The post The dPS Holiday Gift Guide for Photographers (2020) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
In this 2020 gift guide for photographers, we give you a rundown of all the best photography-related gifts - for beginners, hobbyists, and even professionals.
We feature gifts for photographers of all styles and at all price points, including exciting cameras, lenses, accessories, creative photography tools, photography courses, and much more.
So no matter your budget, and no matter the type of photographer, you're basically guaranteed to find the right gift.
Take a look:
The X-T4 is the latest flagship camera from Fujifilm, perfect for any hobbyist or professional photographer (and sold at a very reasonable price, too).
The X-T4 packs a whole host of high-level features, including dual card slots, in-body image stabilization, a weather-sealed body, 20 fps continuous shooting, and a beautiful electronic viewfinder. You also get 4K/60p recording and a fully-articulating screen, which makes the X-T4 an excellent option for hybrid shooters and even vloggers.
But the best thing about the X-T4 is the design; it’s retro, it’s minimalistic, and the dial-focused shooting experience will change the way you approach photography.
To learn more about the Fujifilm X-T4, you can read our hands-on review right here. To purchase the X-T4, click here.
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An outstanding lens for landscape photographers, street photographers, and much more.
The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM is fast focusing, it’s ultra-sharp, and it offers a great focal length range for landscape, street, and even portrait photographers - which makes it one of the most high-performing, versatile lenses you can buy in 2020.
Note that this is a Sigma DC lens, so it’s designed for APS-C sensors. But for photographers who have an APS-C DSLR, this is the lens to get. At 18mm, you can capture stunning landscapes; at 24mm, you can create beautiful environmental portraits and wider street shots; at 35mm, you can photograph standard portraits, detail shots, and more.
Also pay attention to the f/1.8 maximum aperture, which guarantees beautiful background blur at longer focal lengths (for that professional look so many photographers struggle to achieve).
For any casual photographer, street photographer, or landscape photographer, the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 is a stellar choice. You can purchase it for Canon, Nikon, or Pentax here.
These days, thanks to high-megapixel image files, computer hard drives fill up fast.
There’s also the protection angle to think about:
Without a proper backup system, it’s easy to lose photos to accidental deletion, hard drive failure, and file corruption.
Which is why every photographer should have at least one external hard drive, preferably with a lot of space. We use WD Elements external hard drives ourselves, and have never had one fail.
It may not seem like the most exciting purchase, but the WD 10 TB hard drive is a highly useful gift, one that any hobbyist photographer will appreciate for years to come.
Of course, you don’t have to go with 10 TB; WD sells 8 TB, 6 TB, 4 TB, and 3 TB drives, as well as larger 12 TB, 14 TB, 16 TB, and 18 TB options.
So purchase the perfect external hard drive right here.
MIOPS Capsule360 is a miracle motion box that combines multiple shooting modes in a single unit. There are no limits what you can do with this amazing product.
• Thanks to the unique design of Capsule360, Motion Time-Lapse recording has never been so easy
• You can enjoy 360° product photography using Capsule360’s special features
• Take a 360-degree panorama in minutes
• Capsule360 can track your face or an object with a single touch on your smartphone
• Capsule360 offers cable-free, automatic setup that saves you from cable clutter
For photographers or videographers looking to do product photography, time-lapse photography, or panorama photography, the Capture360 is a great buy. So check it out right here.
Lensball photography, also known as crystal ball photography or refraction photography, is a fun and creative way for any photographer to take photos.
Use a lensball in your landscape photography for a unique perspective on any scene.
You can also spice up portrait shots, street shots, and more - all with a simple lensball!
See a lensball in action in this article by Simon Bond, or purchase the lensball here.
The Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 isn't the priciest lens out there, but don't let that fool you; it packs a powerful punch, combining a durable build, speedy autofocus, and a handy zoom range for very nice results.
Wildlife and bird photographers, in particular, will love the Tamron 100-400mm. You can shoot environmental wildlife portraits at 100mm, larger mammals in the 200-300mm range, and birds at 400mm, plus you get a serious focal length boost if you shoot with an APS-C camera.
Then there's the image quality:
The Tamron 100-400mm is pretty darn sharp, which is impressive for a sub-$1000 telephoto zoom. Your wildlife photos will feature gorgeous detail, especially with the Vibration Compensation active (this allows you to handhold at impressively slow shutter speeds).
So for hobbyist wildlife photographers, bird photographers, and even sports photographers, the Tamron 100-400mm is a great choice. See it for Canon and Nikon here.
For beginners, learning to use a flash can be tough.
But carefully controlled artificial lighting is one of the quickest ways to take photos to the next level.
