Gallery: The Best Gear for the Serious Amateur Photographer in Your Life
01amateur-photog
Now more than ever, the term “amateur photographer” refers to just about anyone. Smartphone cameras, social networks, and constant connectivity have radically transformed the way we shoot and share photos. Whether you’re looking for accessories that will lift a loved one’s phone-tography to higher ground or trying to help them step up to a full-fledged camera, we’ve got you covered. It’s all in this list of gift picks for *serious* amateur photographers. *Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED*
02Instant-Lab
The Impossible Instant Lab -------------------------- The shoot-and-share ethos of iPhone photography matches up well with the Polaroid craze of years past. The major thing separating the two, of course, is an instant print of your photos. [The Impossible Instant Lab](https://www.the-impossible-project.com/projects/camera/iil/) ($300) bridges this gap. You download a free iOS app that optimizes iPhone photos for the accessory and the film you’re using, place an iPhone 4/4S/5/5s face down on its tray, slide a plate, hit a button, and you’ve got an instant print of your digital photo. The Instant Lab uses film that Impossible makes in an old Polaroid factory, and it has the same dimensions and development qualities as old-school Polaroids. You won’t waste as much film, either, as you can just print pictures in your roll that you know you’ll like. Keep in mind that it isn’t built for seamless operation with the iPhone 5c, though. *Image: Impossible Project*
03Olloclip
Olloclip 4-in-1 Photo Lens for iPhone ------------------------------------- There are a lot of lens attachments for smartphones, but we like the simplicity, variety, and quality of the [Olloclip 4-in-1](http://www.olloclip.com/4-in-1-iphone-lens/) for the iPhone ($70). You just slide it over the iPhone’s camera lens, and you’re ready to shoot. (Keep in mind that it doesn’t slide over any cases, though.) By unscrewing the main wide-angle and fisheye optics, you also get 10x and 15x macro lenses that’ll make detailed close-up shots really pop. This perfect stocking stuffer is built to fit the iPhone 5 and up, but if someone on your list uses an Android phone, you’ve also got some options. Photojojo sells [a four-lens set](http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/cell-phone-lenses/new) for Android phones that includes fisheye, wide-angle, macro, and telephoto optics for $50. *Photo: Josh Valcarcel/WIRED*
04mpod-mini-ebook-joby
Joby MPod Mini Stand for Smartphones ------------------------------------ Tripods are very handy photography tools, but they’re a pain in the ass to carry around. That goes against one of the core tenets of smartphone photography: Effortless portability. And besides, smartphones don’t have tripod mounts, so even if you lugged around a tripod, you’d still be left hanging. Joby’s [MPod Mini Stand](http://joby.com/smartphones/mpod-mini) ($15) is ultraportable and smartphone-friendly, with a bungee-style mount system that’s designed to lock iPhones, Android phones, and Windows Phones in place. Like Joby’s larger GorillaPod systems, it has unique and highly adjustable legs that can provide a solid base of support on uneven surfaces. It’s small enough to scrunch up and jam in your pocket. *Image: Joby*
05gorillapod-joby
Joby GorillaPod SLR-Zoom + Ballhead Combo ----------------------------------------- Photographers who use “real” cameras can also benefit from Joby’s unique tripod accessories. The company makes a range of GorillaPods built for different kinds of cameras and shooting scenarios: Smaller units for compact cameras, mid-size units for mirrorless cameras, larger ones for DSLRs, and tripods with magnetic connectors so that you can stick them on vertical surfaces. The one that covers the most bases and allows the most freedom to upgrade is [the GorillaPod SLR-Zoom](”http://joby.com/gorillapod/slrzoom”) ($80). It supports camera loads of more than 6.5 lbs., grabs onto railings and branches like some sort of kraken, and you can augment its powers with a series of add-ons. Accessories for the SLR-Zoom include the ball-head attachment included in this package (you can get the tripod without the ballhead for $50), as well as spiked feet for greater stability on ice and soft ground, a set of Cinetics MiniSkates for dolly shots, and a set of Cinetics MiniSquid suction cups for mounting your rig on moving objects. *Image: Joby*
06wdfMyCloud
