Dad’s 60th is coming up in a few months, we’re trying to think of something decent to get for him.
He’s a fine photographer and has a very nice Canon digital camera and (IIRC) Nikon SLR. He has a little negative scanner and some other bits and pieces, I just don’t know enough about photography to think of anything else that he might need. I’d prefer him not to know in advance what we’re getting him though.
Do any of the boards photographers have or desire any bits of kit that are very useful, but would be too expensive for a casual purchase?
Ah yes, the Gorillapod One of the few truly useful little gadgets that all photographers should own. Make sure to buy the bigger, sturdier one though as the smaller ones struggle with anything larger than a compact.
I’ll second a backpack and tripod, but you’ll need to spend some money to get good ones. Cheap tripods are useless: they’re shaky, unsturdy, tend to tip over, have leg locks that slip, and may not have the adjustments needed.
A camera backpack needs to be comfortable enough to take on an extended hike, so you want one that lets your hips take up the weight instead of the shoulders. Again, you’ll get what you pay for.
For his digital camera, if he carries lots of cards around, the Think Tank Pixel Pocket Rocket is awesome. Holds 10 CF cards, is foldable, and easily fits in your pocket. That might be overkill if he’s a casual shooter. Not too expensive for casual purchase, though.
If you know he likes playing around with external flashes, no photographer will ever complain about a gift of Pocket Wizard remote flash and camera triggers. You would just need to get him (at least) two Plus II transponders, and the appropriate cable to connect to his flash (most likely the standard PC-to-miniphone connection.) A set of two Plus IIs should run you about $350-$400. I got a set of four from eBay for $700, and I use them practically every time I go out to shoot (for clients.) If he’s a “natural light only” kind of guy, it might not be so interesting for him.
A nice camera bag is always welcome. I absolutely adore my Crumpler 6-Million Dollar Home bag… I’ve got room in there for my camera, two extra lenses (up to four, really, if I pack them in tight), and tons of small pockets for little doodas like SD cards, spare batteries, filters, lens wipes, etc. Plus it doesn’t scream “Hey, this is a camera bag with lots of expensive goodies inside you can steal!”, which I like. Any Crumpler camera bag is all kinds of awesome, though - and they make backpacks and waistpacks as well.
A tripod is also a good choice, but as Chefguy points out, you’ll need to spend a fair bit to get a good one - I have a $75 cheapie for indoor shooting where I know the ground is level, but outdoors I’m more likely to use The Boy’s Gitzo which can be adjusted to just about any angle you can imagine (it was a bargain at $500 for the set, but he lucked out and found one open-box).
The Gorilla Pod is awesome if his Canon is a point-and-shoot, but be careful if you’re buying for an SLR. There’s one that’s marketed as being suitable, but the max load is 1.7lbs… which isn’t nearly enough if the camera body weighs nearly 1lb on its own. I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on this sucker, though.
I don’t have one, but I’ve been lusting after a photographer’s vest for my gear. I don’t want to have to carry a big ol’ bag to have my lenses, etc. close at hand when I’m hiking.
The tripod’s an interesting idea, the only one I’ve seen is rarely used and seems a bit lacking. I’ll put it by my sister as something to look into.
Dad photographs a little bit of everything really, family, scenery etc, but wouldn’t be hiking off anywhere. Although I might give the bag a second though.
I’ll second, third whatever a nice tripod. I would check some local camera stores (even if you don’t do a tripod, still look around at the local shops). I highly recommend Manfrotto tripods and heads. I can’t find the actual tripod I have, but it’s really nice with a center column that you can remove and put on perpendicur. That doesn’t make sense, but it’s really nice. This is the head that I have.
Then whole setup should have some heft to it so everytime someone walks past it, it doesn’t get jostled around.
Also, if he likes to take it outdoors, the one that I have has padding on two of the legs so you can rest it (with camera attached) over your shoulder.
That’s a great idea. I just acquired a used Nikon D70 and I’m looking for a bag to put it in. I’m also eventually going to get some lights and the remote for the camera so that I can build an animation stand and rephotograph the artwork I did in animation school.
Other things that come to mind for the OP’s father? Spare batteries. These are never cheap, and become harder to get as the camera model becomes older; the batteries for my 2000-era video camera are very difficult to find.
Also consider getting another memory card, if it’s a digital camera, and possibly a memory-card reader. You have to know the precise model of camera to get the right card, though.
Depending on the type of photography he does, certain filters might be handy. Or flash units. Browsing around the photo store sites, I see that there are all sorts of remote-triggering flashes that can be placed apart from the camera, so that the light comes in from another angle.
If a tripod isn’t getting any use, you might get him a monopod, similar to this one. They’re lighter weight than a tripod, easier to carry, and work great in lower light situations where camera shake can be a problem.
Well, I can’t say they’re useful, but LensBabies are an absolute blast to use. Expensive, experimental, cool looking, and not something people would normally think to buy. http://lensbaby.com/
There are also cool gadgets like speedlites, remotes, and expensive Manfrotto tripods. Nice camera bags with lots of compartments are nice, too, like everyone has suggested. I have a Crumpler bag that I like—the only thing I warn against is getting one in a light color. They tend to show dirt. :o
Usually, photographers are happy to receive anything they don’t already have.
The single piece of equipment that I would say has improved my photographs beyond what I could create with a decent point and shoot is my flash. I’m a Nikon shooter with an SB-600. I’m sure Canon has some equivalent. If you’re willing to spend around between one and two hundred on a present and he doesn’t already have an external flash, look for one that with a good amount of swivel on the head. Once I started bouncing my flash, even my snapshots took on a more professional look.
Smaller ideas-
-Maybe a gift certificate to a local photo developer? Photoworks is a local place that’ll print & mount your photos. A nice, framed 20x30 print would be a nice gift.
-Photo magazine? Not one about gadgets & reviews, which are a dime a dozen, but about photos. JPG springs to mind, but its future is up in the air right now. (Full disclosure: I’m friends with the editor, but I was active on the site before I met her.) Or a photo book on a specific subject he’s into. (ie “Chicago Art Deco” and not “New York at night” which I think account for 10% of all photos taken ever)
-A paid Flickr (or similar) account? It’s $25/year and been worth every penny to me. Depends how computer-savvy he is though.
Yeah, the usefulness of the lens is the only drawback. I want to start a home portrait studio, and I know one of those wouldn’t be the most practical purchase toward this ultimate goal, but… do want. Want so much.
I’ll second MissMossie on the flash, particularly one for the Canon dSLR. The flash on my 350D is nice, but it’s nowhere near as useful or feature-packed as a Speedlite or one of the other many flashes.