Fortunately, this Lighting 101 course from SLR Lounge offers an easy way to master flash photography. It’s packed with over nine hours of video content, which takes photographers through basic lighting setups, flash modifiers, creative flash techniques, and so much more.
It assumes very little flash photography knowledge - but by the time you’re done, you’ll be a flash expert. And your portraits will never look the same again.
Check out the Lighting 101 course from SLR Lounge here.
Every photographer needs a good tripod.
But most tripods are either bulky or unstable.
The Peak Design Travel tripod, on the other hand, manages to combine stability and compactness into a single lightweight package. The carbon fiber version weighs just 2.8 lb, but it can handle up to 20 lb of gear. It’s also highly compact, so photographers can easily fit it in a suitcase or tripod sleeve.
You also get a nice center column for increased flexibility when positioning your camera in the field. And the legs can be expanded to almost 180 degrees, so you can capture close-up and low-angle shots from down on the ground.
For photographers who love to shoot landscapes, long exposure travel photos, and even portraits, the Peak Design Travel tripod is an outstanding purchase.
You can grab the Peak Design Travel Tripod here.
Take your flash photography to the next level with these portable modifiers.
For anyone looking to take their flash photography to the next level, modifiers are a must-have.
Unfortunately, most modifiers are unwieldy, they’re bulky, and they’re difficult to set up.
Enter the Godox Flash Accessories kit, which packs a set of easy-to-use flash modifiers, including a diffuser (for creating beautiful, soft light), several gels (for creating colorful effects), a snoot (for creating an ultra-directional spotlight), and even a set of barn doors (for carefully controlling the light direction).
And you don’t have to worry about compatibility:
Thanks to a simple adapter, you can use the Godox Flash Accessories kit with a whole host of flashes, including Nikon flashes, Canon flashes, Yongnuo flashes, and more.
It’s the perfect buy for photographers just getting started with a flash. So make sure you check it out here.
A camera cleaning kit is a must for every photographer.
It's impossible to keep lenses and sensors completely clean all of the time. Dust and dirt can easily make their way onto the front of the lens and sometimes onto the sensor when changing lenses (especially when you're out in the elements).
This Altura cleaning kit includes a brush for sweeping away dust from a camera or lens, a rocket blower for removing dirt from a camera body or lens, a two-sided lenspen for removing particles from your front lens elements and filters, plus much, much more.
A camera cleaning kit may not be glamorous, but it can be a photographer's savior when out on a shoot!
So grab your handy camera cleaning kit right here.
The KUVRD Universal Lens Cap is the perfect way to keep your camera equipment safe.
Unlike a standard lens cap, the Universal Lens Cap fits nearly all lenses, which makes packing a camera bag far easier. It's also foldable, so you can pop the Universal Lens Cap into a pocket, a purse, or a camera bag with ease.
And the rubber design provides shock absorption, so you won't worry about your lenses breaking when stored away.
Here's the bottom line:
The Universal Lens Cap protects your precious lenses from dust, dirt, sand, scratches, bumps, and more.
Which is why it's the perfect gift for pretty much any photographer!
You can purchase the KUVRD Universal Lens Cap right here.
The Sony a6400 is a high-quality, compact mirrorless camera, perfect for travel photography, street photography, vlogging, and more.
It offers a 24.2 MP APS-C sensor, as well as access to Sony's class-leading autofocus. The a6400 allows for high dynamic range capture, plus interval recording for time-lapse video.
It also has a rear LCD screen that can flip up 180 degrees. This is ideal for vloggers or those who want to monitor footage while in front of the camera.
And the electronic viewfinder is great for previewing exposure and color while in the field.
You can purchase the Sony a6400 right here.
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The Peak Design Everyday Backpack offers everything anyone could want in a camera backpack.
It’s durable. It’s stylish. And it fits a surprising amount of camera equipment into its highly-configurable storage compartments.
The Everyday Backpack also includes a laptop sleeve, so you can edit your photos on the go. And the clever locking mechanism ensures your gear is always safe from others - but easily accessed by you!
So for photographers in need of a spacious camera backpack that’s easy to use, boasts a lot of flexibility, and looks great, the Peak Design Everyday Backpack is an outstanding choice.
To take a closer look at this gorgeous photo backpack from Peak Design, click here.
Skylum’s Luminar 4 is the absolute best photo editing software for beginners, thanks to its intuitive design, easy-to-use features, and ridiculously powerful presets.
Unlike traditional post-processing software, Luminar 4 relies heavily on simple, one-click edits to improve your photos. For instance, you can replace skies, add sun rays, enhance texture, boost colors, and much more - all within 10 minutes of installing the program.
