a camera that they can bring to all their holiday parties and events to instantly print photos of family, friends and fun. And on the professional side, we’ve found that these also come in handy to keep in the studio. Snap a quick photo of a model and staple it to a model release for quick reference.
Don’t worry, we won’t judge you if you buy this classic for yourself.
Shop Polaroid Originals Instant Film Camera on Adorama for $149.99.
Saramonic SmartMixer - Audio Adapter for iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, and Android Smartphones ($119.95)
Everyone knows the latest iPhones and Androids shoot vivid videos, but the audio and sound quality is garbage. Light and compact, the SmartMixer rig is easy to throw in a travel bag to get infinitely better audio while stabilizing your video.
With a high battery life of about 3 hours this is definitely worthy of gifting to the videographer that you love.
Save $30 until 11/07/08 on the Smart Mixer from Saramonic for $119.95.
4 Best Photography Gifts Under $100
Earn all the cool points with the photography buff in your life with these gifts that cost less than $100. You can’t go wrong with these crowd pleasers for all skill levels.
X-Rite Digital Colorchecker Passport Balance System ($98.99)
When shooting landscapes, portraits, or images of products, it’s critical to reproduce the colors as close as possible, but most camera presets are not ideal. Now, photographers can take this handy dandy tool on photo shoots to make sure their white balance in camera is correct.
Since most amateur photographers don’t take the time to do this, your friend is sure to up their game when they start using a Colorchecker.
Give vivid color with the X-Rite Colorchecker Passport on Amazon for $98.99.
Moment Wide Lens ($99)
Rated the #1 iPhone lens by The Wirecutter, this brand-new wide-angle lens allows you to capture 2x the amount of picture from your phone, without the fisheye distortion. That means crystal clear images of landscapes, real estate, people and more are in the future for the lucky recipient of this gift.
The lens works with iPhone and Android devices and attaches with one of Moment’s Photo Cases ($23.99) or Battery Photo Cases ($99.99) to keep the lens safe and securely attached.
Snag the Wide Lens on Moment for $99.
BlackRapid Sport Breathe Camera Strap ($73.95)
There’s nothing nerdier than using the camera strap that actually comes with a camera. If you don’t want your friend to look like an amateur, get them a sporty camera strap. It’ll support any camera of any weight.
They’ll think you’re totally groovy.
Add Sport Breathe Camera Strap to your cart on BlackRapid for $73.95.
G-Drive Mobile 1TB Storage
How much can you really talk up about a storage solution? At the end of the day, photographers just need a safe place to store their massive amounts of high-resolution photos and videos.
This little box is the perfect gift for Mac-loving photographers for portable, fast, and convenient storage.
Stock up on storage with the G-Drive Mobile from G-Technology for $64.95.
3 Best Photography Gifts Under $20
If you’re looking for the perfect stocking stuffer idea for photography nuts, check out these hand-picked bargains for less than $20. And no, we don’t think you’re a cheapskate.
Pelican 0915 Memory Card Case ($19.89)
Memory card cases are pretty rad because if a photographer has one, they definitely want more and if they don’t already have one, then you’re going to be a hero.
We love anything Pelican and this baby holds 24 cards - 8 SD cards and 16 mini SD cards.
Play it safe with the Pelican Memory Card Case on sale from Adorama for $19.89.
SanDisk 32GB Extreme PRO SDHC Memory Card ($17.99)
Just because you’re looking for an easy, low risk gift doesn’t mean you have to resort to a boring gift card. Photographers collect dozens of memory cards, so get them something they can add to their collection and use right away.
We’re certain there is absolutely no chance that you’d buy this, and your friend can’t use it. Try to prove us wrong.
Grab 32 GB Memory Cards on SanDisk for $17.99 each.
Nikon Lens Pen Cleaning System ($8.95)
It’s happened to the best of us. You’re on set and you go to readjust your camera and put a big ol’ thumbprint on the lens. Now, instead of resorting to a t-shirt, photographers have a 2-sided tool that can clean their lenses and filters without scratching or damaging them.
Gift the experience of cleaning convenience with this tool - and we promise it’s not nerdy. (Well it is, but in a cool-nerd way.)
Save 18% on the Nikon Lens Pen on Adorama for $8.95.
These are some of the best gifts you can buy for a photographer the 2018 holiday season. We won’t be mad if you send a few to our studio too!
So what'll it be, partner?
