Best Gifts for Photographers

B&H Photo - Video - Pro Audio

I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below.

These are some cool gadgets and bargains on some very useful photo items and accessories every photographer will love.

Everyone asks me which camera to buy, so I'll cover that first and then get to the fun stuff.

Enjoy!

Cameras top

Canon EOS R10 and RF-s 18-150mm IS STM

We all have different wants, needs and budgets, and the one model of camera I find outstanding for everything because it's tiny, reasonably priced and completely competent at every kind of shooting is the Canon EOS R10 just shown above.

You can pay far more but won't get any better pictures, and you'll have to carry much more weight. The world has changed a lot in the past few years, and today these APS-C cameras make the same pictures that used to require full-frame DSLRs that cost and weighed many times more.

You can get pictures just as good as from the R10 with the less expensive Canon EOS R50, however the R50 lacks many convenience features. The R50's finder is dim outdoors and it's missing controls, which means experienced photographers will have to make many settings in menus rather than having direct knobs and controls to set them with one-click.

The R100 is even less expensive, but lacks many basic features, like having no flip screen and requiring you to remove the battery and charge it in an external charger rather than simply charging the camera via USB. Its finder is also dim in daylight.

For kids, very low budgets and people who don't shoot often, the R100 and R50 are great cameras, and make exactly the same pictures as the more expensive cameras. They just aren't as much fun to shoot all day.

Don't discount a kid's interest. I started shooting when I was 5 years old, graduated to my parent's medium-format cameras about age 9 and bought my first 35mm SLR at age 11. Back when I was 9 we had to use a hand-held light meter and transfer settings manually to the camera, so if you "kid" wants a camera and is serious about it, I'd get him or her the R10, with all the features and controls and a super bright finder.

There's no such thing as a "starter" camera. Even the most basic R100 makes the same great pictures as anything else today regardless of what people who want to sell you an expensive camera may claim. The real differences among cameras today is how convenient or fun they are to use.

Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM (55mm filters, 10.9 oz./310g, 0.4~1.4'/0.12~0.43m close focus, 0.5× macro ratio, $499). bigger. I got mine at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay. Hint: get this as part of a kit with your R7 or R10.

Be sure to get the RF-s 18-150mm IS STM lens if you can. The 18-150mm replaces both the normal RF-s 18-45mm IS STM shown above and a separate telephoto zoom so you can get every picture by turning the zoom ring rather than having to stop everything and change lenses. I hate changing lenses, and you always need to carry the second lens with you unless you get the 18-150mm which is good for making 95% of the pictures you'll probably want to take.

If you want an ultrawide lens (see How to Use Ultrawide Lenses), then get the RF-s 10-18mm IS STM.

If you need an ultra-telephoto, get the RF 100-400mm. Easy!

Don't walk into a retail store looking for help. Ansel Adams most definitely is not working there and the opinionated people behind the counter are definitely not your friends. Retail salespeople are trained and incentivized to upsell you to much more expensive cameras and accessories than you need. They will try to make you think you need one of the old "full frame" cameras which take exactly the same pictures, but cost much more and they and their lenses are much bigger and heavier. Worse, less is in focus with the "full frame" cameras because their larger (longer) lenses have less depth of field. It's not 2007 anymore; full frame cameras no longer have any advantage in low light and the smaller-sensor APS-C cameras I suggest have much more in-focus due to the greater depth-of-field of their smaller lenses.

Full frame cameras continue to exist because they make camera companies much more money, and older photographers still remember DSLRs and film for which sensor size mattered. In the past few years mirrorless cameras have changed everything, and the APS-C sensor cameras are much smaller and less expensive, and take exactly the pictures as my exotic full frame cameras. Just look at the sample images in any of my reviews and judge for yourself.

If you're asking me for my advice, then don't consider full-frame cameras unless there is some very good reason for it, like maybe astronomy. For things that need very long lenses, the smaller APS-C sensors again have a huge advantage as lenses appear to be 60% longer. To get the same picture on a full frame camera as you can get with the RF 100-400mm lens on an APS-C camera, you will need a 160-640mm lens, which is huge and very expensive.

