[Closed] Gift for a photographer

[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=lens+coffee+mug&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=11804583594&ref=pd_sl_258yab3efz_b ]Coffee Mug[/url]

+ whatever someone else suggests 😆

what about a nice painting..?

Camera bag, external flash, second hand 1.8 50mm lense, wifi enabled sd-card, photo course.

If she has no ext flash that's what I'd get her first.

IMO Gorillapods are only good enough for small lightweight items like compact cameras and or (DSLR) flashes.

Tripods are an investment and if you scan round photo forums, you'll find plenty of comments about buying once and buying right, i.e pay more money to start with to get something that will last, as opposed to go through 3 or 4 upgrades.

Depending upon her level of interest and commitment, I'd have a gander at something like the Manfrotto 055 legs and a (decent) ball head, which you should be able to get sorted for £150ish.

[url= http://www.warehouseexpress.com/photography-tripods-manfrotto/b3037-m156?SortBy=0&ShowAll=1 ]Warehouse Express[/url] are a good company to buy from.

I have an older set of 055 legs which I brought as my first 'serious' legs. My current 'best' tripod comprises [url= http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-gitzo-gt3541-mountaineer-tripod-with-g-lock-and-power-disc/p1026486 ]these legs[/url] with one of [url= http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-arca-swiss-monoball-z1-sp-with-quickset/p1027872 ]these heads[/url]. - Neither of those are the most expensive items you can buy 😯

If she hasn't got a f1.8 50mm prime lens, then get her one, it can open up your eyes to depth of field and really inspire you for some creative shots. You can get these for £75-£80 new.

Manfrotto tripod's are also good, but don't go for a cheap one, [url= http://www.redsnapperuk.com/ ]RedSnapper[/url] has some good prices.

Don't get a gorilla pod, I have one for my Canon G10 and it just about copes with it, it's useless for the dSLR.

Filters, it depends on what you photograph, landscape then maybe a poloized filter, again don't go for cheap. I use UV filters to protect the lens, again don't go for cheap, there is a huge difference between my £15 filter and £80 filter.

If it was me, I'd be buying her a 50mm prime lens and a decent tripod.

There is a big gorillapod designed for heavy zoom lenses - no idea how it works, but they show it with a big zoom on an SLR, so it must at least have worked one time!

I would ask her what she wants though - buying something for someone who is a specialist when you don't really know about it is asking for trouble. Like if someone went out and bought you bike wheels for your birthday, and they knew nothing about bikes, they'd be likely to buy super lightweight wheels for a downhiller, or something silly like that, or worse they'd buy you road bike wheels.

With tripods, make sure you know if she wants lightweight and portable or something very steady for some reason - we have a big manfrotto at work that must weigh 10 kg or more - great for use where you want to avoid the tripod being knocked or any wobble due to wind etc., but a nightmare to transport.

Joe

Manfrotto's cheapest 'serious' tripod is the 055 range, although for shorter people without heavy lenses the 190 range will do. When working out height, ignore any centre columns, they are in effect a monopod on a tripod, completely useless. Many knowledgeable photographers remove the centre column entirely.

In your budget you could match that with a decent ball head like the (cheapest reasonable ball head) Giottos MH1300. Depending on your wife'e desires, she may like to upgrade to the Arca plate system later on (this ballhead can be converted to use Arca plate Quick Releases).

From Warehouse Express:

Manfrotto 190XB Tripod £109

Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod £119

Giottos MH1300-652 Series II Ball Head £74.99

Hope that helps.

A good Tripod/head is an excellent idea and having had a Manfrotto 055CB for years can fully endorse that model

Good quality circular polariser filter is a good extra too, find out what lens she uses for landscape type shots and buy one in that size, Hoya Pro are excellent quality (not from Ebay, possible snide copies)

Not everyones thing, but find a wireless remote very useful, bought a Hahnel Giga Pro, loads of functions, good range and nicely made into the bargain

Fast high capacity memory card is another idea along with spare camera batteries, always useful

One last idea how about a days photography course in her favoured subject, days tuition from a pro can make a world of difference

The big Gorillapods easily carry the weight of a dSLR and a decent lens, so don't worry about that. Just get the right size!

OK thanks for everyones input 😆

I just ordered the Manfrotto 055 tripod and ballhead. My logic: both of her current tripods are less than perfect so I figured she should have at least one good tripod in her 'arsenal' as it were 8)

I hope she agrees 🙄

I'm sure she'll be happy with that choice of tripod :-).

What ball head did you go with?

Oh and ignore TuckerUK's comment about Arca Swiss quick releases :wink:. - That's a very slippery slope to go down, especially when you start accumulating L brackets and all the associated toyz. - Gawd knows I've spent quite enough on massively expensive bits of cast and machined aluminium 🙄

That's a very slippery slope to go down, especially when you start accumulating L brackets and all the associated toyz.

You can always get a machine shop to run you off a bar of nice ally to the correct profile which you then cut to length and join as required (a la Dr. Bjørn Rørslett). 😉

I can highly recommend the plate conversion for the Manfrotto 055 that [url= http://www.stativfreak.de/GALERIES/BASTEL/UMBAU-WBJL-055X/index.htm ]these guys[/url] do.

Monopod. And a nice bag to carry her kit on her back.

This is what I bought;

Manfrotto 190XPROB Tripod
Manfrotto 804RC2 Tripod Head

Came in at just under £150 including delivery 8)