Best Gifts for Photographers in 2024

Today's mirrorless cameras may be able to take stunning images with pristine detail, but there's something indefinably charming about images from old disposable film cameras. But what if you could achieve that retro look using your modern camera? That's exactly what the Pocket Dispo lens aims to create. By using the same lens elements found in actual disposable cameras, the lens is able to authentically mimic the look of a disposable without you needing to actually throw away plastic cameras in the process.

The company 3D prints the lens bodies, which look basically the same as your camera's body cap, and there are no electronic elements inside. That means there's no autofocus or image stabilisation, and the aperture is fixed at around f11. Your subjects will be in focus from 1.5 meters away up to infinity. Its focal length equates to about 28mm which is roughly in-line with the 20-35mm of most disposable cameras. Pocket Dispo also provides a set of preset packs for Lightroom designed to mimic disposable film stocks and while they're fun to play with, I actually preferred creating my own retro looks in Lightroom and saving the look as my own custom preset.

While it might seem odd buying a $50 accessory that makes your $5,000 camera look like a $20 disposable, I have found it to be genuinely fun to use, especially for shoot-from-the-hip style street photography around Edinburgh. The Pocket Dispo lens is available in a wide variety of mounts for most mirrorless cameras.

Peak Design Slide Lite camera strap

While most cameras come with straps, they're often quite basic. Peak Design's Slide straps are more comfortable to use, come in a variety of widths to support larger cameras and have an innovative locking mechanism that lets them quickly detach the strap -- ideal if they want to move it between different cameras or remove it for neater storage. 

I've used Peak Design's camera straps on professional photoshoots for years, and they've always proven to be extremely hard-wearing. I always make sure I have one on my camera. 

OWC Atlas Ultra CFexpress card

With cameras like the Canon R5 that are capable of shooting incredibly detailed 8K video footage, they'll need a storage card that can keep up. Even shooting lots of bursts of still images can be taxing.

OWC's Atlas Ultra CFexpress card enables write speeds up to 1,700MB/s and read speeds of up to 1,850MB/s, which will easily keep up with their video shooting needs and outstrip the speeds offered by older SD cards. 

Better yet, they're available in capacities from 165GB for more casual still shooters up to a whopping 2TB for more enthusiastic or professional video creators. Smaller capacities are available at more affordable prices, so it's easy to find a card to suit your budget.

Zhiyun's Molus X100 LED light packs a huge amount of power into an extremely small package. It puts out 100 watts of power, which is as much as a photographer would typically get from dedicated studio monolights. It's small enough to be used handheld, which makes it remarkably convenient for lighting on the move or for lighting in tight spaces. 

It's battery-powered but can run off USB-C, and the battery unit can be detached and used as a power bank to recharge their phone. The kit comes with a small collapsible soft box, but Zhiyun also sells an adapter to use the light with regular S-mount light modifiers. 

If your favorite shutterbug prefers working with flash lighting rather than continuous LEDs, Godox's AD100 Pro is a solid light to consider. It's tiny and easy to hold, but it puts out more light than most on-camera flashguns. It's off-camera only, requiring Godox's X-Pro wireless controller (sold separately) to sit on their camera, but this makes the AD100 Pro a versatile lighting tool for portraits or weddings. 

I've used Godox's off-camera flashes for wedding and event photography for years, as well as for macro and still-life photography. Having so much power in such a small size is ideal for anyone who doesn't want to be weighed down with gear. 

Better known for its drones, DJI also makes this Mic setup that's a superb wireless audio recording solution in a really neat package. The kit comes with a receiver that sits on their camera and two separate wireless mics -- one for them, one for a friend, perhaps. In my experience, the connection is strong and stable, and the audio quality is superb even in high wind thanks to the supplied wind shields. 

The mics are stored conveniently in a case that also charges them, providing up to 15 hours of total recording time. The output can plug directly into their camera's mic socket, or they can use it with their iPhone or Android using a 3.5mm adapter. 

PolarPro Shortstache Everyday Filter

PolarPro's Shortstache Everyday filter combines a circular polarizer with a black mist filter into one all-purpose filter you can essentially leave on your camera all the time. The circular polarizer helps cut back on reflections while reducing glare and helping darken blue skies. The black mist element adds a subtle haze to the image with an attractive bloom effect to highlights. This haze adds a slight dreaminess to your images that helps soften the often oversharpened look prevalent in high-resolution digital files. I love this combination of effects in one filter and I've had my test unit sitting on the front of my camera pretty much the whole time since I got it.

You can get Everyday filter as a screw-in variety in various sizes to fit different lenses, or as magnetic snap-on filter part of PolarPro's Helix Magnetic filters (seen below). The Everyday model has a 1/4 haze coating for a more subtle effect, but if you want even more bloom for your buck then PolarPro also do a version with 1/2 haze which really amps up the look.

SanDisk Extreme Pro 256GB

Bowman Leather camera straps

A leather camera strap can add a nice touch of elegance to any photographer's shooting setup and Bowman's are some of the nicest I've used. I tested both the Ridge full-length neck strap along with the Flint wrist strap and found them both to look great and feel extremely secure. They're made by hand in the UK (with worldwide shipping) and can be ordered with standard ring attachments or with Peak Design's anchors for those of you wanting to swap your straps around more often.

