For anyone on your gift list with a digital camera, here are some gift ideas. Or maybe I should say everyone since you will find ideas for cellphones, compact cameras and even SLRs. And when you count cell phones, just about everyone has a camera.
In no particular order....
Jelly Lenses let you do some interesting special effects from your compact digital camera or cellphone. A lens with repositional adhesive that you put over your camera lens to give you some cool effects – starburst, diamond or heart. $5.99 each or $17.97 for all three from The Container Store
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DiCAPac Waterproof/ Underwater Case for Compact Cameras
This is a great idea and much safer than a plastic bag – a waterproof pouch for your camera. I’m not sure I have the gumption to test it but they say is is waterproof to 16 feet. Even if you don’t planning on shooting underwater, this would be handy for beach trips, skiing (water or snow) or taking your camera anywhere near water like the beach, water park or even your local bath tub. It comes in a couple of different sizes for different cameras $33 to $35 depending on size. I found it at Amazon but you might also try your local camera store.
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Photography Classes
At your local camera or scrapbooking store or online. Panasonic is offering Digital Photo Academy which offers courses in many cities throughout the US. Any brand camera will do and there are three levels.
- Beginner - 3 hours 15 students max- $50
- Intermediate - 4 hours 15 students max - $65
- Advanced - 8 hours 15 students max - $150
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No classes nearby? How about a Photography Book?
Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs by Bryan Peterson
Complete Digital Photography by Ben Long
Perfect Digital Photography by Jay Dickman
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Wallet Pix I haven’t seen this in person but the concept intrigues me…a credit card sized digital photo album. The flyer from Bed, Bath and Beyond showed one so maybe I will vetnure out to see it later this weekend. $29.99
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Need some easy to use photo software? I may be a bit biased but this is what I use …FxFoto Creative Edition. Order the CD ($65.95) and you will get ten digital scrapbooking kits and templates. Or order the download version for $59.96 (without digital kits). Either way, the software is intuitive and quite powerful.
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In the category of maybe not very exciting but definitely appreciated…
a stack of DVDs or CDs
Backing up photos is always a good thing – encourage it by giving CDs or DVDs. And if you need DVD burning software, here’s an easy to use free software for burning DVDs. Final Burner Free
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Going over the river and through the woods to Grandma’s house? How about a memory stick/flash drive to bring all your photos along? They are everywhere, even in our local grocery store and have huge amounts of storage - you can get 4GB for about $40 now.
One hint – get one where the clip or key ring is on the drive part not on the cap. Take it from me, you don’t want pull out your key ring only to find the cap is there but the drive is missing. Not a pretty sight.
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Lastly, the LCD screens on camera take a real beating especially if you carry yours around in a purse or pocket. A screen protector is a great and inexpensive idea - Giottos 1.5" LCD Protector with Microfiber Cleaning Cloth is a great gift for cleaning and protecting that screen. Find if at a camera store or at well known NYC store B&H Photo for $7.50 or so.
Wow those are some really great ideas, loads of which i never knew exsisted... thanks! Have a great weekend!
Posted by: monique | November 25, 2007 at 12:07 PM
These are some great ideas! I received my photo editing software last year for Christmas! It was one of my favorite gifts and now I use it to make my holiday cards!
Posted by: Photo Editor | December 23, 2011 at 11:51 AM