See Recommended Cameras for much more, as well as all my other reviews of everything.

Photo Trips! top

I'm often leading trips all over California. Our next trip is along California's Route 66 in February 2026.

Forget cameras; what could be more fun than a guided photo tour?

We'd love to have you come along!

Roy's Neon Sign at Dusk, Amboy, California, 5:42 P.M, 08 February 2025. Canon R5 II, EF 28-135mm IS USM on EF to RF adapter at 47mm at f/5.6 at ¹/₅ at ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 7.4), Radiant Photo software, perspective correction Photoshop 2021. More tech details. bigger or full-resolution ~45 MP © 4 MB JPG.

To register and for any questions, call or email Dave Wyman at (323) 377-7565 in Los Angeles. Dave Wyman is often out leading other tours, so he's not always sitting by his phone or computer. Dave organizes these tours while we both lead and teach. Dave Wyman is the author of many books about travel and photography; Fearless Photographer: Nature is his most recent, with Yosemite in Photographs, Backroads of Northern California and Backroads of Southern California so popular they're often sold out. Dave has been leading outdoor hiking, educational, camping, historical and photo trips for decades and decades and decades.

See photos from our trip in 2025 and register now. See you there!

Headphones top

AirPods Pro 3

AirPods Pro 3. big ger.

Everyone loves AirPods. I'd get mine at B&H or at Amazon.

My newest AirPods Pro 3 actually play for 25 hours total on a full system charge! No other 'pods integrate as well with all our numerous Apple devices as AirPods do.

The most amazing thing about the sound isn't just how it gets out of your head with simple stereo. These are brilliant multichannel 'pods, and fed from a multichannel source like Apple Music Spatial Audio, or a 5.1 or Dolby Atmos movie, the AirPods Pro 3 throw sounds wherever they're supposed to go in three dimensions. Sound comes from all over!

These fit in the tiny little watch pocket of my jeans so they go everywhere. The only problem with them is remembering to take them out before I do the wash!

A full charge of my 'pods themselves play for 8.65 hours, and when I keep recharging the 'pods from the larger battery in the case as needed, the total play time from a full charge of everything gives me 25 hours of play time until the 'pods and case are all at 1% and shut off. This is even a little better than Apple rates them, bravo!

Plug into USB-C (or drop them on a wireless charger) and all three devices (case, left and right 'pods) are charged in about an hour or less. If you only run them down partially, they charge much faster.

Popped back in their case, my 'pods charge from 0% to 39% in 10 minutes, to 50% in 20 minutes, to 69% in a half hour or to 82% in an hour. Just pop then in the case when you take a break and you're always charged.

Charge your case every night or two if you're a heavy user, or if you don't live with 'pods in your ears 24/7, you probably can charge the case every few months and be good. So long as you charge the system now and then, there's no way you'll run out of power so long as you pull the 'pods out of your ears every 8 hours or sooner to recharge them in the case.

Their controls and integration into the Apple ecosystem are superb as expected. It's trivially automatic to pair them to your iPhone, and then they're already paired to everything else (iPad, Mac, Apple TV, etc.) connected to the same Apple ID. They're easy to wear all day, automatically turning down the music and opening up the isolation so you can hear people when you talk to them.

They have strongest noise isolation I've ever heard. AirPods Pro 3 have flawless tight, deep and articulate bass with a tonal balance that's designed to be clear, open and airy. They have excellent loudness (bass) compensation at softer levels, so the bass stays strong even played softly. You don't have to play them loud as you do with almost every headphone or speaker to hear all the bass; the AirPods Pro 3 automatically compensate for our ears' natural loss of bass sensitivity at lower levels.

It's humbling how these 'pods sound just like my fancy home motion picture theatre, with 400 pounds of front speakers, multiple subwoofers and discrete rear speakers. With my 'pods on, I have a really hard time trying to figure out if my discrete multichannel speakers are playing, or just the 'pods. (Hint: cover your ears. If the sound is unchanged, then just the 'pods are playing.)