The leathers for each strap can be had in four different tanned colors, with either a raw or polished edge. While the straps are quite firm at first, the leather will naturally soften with use and I look forward to them taking on a natural patina from the scuffs and scrapes they'll get on months and years of photo trips.

Like the Dispo Lens (seen above), PolarPro's LightLeaks series of lenses use similar optics you'd find in old-fashioned disposable cameras in order to authentically achieve that disposable look using modern mirrorless cameras. And while PolarPro's version come with a hefty price premium over the Dispo Lens, there are some key differences that make it worth spending the extra cash.

The main feature of the LightLeaks lenses -- and indeed where they get their name -- is from the ring on the lens barrel. Give it a twist and it opens up a glass window that allows natural light to fall inside the lens barrel, causing natural light leaks in your images. Most modern lenses are scientifically designed to avoid exactly this happening, but it certainly gives a dreamy vibe to images and allows you to authentically create the effect in camera, rather than applying a light leak effect to your images in Photoshop.

The lenses themselves come in three different focal lengths -- a super wide 16mm, a 28mm and a more zoomed in 50mm -- and they're made of robust-feeling metal. While PolarPro positions the 28mm as the more standard lens in the range (it calls it "The One") I personally prefer the look of the 50mm. Can't decide which you prefer? Opt for the three pack.

LowePro ProTactic 450 AW II

LowePro has been a staple of the photography bag world for years, and with the ProTactic 450, it's easy to see why. This rugged backpack opens fully from the back, although there are side and top quick-access points, too. It provides a wealth of storage slots for a DSLR, multiple lenses, filters, batteries and other accessories -- I even stuffed a small drone in among my gear. 

If they can't quite fit everything inside, there are additional accessory pouches that attach to the outside of the case, where they can also attach their tripod. It's comfortable to carry thanks to chest and hip straps, it's durable, and it has a zipper compartment for laptops up to 15 inches.

Peak Design Travel Tripod

Peak Design's Travel Tripod is one of the best camera gear choices for those who want to travel light. The carbon fiber version weighs only 2.8 pounds (1.27 kilograms) and packs down to only 15.4 inches (39.1 centimeters) long, making it easy to toss in a backpack or camera bag. The aluminum tripod model weighs 3.4 pounds (1.5 kilograms).

Its ball head is quick and easy to use, it's sturdy enough to hold a professional DSLR and it comes with its own grip so they can mount their phone on the tripod that tucks away inside the central column. It's all extremely well thought-out and feels reassuringly sturdy.

PolarPro Helix MagLock filters

I've been impressed before with PolarPro's square filter system, but the new Helix range brings some huge time-saving tech to the table. The filters attach magnetically to mounting rings on their lens, meaning they can swap them out in seconds, rather than fiddling with fragile pieces of square glass. With a locking mechanism and strong magnets, they hold in place exceptionally well, and the robust build means they will put up with a rough photoshoot without issue. 

I tested the Helix range with the variable neutral density filter, the circular polarizer and the mist filter, all of which performed extremely well. While not the cheapest magnetic filters on the market, PolarPro's equipment has always been impressively well made, and the extra spend is worth it for the high quality. 

The iPhone 15 Pro and other top phones can shoot superb, professional-quality video, but if they want to take it to the next level, a gimbal will help. Gimbals stabilize hand shakes or other movements to provide smooth-looking footage without any of the wobbliness you might expect from amateur videos. 

DJI's OM 6 has a built-in selfie stick so they can get smooth videos or more creative angles without having to bend over. It folds down to a compact size, so it's no trouble to toss in a backpack. 

The 3 Legged Thing Bucky is a super tripod for almost any photographer. Its carbon fiber construction means it's light enough to comfortably strap to a backpack and it packs down small, but its maximum height of over 6.2 feet (191 centimeters) makes it extremely tall, too. It's brilliant for landscape photography since it's easy to carry out into the hills, but I can still shoot at eye level. 

Its ball head is secure enough to hold even the weightiest DSLR with a big zoom lens attached, its legs can be detached to use as monopods, and its solid construction means they don't need to worry about it taking a few knocks on the road. It doesn't come cheap, but photography enthusiasts in any genre are well served here.

Nikon's Z50 packs a smaller APS-C sized image sensor into a small and lightweight body, which makes it excellent for tossing into a backpack. Its 20.9-megapixel sensor takes good-looking images, with excellent detail and enough dynamic range in the raw files to pull back highlights or lift shadows. 

There's no in-body image stabilization (you'll need to spend more for that) but its 11-frames-per-second burst shooting rate should help them score a sharp image. It shoots 4K video at up to 30 frames per second, and its tilting rear LCD will help get shots at awkward angles. 

Nikon offers only three lenses designed for its APS-C DX-format camera, which isn't a wide selection -- although the wide zoom ranges will likely suit beginners well. It does use the same Z-mount for its lenses on Nikon's FX-format cameras like the Z7 II, however, so they can always use those professional-standard lenses on this camera. That said, the higher prices of those lenses will somewhat negate the affordability of the Z50.