Western Digital WD My Cloud --------------------------- Cloud services are handy for uploading your images to a single location and accessing them from anywhere. But it can be worrisome to have all your work on someone else’s servers. And with many of them, you may have to pay more or jump through hoops to download full-resolution versions of all your photos. The [My Cloud connected drive](http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=1140) keeps all your files on your own hardware, and it also provides a convenient way of saving and sharing your work. The hardware itself stays at home: You plug it in, connect it to your home router with an Ethernet cable, and you’re basically done with the setup process. Thanks to a mobile app for iOS and Android, you can save photos to the box remotely, send them to friends and family with a private link, and access all your pictures from a phone or tablet. It comes in 2TB ($180), 3TB ($200), and 4TB ($300) capacities, which should free up plenty of room on your mobile device. Thanks to a USB 3.0 port on the device, you can even connect an external drive to it if you need to expand. *Image: Western Digital*
07Retrospective-7-Pinestone-2
Think Tank Retrospective 7 Shoulder Bag --------------------------------------- Lugging around a DSLR or even a mirrorless camera can be cumbersome -- especially if you want a few lenses to choose from during a shooting expedition. A comfortable bag makes a bigger camera less burdensome and keeps things organized. The [Think Tank shoulder bag](http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/retrospective-7-pinestone.aspx) ($163) accommodates a lot of gear without being too bulky. Open the main flap, and you’ll see there’s plenty of room in there for a DSLR body with a kit lens attached. You’ll also get padded dividers for a longer-zoom lens, as well as a couple more shorter optics, or an external flash. A zippered pocket on the inside handles all the cables, cards, and chargers you’ll need. But that’s not all: There’s another cushioned side pocket with a zipper that’s fitted for a full-size iPad or an 11-inch Macbook Air. *Image: Think Tank*
Jakob Schiller08Lowepro 35L Rover Pro review pictures in the Sandia Mountains.
Lowepro Rover Pro 35L AW ------------------------ A shoulder bag is fine for carrying your gear around town, but if the shooter on your list needs something built for camping and mountain hikes, they’d be much better suited by [this Lowepro bag](http://store.lowepro.com/rover-pro-35l-aw) ($300). This pack is built primarily for camping gear and comfort with some special attention paid to cameras. It comes with a removable padded case that accommodates a full-frame DSLR and a couple of lenses, and it has built-in straps to secure a tripod. Thanks to its relatively light weight, trampoline-style mesh panels, and secondary waist harness, it’s a comfortable fit for day-long hikes. There’s plenty of room for all your camping gear, and the bag itself also has a tent-like waterproof cover that’ll help keep its contents safe and dry. *Photo: Jakob Schiller/WIRED*
09sony-pancake
A Pancake Lens: Sony SEL16F28 16mm/F2.8 --------------------------------------- One of the best gifts you can get for someone with an interchangeable-lens camera is a new lens. The kit lens that comes with most DSLRs and mirrorless cameras usually has an 18-55mm focal range and ho-hum aperture settings. It’ll do the job, but using one all the time defeats the purpose of having an interchangeable-lens camera. That said, recommending a single lens is impossible. It all depends on what camera is being used and what the person uses it for. Plus, with anything less than a full-frame camera, you need to factor in the focal-length multiplier to know what the lens’ field-of-view will be when it’s being used (translation: multiply the lens’ focal length by 1.5 or 2, usually). But there’s a simple part of the equation. If someone on your gift list shoots a lot while they’re on the go, buy them a pancake lens. They’ll offer a wider maximum aperture than a kit lens, they’re almost always sharper than a kit lens, and they’re small and light enough to make a mirrorless camera feel like a point-and-shoot. Most pancake lenses have a fixed focal length between 35mm and 50mm and a maximum aperture between F2.0 and F2.8. *Image: Sony*
10canon
A Wide-Aperture Portrait Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II ----------------------------------------------------- Another valuable addition to anyone’s arsenal is a portrait lens. These can be used for much more than portraits. They typically have a fixed focal length between 80mm and 135mm and a maximum aperture of F1.4 to F2.0. The focal length means you’ll need to be farther away to shoot, which usually makes your subject more at ease in front of the camera. The wide aperture also means a few important things: These lenses are capable of taking well-exposed shots in the dark at faster shutter speeds (translation: less handheld blur), and they create a blurred-background effect that will make your subject stand out. A portrait lens is also great for food photography and other still-life subjects. Remember to factor in the focal-length multiplier/crop factor if you’re buying one of these lenses for an APS-C sensored camera or a mirrorless model. Portrait lenses such as the 50mm/F1.8 Canon model pictured above will have a 80mm field of view when mounted on a consumer DSLR. *Image: [Justus Blümer](http://www.flickr.com/photos/justusbluemer/6029324783/)/Flickr*