In other words:
There’s almost zero learning curve, which makes Luminar 4 perfect for inexperienced editors.
Luminar 4 is no lightweight when it comes to standard editing features, either. You have nearly all the same tools as Lightroom, plus some extras; the difference is that Luminar 4 is designed with beginners in mind.
For photographers who are overwhelmed by more traditional post-processing software, Luminar 4 is the way to go. You can grab a copy here.
This flexible mini-tripod is an ideal photographer's companion.
The GorillaPod is perfect for travelers who need a tripod but don't want to take up too much space in their camera bag or backpack.
The GorillaPod's flexible legs allow you to wrap it around objects such as tree branches, poles, and much more - so that you can stabilize your camera when capturing photos and videos in just about any location.
See a video review of the Joby GorillaPod 3k tripod here, or purchase it here.
A light meter like the Sekonic L-308X-U Flashmate is a lifesaver for serious portrait photographers and videographers.
You see, while most cameras offer built-in light meters, they just don't boast the same level of flexibility and accuracy as the Sekonic L-308X-U Flashmate.
So for photographers looking to get their exposure right every single time, this handheld light meter is a great buy.
It's the perfect studio photographer's companion - but it can also be taken on location when shooting portraits.
See the advantages of using a light meter in this article by John McIntire, or check out the Sekonic L-308X-U Flashmate right here.
The Olympus Tough TG-6 camera is built so tough that even the kids can use it! But it's not just for kids – the camera is built for all adventurous photographer-types.
The TG-6 is also compact enough that you can toss it in your pack or your pocket for photography on the go.
You can use this camera in the water with its dedicated underwater mode. Alternatively, you can use the microscope mode to capture macro shots of bugs in the grass!
Check out this full review by Mat Coker, or purchase the Olympus Tough TG-6 right here.
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KUVRD’s Universal Lens Hood is one of the most innovative and unique products of 2020, offering a convenient way to cover every lens you own - without taking up critical space in your camera bag.
Standard lens hoods are big and bulky, plus you need a new hood for each lens you buy. Once you misplace a lens hood, then the corresponding lens is without protection.
KUVRD’s Universal Lens Hood, on the other hand, is, well, universal. It mounts on the front of pretty much any lens, which means you can take one or two KUVRD lens hoods in your bag and use them with all of your lenses. Plus, they’re rubber, so they can be folded and slotted into a side pocket or even a purse.
And the Universal Lens Hood offers additional benefits:
For one, it allows you to mount most filters in front of your lens, regardless of thread size. It also eliminates reflections when shooting through windows.
So for photographers looking for an easy, space-saving way to protect their lenses, the KUVRD Universal Lens Hood is a perfect choice. Learn more here.
For landscape photographers, travel photographers, and cityscape photographers, filters are a must-have.
Yet most filters only fit a single filter thread size, which means you’ll often be forced to buy a new set of filters for every lens you own.
That’s where the NiSi Filter Starter Kit comes in.
The Starter Kit packs four pro-level filters for stunning landscape photography:
A 10-stop neutral density filter (for ultra-long exposures), a 6 stop neutral density filter (for more standard long exposures), a medium graduated neutral density filter (for high dynamic range scenes), and a reverse GND (for beautiful sunrise or sunset shots).
And thanks to an innovative filter holder by NiSi, you can mount these filters on practically any lens, no matter the filter thread. The Starter Kit comes with filter thread adapters for 82mm, 77mm, 72mm, and 67mm filter thread sizes, and other options are also available for purchase.
The kit also comes with NiSi’s special filter pouch, as well as a circular polarizer - which is perfect for removing reflections and enhancing colors.
For the up-and-coming landscape, travel, or cityscape photographer, the NiSi 100mm Filter Starter Kit is a dream come true! Purchase it here.
Without a memory card, you can't capture a single photo.
Which means that this SD card will be appreciated by every SD-card using photographer around, no matter their level of skill.
Now, this SanDisk 256 GB Extreme SD card has a high-speed transfer rate of 150 MB/s, which makes it ideal for photographers who shoot lots of RAW photos - and the big 256 GB size means you can fit loads of photos and videos without filling up.
In fact, with 256 GB of storage, even serious photographers may be able to last an entire trip, which is pretty impressive, given the number of shots most photographers take!
Plus, the high-speed transfer rate also makes this card great for those recording video, because you don't get lag when shooting and the camera won't cut out.
So to check out your SD card options, click here.
The post The dPS Holiday Gift Guide for Photographers (2020) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
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