Top Five Gifts for Photography Lovers

Photographers are always in need of something. Photography is part art, part technology so there is also always something new. If you have a shutterbug in your household, this article will help you wade through the multitude of exciting photography equipment out there. First off, though, make sure you are buying from a reputable company. There are many, many companies out there that will sell you a camera without a battery and then charge you a lot for the battery. I always use B&H (bhphotovideo.com), Ritz Camera, or Adorama. They have good prices and I personally have never had any problems. If you find a deal for more than 10% less than those, buyer beware.

#1 The Nikon D3

This is the top line Nikon digital camera. At 12 megapixels and high ISO ratings, if you can see it, you can take a picture of it. Even in near dark conditions. I have used this camera a little and it is true. It also has two compact flash card slots for automatic backups of one picture on each card. For $4,999 dollars though, it is pretty pricey.

If you are looking for that top of the line digital camera and can live without the 4x5 format used for making 8x10 inch photographs, consider the D700. It has the same performance and electronics specs as the D3. I use this camera much more often and it currently runs about $2,500. For more detailed review of both cameras check out http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d3-d700-5d.htm

#2 Filters

Everyone needs some kinds of filters at one time or another. For digital cameras, a very popular type of filter is called a circular polarizing filter. Circular polarizers allow you to deepen colors if you are 90 degrees away from the sun resulting in bluer skies and redder reds. You get more vibrant colors. A good circular polarizer runs about 100-120 dollars.

#3 Wipes (lens cleaning tissues)

Photography equipment gets dusty and needs to be cleaned. However, you should only clean the lenses and equipment with wipes that are made to clean specially coated lenses. This means baby wipes are out. But you can still get high quality wipes are a pretty decent price that can be used to clean the specially coated modern lenses. A Tiffen branded lens 50 pack of tissues runs $1.99 plus shipping at Adorama.

#4 VisibleDust Arctic Butterfly

Sometimes dust shows up on the digital camera's sensor. Those specks of dust show up in pictures as little dark blobs, especially noticeable in blue skies. The Arctic Butterfly by Visible dust is a little rotating brush that will gently remove those dust specks from the camera's sensor. It runs around $250 dollars for a complete cleaning kit. You need to make sure you get the right size for the camera's sensor that you plan to use it on and you can find out online or by calling VisibleDust with the make and model of the camera.

#5 SBM Supreme Light Diffuser

The number one item that increased my ability to take a wide range or natural looking pictures was the SBM Supreme Light Diffuser. This device covers the flash of a digital flash and softens the hard, sharp light of the flash. This results in a much more natural looking light - especially for portrait photography. This one costs a mere $15 dollars.