11Zoom-NIKKOR
A Fisheye or Extreme Wide-Angle Lens: Nikon AF-S DX 10-24mm F3.5/F4.5 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Most kit lenses start out around 28mm on the wide-angle end, which is pretty wide. By buying a lens that goes really wide (think 14mm to 20mm on the wide-angle end), you’ll be able to capture images that are cinematic and immersive at the expense of some distortion around the edges. A fisheye lens, of course, will distort the image even further. So there are three types of lenses that make great gifts, but you’ll notice that a long telephoto lens is conspicuously absent from this list. There’s a reason for that. Really good telephoto lenses are very expensive -- easily more than $1,000, and often several thousand dollars. They’re also really big, so they may spend a lot more time at home than in your giftee’s camera bag. It’s best to let your favorite photographer purchase one themselves if they really want one. *Image: Nikon*
12HERO3Plus
GoPro Hero 3+ Black Edition --------------------------- Who’d have thought that a camera with absolutely no LCD viewfinder would be this much of a hit? The secret to GoPro’s success is that these cameras can take a beating by land, by sea, or by air and still deliver good-looking video. Not as good as the video you’ll get from a DSLR, of course, but you’d have to be pretty crazy to strap a several-thousand-dollar kit to the hood of a car or suction-mount one on a surfboard. The highest-end model in the Hero 3+ lineup is [the Black Edition](http://gopro.com/cameras/hd-hero3-black-edition) ($400), which shoots 1080p video at a smooth 60fps, has a super-slow-motion 720p/120fps mode, and shoots 12-megapixel stills at a 30-shot-per-second clip. Built-in Wi-Fi lets you control the camera with a smartphone, and you can see what you’re filming on your mobile device’s screen. That makes it a handy video-capture device even if you’re not an extreme athlete. Don’t forget to pick up a Class 10 MicroSD card to keep up with this camera’s fast capture speeds. *Image courtesy of GoPro/Woodman Labs, Inc*
13sony-cybershot
Sony Cyber-Shot RX100 II ------------------------ The [Sony RX100 II](http://store.sony.com/cyber-shot-digital-camera-rx100-ii-zid27-DSCRX100M2/B/cat-27-catid-All-Cyber-shot-Cameras) ($750) is so good, we’re almost tired of talking about it. Almost. This souped-up successor to the equally awesome RX100 has a larger sensor than most portable fixed-lens shooters, as well as a bright F1.8 aperture at its widest angle 28mm focal length. It zooms in to a 100mm equivalent, making it a nice pocket-size option for anything from wide vistas to portraits. The extra $150 as compared to the RX100 goes toward a handful of useful extra features: A low-light-optimized 20-megapixel sensor that offers extra sensitivity in the dark, built-in Wi-Fi and NFC for cable-free sharing, a tilting display that helps you frame odd-angle shots, an accessory shoe, and a 24fps movie mode. If none of those things sound like they’re worth the extra scratch, opt for the RX100 instead. And if $600 sounds too steep, a lower-priced compact camera with premium specs is next on our list. *Image: Sony*
14panasonic-lumix
Panasonic Lumix LX7 ------------------- The [Lumix LX7](http://www.panasonic.net/avc/lumix/compact/lx7/) ($300-$400) may have a smaller sensor than the RX100 family, but it’s absolutely loaded to the gills with features that any up-and-coming photographer will love. The bang-for-the-buck starts with its F1.4 lens, which is just about the brightest you’ll find in the premium compact camera category. You get a lens that starts out at a wider 24mm equivalent, and the LX7’s focusing speeds and minimum focus distance are really hard to beat, too. Even if it’s a bit chunkier than the RX100 series, this is a great camera to grow with. You get buttons and dials galore, which rewards those who know their way around manual settings with quick access to deeper controls. The LX7 is a versatile performer in video mode, too, with manual exposure controls for movies, a highest-quality setting of 1080p/60fps, and a high-speed/slow-motion mode that captures 720p video at 120fps. Anyone who receives this camera as a gift -- from smartphone shooters looking to step up to a DSLR owner looking for a pocketable secondary camera -- is likely to be pleased. *Image: Panasonic*