It's astonishing how well they do multichannel audio (Spatial, Atmos, 5.1, etc.), and no one else seems to notice. They are extraordinary for movies, which for 50 years have been released in multichannel (Dolby Stereo, DTS, SDDS, 5.1, etc.). Not much music even today is streamed in multichannel yet, but movies are, and the sound comes from 360º from almost every even older movie when streamed today (at least with my AirPods coupled to my Apple TV or iOS device).

They sound great: unforgivingly accurate with rough recordings and smooth and detailed with great recordings, and amazing in their multichannel ability to put up a HUGE soundstage with sounds coming from behind and above and below us, far superior to any commercial movie theater I've ever heard.

Probably more important for normal people are also all the magnificent Apple features completely absent on other brands of 'pods, and yes, they stay stuck in my ears all day, especially with the correct size seals for your particular ears (Apple includes five sizes!).

Bravo!

Audeze MM-100

Audeze MM-100 (17¼ Ω, ¼″ cable included, 16.2 oz./459g, $399). bigger. I'd get mine at Adorama, at B&H or at Crutchfield, all of whom offer at least a 30-day 100% cash-back return if you don't LOVE them after enjoying them with your own music. They're also available at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay, but I'd avoid getting them used because Audeze always is making significant technical improvements — but never changes the model names!

The MM-100 are professional American-made planar magnetic headphones. They have extraordinary performance and an extraordinarily low price.

They have exquisitely smooth and detailed sound, far better than any conventional headphones because they use a completely different technology.

If you want to hear exactly how your music sounded in the studio or concert hall, even my STAX SR-009 which require a special amplifier that has to be plugged into the wall and cost ten times as much together, don't sound much different — and I prefer the bass response from these Audeze! You can pay ten times more, or 100 times more for speakers and acoustic treatment, but you're not going to get significantly better sound. These are a steal at $399.

These reproduce sound by putting ultralight laser-cut conductors on an ultralight plastic diaphragm, and suspending this diaphragm in a very strong magnetic field. There is no cone glued to a coil to try to reproduce sound as in almost all speakers and headphones; in this case the sound is generated directly all over the ultralight diaphragm, coupling the sound directly to the air rather than using a cone. Unlike a cone only driven where the coil is glued to it, just like electrostatics these diaphragms are driven all across the diaphragm's surface. There are no resonances to make the bass boomy or the treble squawk; there's nothing but clean, smooth sound with bottomless bass.

How pure is the sound? You can shine a flashlight through them!

Transparent drivers. bigger.

Most Audeze headphones sell for at least triple the price. These sound almost identical, and the MM-100 are lighter, more comfortable, easier to wear and feel more precisely made than most of the larger models!

These MM-100 are the best-made headphones I've ever used. They are all steel and magnesium, super precise in how they move and tough enough to take a beating. The only plastic parts are those that need to be flexible. Far more expensive headphones like Sennheiser HD800 use lots of plastic everywhere, and brands that can use a lot of metal, like Stax, are very delicate. Never have I used another headphone so precise and tough and lightweight and made of all metal. Bravo!

As passive headphones, there's nothing to wear out or go obsolete or need to be replaced. These should sound amazing for decades, as do all my other passive headphones. This is not a disposable digital or electronic product; it's just a pair of open passive headphones with no batteries, electronics or software to go out-of-date.

These are conventional plug-in wired headphones. Audeze includes a ¼″ to 3.5mm cord for use with pro gear. Each earpiece has a 3.5mm socket. Either one drives both ears so you can use whichever you like.

The MM-100 also sound great plugged into an iOS device; use an Apple USB-C to 3.5mm adapter or Apple A1749 Lightning Audio Adapter and use a Beats 3.5mm to 3.5mm remote cord as I do to run these from the adaptors or a portable 3.5mm device. These cords add a remote control and a mic for making calls!

Power Banks top

Anker A1383 20,000 mAh 87W Power Bank with Captive USB-C Cable. bigger.

Now that cameras and phones all charge via USB-C, popping a small power bank in your bag will let you run or charge any of your gear anywhere. You don't need to buy extra camera batteries, and the power bank can charge and power almost anything, rather than just one brand of camera. A 20,000 mAh (72 Wh) power bank can charge a phone a few times, or several full charges of a camera battery.

