The best gifts for photographers and videographers

As one of the few modern mirrorless cameras you can get with a kit lens for $600 or less, Canon’s EOS R100 is an ideal gift for that special someone just getting into photography. The 24.2-megapixel sensor delivers beautiful photos with warm skin tones and it supports 4K video, albeit with a crop. It’s great for travel, street photography and more, and can even capture bursts at up to 6.5 shots per second. The R100 is priced at $480 (although it’s often on sale for a bit less), but you’ll likely want the $600 package with an 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 kit lens. — Steve Dent, Contributing Reporter

If your loved one is a fledgling photographer who wants to learn more about cameras, this book is an ideal gift. It’s considered one of the bibles of photography, talking not just about theory but showing example scenarios and the resulting photos taken. They’ll learn not just how to operate their camera and which lenses to use, but also why and what each setting means. — S.D.

If you want to be a holiday hero, just buy your favorite person the Fujifilm Instax Square SQ40 instant camera and thank me later. It lets you take real, physical photos (3.39 x 2.83-inch Instax Square prints) that friends and family can see, touch and enjoy immediately – a far different experience than digital photos on a screen. It’s stylish and comes with a flash, selfie mirror, front front shutter release and hand strap, and it’s relatively light and easy to carry around. The camera alone is priced at $150, but you’ll need to budget for film as well, which costs about $33 for 40 prints. — S.D.

Read more: The best instant cameras

If your favorite social media influencer wants to boost their repertoire with a drone but doesn’t know much about them, DJI’s new Neo is the perfect gift. It’s perfect for beginners, and it’s inexpensive at $200 and comes with features like palm takeoff and smart shots that can capture cool “smart shots” with no piloting skills required. And once your loved one wants to take their drone videos up a notch, it has powerful features like subject tracking. The main disadvantage is the high noise level, but that’s usually not an issue for social media use. — S.D.

GoPro’s $400 Hero 13 Black didn’t change much over the last model, but it’s still the best action camera on the market for that adrenaline junky on your gift list. As before, it offers outstanding video quality (up to 5.3K 60p or 120p for five seconds), Hypersmooth stabilization that’s still the best in the business and an HDR mode tuned for improved handling of mixed lighting. The biggest change from before is the addition of a new family of modular lenses, called the HB series, that work seamlessly with Hypersmooth and other camera settings. If that price tag is a bit too high, worry not, because you can now get your giftee the Hero 12 Black for $299. — S.D.

Some of the most useful accessories out there for the vlogger on your gift list are Joby’s famous mini-tripods, and the best one for the money is the GorillaPod 3K. Attaching your camera couldn’t be easier thanks to the secure clip-in mounting plate with a built-in level. And the flexible legs let you set your camera anywhere to shoot, or even wrap it around a tree or other object. And of course, you can bend them out for the ideal vlogging angle and steady out your shooting to boot. — S.D.

The ZV-1F is Sony’s most affordable vlogging camera, making it the perfect “step-up” gift from a smartphone for your favorite content creator. It does that job well thanks to a lightweight body, built-in high-quality microphone, flip-out display, best-in-class autofocus and excellent image quality. The 20mm fixed lens makes it better for vlogging than the ZV1 with a 24-70mm, with the lack of a zoom lens being its biggest drawback. — S.D.

Capturing high-quality audio is critical for the content creator on your gift list and DJI’s Mic 2 makes that as easy as it can be. It can not only be connected to a mirrorless camera like other mics, but also supports Bluetooth audio so can easily be connected to a smartphone as well. It picks up audio from your subject at a range of up to 820 feet (less with a Bluetooth connection) and automatically reduces background noise like wind, city sounds and even drone noise. A single mic with a transmitter is $219, or you can get a pair of mics, charging case and transmitter for $349. — S.D.

With its rugged, practical design, Peak Design’s Everyday Messenger Bag is an ideal gift for adventurous, photo-shooting loved ones. It’s built with a lightweight yet durable 100-percent waterproof recycled 400D shell with handy Flexfold dividers in the main storage area. It also offers a pair of zipped pockets, two elastic side pockets and a compartment big enough for a 13- to 15-inch laptop. I own one myself and find it practical both for work and daily activities, letting me tote around a camera, lens and laptop along with my wallet and keys. It’s not the cheapest bag out there, but your giftee won’t have to buy another for a good long while. — S.D.

