20 best gifts for photographers under £100
Photography can be an expensive hobby, but it’s not all about fancy cameras and lenses. There are lots of less expensive photo accessories you can get that let you take on projects and subjects you might not have thought of before.
So we’ve picked 20 of our favourite photo accessories from pocket money prices up to £100. Whether you’re looking for last-minute inspiration for the photographer in your life, or you want to treat yourself to a little photographic gift this Christmas, our list is packed with ideas and inspiration.
1. Jessops VL30 Mini LED Video Light
This LED light clips into your camera’s hotshoe and provides continuous illumination for shooting video. It’s just as useful for stills photograph too, though, and why not try taking it off the camera and using it handheld for a little creative light-painting after dark?
£3.98 at jessops.com
2. iKross Professional Camera Protector Rain Cover
Now you don’t have to rush indoors the moment it starts to rain! Some of the best pictures are taken in the worst weather and this DSLR rain cover can protect your delicate electronic gear as you wait for that perfect photo opprtunity.
£9.99 from amazon.co.uk
3. PhotoPhreezePhun camera Ice Cube Tray
Chill those Christmas cocktails with this novelty ice cube tray, which makes ice in the shape of cameras, lenses and flashguns. You can use it to make chocolates, jellies and cake decorations too. Arguing about DSLRs vs CSCs? Don’t worry – it makes both.
£9.99 at wex.co.uk
4. Lenspen Original Lens Cleaner
No fluids, no smears, no mess – the Lenspen’s unique carbon tip clears away dust and smears without leaving any debris behind. You can use it on camera lenses, viewfinder eyepieces, binoculars and telescopes.
£12 at jessops.com
5. Hoya UV Filter
Protect your valuable DSLR and CSC lenses with a UV filter. Almost colourless, these reduce haze in distant landscapes and can take the knocks, scratches and bumps that might otherwise ruin the front element of your lens. Available in a variety of filter sizes.
Around £19.99 at johnlewis.com
6. Manfrotto Pixi Mini Tripod
Table top tripods don’t come any neater than this. You can flip out the legs in an instant, providing rock-solid support for a compact camera or a lightweight mirrorless model – and you just press the red button to release the quick and simple ball head mechanism.
£24.95 at jessops.com
7. WexPro 110cm 5-in-1 Reflector
Discover the subtle possibilities of single-light-source portraits with this 5-in-1 reflector, offering translucent white for light diffusion, pure white for light reflection plus textured gold and silver surfaces and a black surface for light blocking.
£24.99 at wex.co.uk
8. Joby Action Clamp and Gorillapod
The bendy spider legs of the regular Gorillapod can take a bit of getting used to, but this is slightly different. A clamp anchors your camera to any convenient surface and the Gorillapod ‘arm’, lets you angle your camera any way you like. Perfect for GoPros and other action cams.
£25 at jessops.com
9. ShoulderPod S1
This all-in-one smartphone grip and camera support holds your phone firmly and has a grip perfectly placed for shooting video. You can unscrew a cap to reveal a tripod bush to mount your smartphone on a tripod, and you can angle the ShoulderPod to act as a phone stand.
About £27 from amazon.co.uk
10. Kata DR-465 DL Backpack
Designed to hold a DSLR, two lenses, flashgun and accessories, the Kata can also be converted into a regular backpack simply by removing the camera insert. It even comes with its own rain cover for those landscape shoots that don’t quite work out as planned.
£29.95 at wex.co.uk
11. Peak Design Clutch Camera Hand Strap
Can’t get along with regular shoulder straps? Prefer holding the camera in one hand but worried about dropping it? This Peak Design hand strap fixes to your camera’s strap eyelets but then loops across the back of your hand to provide both security and comfort.
£29.99 at jessops.com
12. Manfrotto 679B Monopod with Free 234RC Head
A monopod is the ideal support for telephoto lenses and handheld shots where a tripod would slow you down or get in the way. This one comes with a free tilting Manfrotto 234RC head with quick release plate.
£44.95 at wex.co.uk
13. Manfrotto Compact Light Aluminium Tripod
Just 40cm long when it’s folded, this lightweight tripod extends to a height of 1.31m and is ideal for compact cameras or light mirrorless models via its 3-section legs and extending centre column. It comes with a built-in ball head.
£49 at jessops.com
14. Nikon DX DSLR Accessory Kit
Includes a Nikon shoulder bag, spare EN-EL14a battery (fits Nikon D3100, D3200, D3300, D5100, D5200, D5300, D5500) and lens cleaning pen. Was £69.99, now reduced by £20. Ideal for Nikon’s smaller D3000-series and D5000-series DSLRs.
£49.99 at jessops.com
15. SanDisk 64GB Extreme Pro 95MB/sec SDXC Card
An SDXC memory card with the capacity to cope with thousands of still images and the speed to keep up with full HD and 4K video. There’s no such thing as a future-proof memory card, but this one gets you pretty close at a price that won’t make your eyes water.
£59 at wex.co.uk
16. Lensbaby Spark
Try out the unique lo-fi look of Lensbaby lenses with the simple to use Spark. Twist, turn and push the lens to any angle to shift the plane of focus for truly surreal and atmospheric shots. It’s available in both Canon and Nikon DSLR versions.
£59 at wex.co.uk
17. LaCie 1TB Rugged Mini Portable Hard Drive
Sooner or later we all run out of space on our computer’s hard drive, so a USB-powered external drive is a neat and simple solution – and this one has been ruggedised to offer protection against rain, knocks, drops and even crushing.
£80 at wex.co.uk
18. Sekonic Twinmate Exposure Meter
Rediscover the lost art of manual exposure with this handheld light meter. You turn the dial to line up the marker with the meter needle to read offshutter speed and aperture combinations. The Twinmate can also take incident light readings – something no camera can do!
£89 from amazon.co.uk
19. Tamron 70-300mm F4/5.6 DI LD Macro
Looking for a way to expand your Nikon DSLR system without spending a fortune? This Tamron 70-300mm lens offers a short to medium telephoto range and comes with £10 off. It’s also available in a Canon version.
£89.99 at jessops.com
20. GoPro Hero 4
Ready for your first dabble with action cam photography? The GoPro Hero 4 comes from the action cam market’s best known brand, but it’s an entry-level model that won’t break the bank. It’s still dustproof, though, and waterproof to a depth of 40m.
£94 at amazon.co.uk