Anker 87W, 20,000 mAh USB-C: $45

I bought and love this Anker A1383 20,000 mAh 87W Power Bank with Captive USB-C Cable which provides extremely fast charging, especially for iPads, MacBooks and iPhones:

I'm loving it as it really does pump out at least 65 watts via USB-C so my phone or MacBook Pro or whatever charge super fast when I need it, and it really can charge itself at 65 watts (I measured all this) so it recharges super fast. I can charge from completely dead (0%) to 70% in an hour, to 93% in an hour and a half and fully charges in an hour and three quarters, assuming your charger is rated at least 65W. Not only can it power your MacBook Pro magnificently in the field; you can charge it from your MacBook Pro's or any other USB-C charger.

It has a captive USB-C cable so it can charge itself or charge your phone or camera or MacBook Pro without needing any other cables — and it has a regular USB-C socket and a USB-A socket so you can charge multiple things at 87 watts total.

It also has a real percentage gauge that is amazingly linear and accurate (I measured it) — and it's always on while you're using the power bank. I dislike 4-LED displays or percentage readouts that turn off every few minutes.

Here are the specifications, which are absent pretty much everywhere:

Size: 6.2 × 2.9 × 1.0 inches (157.5 × 73.7 × 25.4 mm), which is thicker, but the same shape and a little smaller than my iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Weight: 15.115 oz. (428.6g), actual measured weight.

Anker A1383 Specifications. bigger.

Nitecore NB20000 Gen3 20,000 mAh: $99.95

This is the smallest available 20,000 mAh-rated powerbank. It's the size of many 10,000 mAh powerbanks, and is smaller than the 10,000 mAh powerbank below.

It holds almost as much energy (number of other device charges) as the 87W Anker A1383, but it only can charge or be charged at about 15W to 20W. Thus it will charge a camera just as fast as the Anker A1383 because cameras only draw 15W to 20W, but it's not going to charge hungrier devices like MacBook Pros, iPads or big iPhones as super-fast. It also takes much longer to charge, typically 5 hours for a full charge versus an hour and a half.

The Nitecore NB20000 Gen3 has 12% less measured capacity (61.5 Wh versus 69.5 Wh) with fewer features for twice the price of the 87W Anker A1383 — but weighs a third less and is an inch and a half (40mm) shorter, which is a big difference when cramming this in a camera bag or backpack:

Nitecore NB20000 Gen3, very roughly to scale. bigger.

If you're charging cameras or not in a rush to charge more power-hungry devices, this Nitecore NB20000 Gen3 works as well as the larger Anker A1383. If you want faster charging for larger devices, get the Anker A1383. The Nitecore NB20000 Gen3 has only 89% the number of charges in is as I measure compared to what I measure from the equally rated Anker A1383; the real differences are size and charge speeds.

This Nitecore NB20000 Gen3 is the Sony RX1 R III of powerbanks: you pay a stiff premium and get fewer features when you need it as small as possible.

The Anker A1383 is a much better product for half the price if size doesn't matter, but as a backup to throw in my camera bag, the Nitecore NB20000 Gen3 saves a lot of space — and even my huge Canon EOS R1 only draws 14W so it's no slower with this Nitecore NB20000 Gen3 .

Blavor 10,000 mAh Wireless Solar: $27

Blavor 10,000 mAh Wireless Solar, very roughly to scale. bigger.

I got this cheaply made gizmo a couple of years ago. I wasn't going to mention it, but it's worked fine all this time and it does a lot of things almost for free, so it might be a great stocking stuffer, especially for kids or gadgeteers.

It adds solar charging, a flashlight, a magnetic compass key ring and wireless charging that neither the 87W Anker A1383 nor Nitecore NB20000 Gen3 have.

It's just a little smaller than the 87W Anker A1383 but bigger than the Nitecore NB20000 Gen3. It has better bumpers so it's probably more drop resistant, but it has only half the charging capacity (10,000 mAh versus 20,000 mAh or 35 Wh versus 70 Wh) of either of the other two, which is still plenty to charge a camera battery, or charge most iPhones.