Photographers need backpacks to carry their cameras, lenses and accessories, so Peak Design’s $230 Everyday Backpack Zip is the perfect gift for your creator who needs practicality, looks and ruggedness. You can easily fit multiple cameras and lenses, and even add accessories, extra clothing and more. It’ll also survive rough treatment or adverse conditions (and has a lifetime warranty), while fitting under an airplane seat when your loved one takes it traveling. — S.D.

There’s no point in buying your favorite photographer UHS-I cards anymore when faster UHS-II models can be found at nearly the same price. That’s the case with Lexar’s 64GB or 128GB 1667x V60 UHS-II cards. While not as quick as a top-of-the-line 2000x card, you still get faster read and write speeds (250 MB/s and 120MB/s) than any UHS-I card. If speed is of the essence, then SanDisk’s top-end V90 cards with 300MB/s read and 260MB/s write speeds are a solid choice. — S.D.

Many new camera models these days, including the Panasonic GH6, Fujifilm X-H2, Canon EOS R3 and EOS R5, along with others include CFexpress Type B slots that are multiple times faster than SD UHS-II cards. Prograde’s Type B Gold with 1700 MB/s read and 1500 MB/s write speeds are a good value, available in 128GB and 256GB versions. And if even more speed is required for 8K or RAW capture, ProGrade also offers the 165GB and 325GB Type B Cobalt versions compatible with 8K and RAW on cameras like the EOS R5 and Nikon’s Z8/Z9. — S.D.

Organizing memory cards can be a pain, but the SmallRig SD memory card holder case will help your gift recipient keep them organized and safe. It includes 15 slots (6 for SD cards, 6 for microSD cards, 2 CFexpress Type A, and 1 CFexpress Type B). It’s relatively lightweight, but also water and shock resistant, with the interior using soft silicone – all for just $17. — S.D.

The Insta360 Flow Pro is gimbal that can automatically track your movement. It’s also a tripod, with foldout legs hidden away inside the grip and an extendable neck to perform selfie stick duties too. (Oh, the Flow Pro is also a battery pack. Insta360 can’t help itself.)

While there are countless branded (and off-brand) phone gimbals, Insta360 brings its action-cam experience to bear on this upgraded Flow, adding support for Apple DockKit, meaning it can track you around. It’s your own automated cameraman: you can step out of framing and the Flow Pro will track you, both horizontally and vertically.

The DockKit support means it works across most mainstream iOS apps, but if you’re an Android user, the integrated tracking will still work well, just not on the likes of Zoom or Snapchat. Regardless of your choice of smartphone, Insta360’s companion app offers a rich array of shooting options if you’re looking to beef up your shooting repertoire. It can assist with a dolly zoom shot and add controls for manual focus. While the Flow Pro can only track humans, inside the app you can select an object for your camera to focus and track, then move around as much as you want. — Mat Smith, Uk Bureau Chief

If your favorite photographer or influencer asked for storage as a gift, they probably need something both fast and rugged. Samsung’s T7 Shield 1TB SSD offers the perfect blend of those, delivering speeds up to 1050 MB/s while offering an IP65 rating for water and dust resistance. — S.D.

If your loved one is just jumping into photography, this tripod from the Amazon Basics line is a solid one that doesn’t cost a fortune. It’s compatible with most cameras up to 6.6 pounds, is easy to get flat thanks to two built-in bubble levels, and includes a carrying case with a shoulder strap. It’s very light at under three pounds, and stretches to a height of 60-inches, great for most types of shooting. It’s mainly designed for photography, so don’t expect fluid tilting or panning – but it’s surprisingly sturdy given its low price. — S.D.

This popular tool will help keep your favorite photographer’s gear in pristine condition for the holidays. Each squeeze gives a powerful but steady stream of cleaning air, and the elongated shape makes it easy to reach into tight spaces without damaging fragile parts. It’s well-built and looks cool, with the rocket-like feet letting you set it down anywhere. — S.D.

This cleaning kit is the best way to clean lenses, viewfinders and displays on the market, as it removes lint better than any other system. It has a brush end that removes the majority of dirt, and the carbon tip end finishes the job, getting rid of any residual smudges. It’s a perfect gift for photographers, and the kit is affordably priced and includes three cleaners and a microfiber carrying pouch/cleaning cloth. — S.D.

If you’re not interested in paying for Adobe’s subscription services, the best video editing software gift idea is Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve Studio 18.6 app. It gives users two ways to edit, with a Cut mode for quick projects and Edit for more advanced videos. Plus, you get Resolve’s well-known color-correcting tools, the Fairlight audio editor, along with the Fusion graphics and compositing system – everything needed to deliver a polished project. — S.D.