OK, we all know that holiday giving is all about what you give, not what you get, right? It’s better to give than receive, etc., etc. So here’s MY list of stuff you can give to ME! Think of it as just a token- my modest, selfless act to give you a chance to be a wonderful generous person. It’s a burden I bear…
(Now. If you were to somehow forward this page to someone, or leave it up on somebody’s computer or something, well. I certainly don’t have any control over THAT.)
Memory
We all know that the holidays are about the memories, right? (SORRY. How could I not make that pun?) But every photographer everywhere needs more memory.
I, for one, use the SD cards, and the rule of thumb is bigger and faster is better. I’m just sayin. Get a good, name brand- bargain brands have poor quality-control, and don’t forget a nice little case. Here’s
SanDisk’s compatibility calculator.
Check this out, too- I love this thing. This is a SanDisk Micromate- a tiny USB SD card reader that is no bigger than it needs to be. I have one with me all the time.
As long as we’re talking memory, let’s move on to storage.
Check out the
LaCie Starck Mobile Hard Drive, it’s a sweet little package, and at $140 list for 500GB, it's a lot of handy storage for short money.
Hard drives are kind of like socks- your Grammy always gives them to you, you smile, thank her, then thank her again, quietly to yourself, when you reach the end of the laundry cycle and need more socks. Think of this as a really handy, enormously cool-looking 500GB of digital photography socks. Uh. OK, moving on…
X-Rite ColorChecker Passport.
OK you don’t need to get me one of these, I’m a total fanboy and have one in every room of my house, now. Just in case. But seriously, this thing is a $99 product that, for so many reasons, will become grafted to your camera. Handy, protected, powerful features, awesome software- you need this… Neeeeeeed.
Software
Plugins. Right now I’m loving Nik Software. The Silver Efex Pro rocks Black and White processing, and even works with my beloved Smart Object RAW workflow. Good stuff cheap, show the love.
Photoshop Elements
Hey, we all know someone who is a budding photographer, and is trying to figure out how to make their pictures better, right? Now, everybody should learn Photoshop, but not everybody really can fork over the bucks for the program. The Academic version is a couple of hundred, even. Get ‘em Photoshop Elements.
 |
 |
Elements is the same architecture and has the same controls as Photoshop, it’s just shy a few professional features. Adobe is now discounting it to $59, for the holidays.
In spite of the fact this gift will lock you in to providing hours of free tech support to your loved ones, this is something that everyone will love, and as they learn and progress, they’ll look back at their wonderful photographer friend and thank them for starting them out on the right foot.
Printers
I want an Epson 2880. OK? Simply an amazing 13x19” desktop photo printer, and hey. It’s only $600 with the Epson rebate. …’nuff said.
 |
 |
Now if you want to really spoil yourself, uh, I mean the photographer on your list, the kick up to a truly professional printer would be the fast-becoming legendary Epson 3800. Only if you want to really spoil me, since it’s a little pricey at $1295, but it really is a remarkable machine. This, with the Colorburst RIP, simply makes some of the finest prints possible, at a width of 17”. Who needs a bigger print than 17”?
Cameras
Here’s the thing. We all love cameras. We all have lots and lots of cameras, right? But it just seems like we never have just the right one, does
it? Here are a couple of cameras that just seem to fit a nice niche, cameras that we don’t need, we just, well, want. After all, gift-giving is about being just a little indulgent, right? (Self-indulgent is such an ugly word…)
Canon PowerShot G11
The combination of RAW file capability and pretty quick action with small size makes this a great camera to have with you all the time. Remember, the best camera is the one you have with you, and although this feels a little delicate for, say, rockclimbing, it’s still a camera that will put up with a lot of normal handling abuse.
Olympus EP-2
Continuing the indulgent theme, besides everything else, this camera is just, well, yummy.
The lenses feel like a James Bond Secret Agent kit, and really, who of you can say that you didn’t first get into photography when you were a kid because you could snap all these cool things together and fight the evil forces of C.H.A.O.S. with them? It’s a solid feel, a decent file, and a camera, again, you can have with you everywhere.
Remember the Canon Digital ELPH? Who didn’t love to have that dangling from their wrist at the socialite soirees? Same deal, except yummier.
Oh and, well, you can always go for a good book. Just sayin…
Have a great, safe, and snappy Holiday Season, from all of us at H2H Reviews!
