looking for a little present (up to £25) for a friend who has recently bought expensive camera but has little else. Was thinking maybe a Monopod? Any views? The alternative is the 3 pack of Scott Kelby books, which I like.

I’ve got a monopod and at first I didn’t like it. But then I got a ball head (essential for a monopod) and read up on how to use it, and now it’s good for helping to cut down shake when using long zooms. I suppose it’d also be good for landscapes and the like, not really tried it. It’s quite a subtle tool. I’ve found I can brace it against things with my body to get pretty stable positions, and it can be much more convenient than a tripod I reckon.

Other than that, a polarising filter perhaps? Although that could be more $.

But if they are a newbie, the books will help far more than anything else!

Books sound a good bet. Everything else is quite specific to their kit and personal preferences so would be a bit hit or miss.

The Photographer’s Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos £15

How about some cleaning bits? Rocket blower, etc. Useful and within budget

You could get a cheap but functional tripod, a comfy wide strap, a decent memory card (fast not just big), Cokin filter starter set is about that much (though not always useful?), good books are always useful, magazine subscription, trip to somewhere interesting to take pictures?

Rocket blower???, oh i see.

Ooh, that Michael Freeman book is on Kindle – ordered 🙂

Ooh, that Michael Freeman book is on Kindle – ordered

Isn’t the Kindle black-and-white? I think some of the chapters about using colour may be a bit difficult to understand 😀

Quite possibly 🙂

Some Kindle books have links to images online though – will see.

You can buy it on the Kindle store and use it on a colour device like an iPad, or your home computer.

I think it’s a pretty good use of electronic books – for books that aer big and heavy that you maybe won’t use that often.

Ah.. so the file is actually in colour? Was assuming that it’d still be B&W if viewed on a computer… nice.

I assume it is in colour – when I have bought books fom Kindle store they have always been in colour