It has less charge speed, measuring just 13.4W output via USB-C. It charges cameras fast enough over USB-C, but it probably will take a week or more to charge itself with its small solar panel. The solar panel is mostly for looks rather or keeping the charge topped-off when not in use, not for daily recharging. It charges at 12W via USB-C in about six hours, not wining any prizes like the super fast 87W Anker A1383.

It's perfect for wireless charging AirPods or my BMW Display Key, and it can charge my iPhone 17 Pro Max overnight wirelessly:


Blavor Charging AirPods. bigger.	Blavor 10,000 mAh Specifications. bigger.

Magic Multi-Manipulator top

TourBox Elite Plus

TourBox Elite Plus (USB-C power & connection or Bluetooth with 2-AA power; $297). bigger. I'd get mine at Amazon, at B&H or at eBay (How to Win at eBay). It comes in several different versions. This is the fanciest one, the TourBox Elite Plus.

TourBox Elite Plus, Apple Keyboard and Magic Mouse. bigger.

This weird looking thing is one of the most amazing computer time-savers I've ever used. It adds a fourth dimension of control and speed to everything I do on a computer. The app is so simple and well written that it makes this a complete dream.

This crazy-looking thing adds a bazillion programmable knobs and dials and buttons that let me work much faster in every app on my Mac while editing, or even just answering eMail and Web surfing. It also works with iPad, Android and PC. It lets me work faster and get much more done in less time with far fewer keystrokes. It replaces multifinger two-hand contortions (like CTL+SHIFT+TAB to swap tabs in Safari) with just one tap or a click of a dial.

Apple Watch top


Apple Watch ULTRA 3. bigger.	46mm Apple Watch Series 10 Titanium. bigger.

If you or someone you know is among the 32 people who still don't have an Apple Watch, the world's most popular watch, you have a huge range from which to choose.

All Apple Watches do most of the same things, which is tell time more accurately than any other watch and do most of the things an iPhone does, like text and eMail and make phone calls and see news and weather and measure and track heart rates and workouts without having to pull out your iPhone. See Why You Need an Apple Watch.

The new ULTRA 3, very similar ULTRA 2 and original ULTRA all share tough titanium cases and double the battery life of any of the other SERIES and SE watches. If someone wants a tough watch with a lot of battery life, it's the ULTRA. The ULTRA are also the biggest and most expensive, and have two speakers so you can hear them better than the other Apple Watches if you use them for phone calls.

The SERIES watches are thinner and more comfortable for civilized wear, however I can come close to using all my battery charge after a long day of workouts and heavy use. The SERIES 11 are the newest. The SERIES watches are the original Apple Watches everyone loves.

The SE watches are inexpensive. I've never owned one, but knowing what I know of everything Apple, even their least expensive products pretty much do everything the more expensive products do.

Portable Storage top

SanDisk Pocket SSDs

SanDisk 8TB SSD. bigger.

I've used these SanDisk pocket-sized USB-C Solid-State Drives (SSDs) for years.

They're self-powered; just plug them in via USB-C and they go, and as SSDs, they's completely unaffected by vibration and motion.

I used to carry a 2 TB SSD with me on remote trips to have access to all my big files without having to depend on having a fast Internet connection out in the boonies, and this year I got an 8 TB SSD so I can carry everything I've ever created with me for instant access — and it's smaller than my older 2 TB drive!

My 8 TB SS D stays in my bag for travel, and the 2 TB SSD sits on my desk for fast transfers to and from anything that comes in.

These are much faster than using SD cards for portable storage, and plug-in directly without need a card reader.

Be sure to use the high-speed USB cord that comes with these drives. A common USB-C charge cord, like the ones we get from Apple with our iPhones, don't work at high data rates and will give slow transfer speeds. If you need to, you can order more high-speed 10 Gb/s USB-C to USB-C cables, Thunderbolt 3 cables or Thunderbolt 4 cables as needed. 10 Gb/s is code for 1,250 MB/s, which is about the speed of these SSDs.

Canon Universal Closeup Lenses top