Happy Holidays!

It’s shopping time, and if you are looking for gifts for the photographer you know (or for yourself), here are some nice budget-conscious items you can check out for your photographer friends and family.  And of course, don’t forget my printable PDF eBooks and video training courses!

Let’s get started, shall we?

Memory Cards

You can never get enough memory cards, and you can use older ones as back-ups. Newer cards are not only higher capacity, but they are probably faster, too.

• SD Cards:
  • Fast: SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Memory Card
  • Fastest: SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO UHS-II SDXC Memory Card
• CF Cards
  •  SanDisk 64GB Extreme Pro CompactFlash Memory Card (160MB/s)
  • SanDisk 128GB Extreme Pro CompactFlash Memory Card (160MB/s)
• XQD Cards
  • Lexar 64GB 2933x XQD 2.0 Memory Card
  • Lexar 128GB 2933x XQD 2.0 Memory Card

USB 3.0 Card Readers

If you have a newer computer with USB 3.0 ports, upgrade your card reader to maximize image transfer speeds.

• CF/SD Reader
  • Hoodman Steel USB 3.0 UDMA Card Reader

• XQD 2.0 Reader
  • Lexar Professional Workflow XR2 Card Reader for 2nd Generation XQD Cards

Sensor Cleaning Supplies

We all get dust spots. Start with a blower bulb, and if that doesn’t work, move up to a soft brush (I use a soft artist’s brush) or wet-swab kit with Eclipse solution.

• Blower Bulbs
  • Giottos Rocket Blaster Dust-Removal Tool (Large, Black)
  • Giottos Q Ball Air Blower (Black
• Sensor Cleaning Kits
  • Photographic Solutions Sensor Swab ULTRA Kit (Type 2)
    (for DX/APS-C sensors)
  • Photographic Solutions Sensor Swab ULTRA Kit (Type 3)
    (for FX/35mm sensors)

Portable Hard Drives

If you’re on the road with your camera, the best workflow is to keep your images on an external hard drive, especially if you transfer them to a different computer when you get home. Upgrade to a faster (USB 3 or Thunderbolt) or larger (2TB) drive for better road performance.

• USB 3.0 LaCie 2TB Rugged Mini Portable Hard Drive
• Thunderbolt LaCie 2TB Rugged Thunderbolt External Hard Drive (Mac-only)

Lensbabies

These fun lenses are sure to spark your creativity and pack small so you can take them anywhere.

• Composer Pro II with Sweet 35 Optic for Nikon F
• Lensbaby 5.8mm f/3.5 Circular Fisheye Lens for Nikon F
• Lensbaby Velvet 56mm f/1.6 Lens for Nikon F (Black)

Other Accessories

• Camera Rain Cover: FM Photography Shutter Hat Camera Cover
• Gorilla Pod: Joby Gorillapod SLR-Zoom Flexible Mini-Tripod
• iPhone tripod mounts:
  • For large phones: MeFOTO SideKick360 Plus Smartphone Tripod Adapter (Black)
  • For standard phones: MeFOTO SideKick360 Smartphone Tripod Adapter (Black)
• Colorchecker Card: X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Photo
• Think Tank Photo Accessories: (camera covers/memory card wallets/cable ties) My favorite are the “red whips!”
• Flypaper Textures (save 15% with code JASONO)
• Tripods under $500

Did I leave anything out? Leave a comment with your favorite holiday gift idea.