Photographers Gifts Under US$200

I have some photographers gift ideas! Keep reading to learn all about them.

In this post I’d like to share with you a list of gift ideas for photographers. The main advantage of this list is that everything is under US$200. 

I made this list, based on many different conversations with other photographers. We all talked about common needs that we have, or some accessories that we simply find very useful in our day-to-day work.

In every category I tried to look for at least two options, mostly three, at different price points. 

Tripods

Let’s start with tripods.

A friend of mine says that the tripod was the first photography accessory. Yeah I kind of agree, that’s why I have two recommendations both from Manfrotto.

I actually wrote a post about using tabletop tripods! They are super useful, especially if you are using small cameras. However, they can also be used to hold microphones or lights.

If your photographer friend wants something for a full size camera, that can serve as both a travel or a studio tripod, my recommendation is the Manfrotto Be Free Advanced (Adorama, Amazon). It usually runs close to my limit, around US$198.

This is a great tripod! One of the features that I really like about it, is that the plate included is the 200PL Pro. With this plate model, you can mount your camera on both the traditional Manfrotto heads, and also on Arca-Swiss tripod heads. I love that kind of versatility! 

Camera Straps

The next category, also with two options, is camera straps. 

I am not a big fan of the neck straps that come with every camera. I find them terribly uncomfortable.  It’s only my opinion, maybe it works for you. 

In case you’re looking for something different, the third party straps that I just love and use all the time are, the BlackRapid straps.

The one that I use the most is the Blackrapid Wrist Breathe (Adorama, Amazon) which costs around US$30. It’s super comfortable and secure, while allowing me to carry the camera in my hand. It’s great for a lightweight camera-lens combo.

Software

At some point, your photographer friend will need to edit to post-process his/her images. I think a great gift would be the software required for it.

In this case I separated between subscription software, permanent license, and something in between.

When it comes to subscription software, my recommendation is to go with the Adobe Photography Plan which starts at US$10 a month.

If your friend wants a permanent license for a slightly different kind of software, my recommendation is Affinity Photo. I used it mostly on iPad, but they also have versions for Windows and Mac. These last two versions run for approximately US$70.

Another great option for software is Capture One, which offers a subscription or a permanent license, whatever works best for your friend. 

If s/he prefers a permanent license, it’s about US$300. If s/he prefers a subscription, the monthly fee is around US$25.

Either way it’s great software, I’m in the process of testing it and it’s amazing! 

Drawing Tablets

If your photographer friend already has editing software, it’s very likely that s/he may need a drawing tablet.

I’m going to recommend three options, based on the size of the tablet. All of these options come from a Chinese brand named HUION.

The most compact one, which has a working surface of about 4 x 6 inches, is the HUION Inspiroy H640P (Amazon) which runs for about US$35.

The last option is something that I’m really interested in. It’s larger, about 8 x 12 inches in the working area. The actual tablet is even larger than that, but it’s also wireless. I’m talking about the HUION Inspiroy WH1409 Version 2 (Amazon), which runs for about US$182.

As you can see, there are many options to give as photographers gifts. I just covered a few categories in this post, but I’m sure these are great options, or they will give you a starting point.