After a tumultuous 2020, the holidays will be here before you know it! As we gear up for the biggest shopping season of the year, we’re presenting our favorite gifts for photographers this holiday season. Below are a few of our favorites that are valued over $1000. Perfect for if Santa has a winning lotto ticket.
Want to see the latest gift ideas for the 2021 holiday season? Check out our Holiday Shopping Guide!
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III
Recommended by Bob Coates | Read review | $1399; available via Olympus
A powerful micro four-thirds format camera that leverages it’s processing power to add lots of features. Starry Sky AF, in-camera ND filters, tripod 80MP and handheld 50MP files are just a few. Gotta mention Pro Capture mode, which allows you to buffer images without saving, and then record what you saw in the past — great for wildlife behavior images!
Epson Perfection V850 Pro Scanner
Recommended by Lauri Novak | $1149; available via B&H
This is on my own wish list so I can once and for all get through my scanning project. I’ve heard great things about this Epson scanner and its capability to make a large scale project a little less time-consuming.
Apple 13.3″ MacBook Pro with Retina display (Late 2020)
Recommended by Bryan Esler | $1899; available via B&H
With Apple’s recent announcement about the 13.3″ MacBook Pro shifting over to the new M1 Silicon processor, you’ll experience a major speed and battery life bump in this iteration of the MacBook Pro. The laptop allows for up to 20 hours of video playback and features a Retina display that supports the P3 wide color gamut.
Nikon Z 5
Recommended by Darren Miles | Read review | $1296.95; available via B&H
If you’re a Nikon shooter like me, you were probably underwhelmed with the first generation of Z cameras from Nikon. Well feel underwhelmed no more! Nikon’s second generation of Z cameras is here and first up is the Z 5. I like to think of it as a mirrorless D750, and the D750 was one of my favorite workhorse cameras of all time! This time around we get two memory card slots and outstanding autofocus … and never mind that full-frame sensor goodness! Oh, and the price? It’s a steal, and Nikon is bundling the FTZ adapter for the holidays!
Fotopro E6 tripod
Recommended by Bob Coates | $1099; available via B&H
The Fotopro E6 tripod setup is pretty sweet. The gimbal head has smooth tracking for wildlife. A quick level ball head allows instant leveling without having to adjust legs. And a total bonus? You can point the camera straight up for stars or straight down for macro work. The carbon fiber legs are light, stiff, water and sand proof.
Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Lens
Recommended by Jemma Pollari | $1999; available via B&H
The stunning 85mm f/1.2 prime is the gold standard for portrait photographers. Perfect sharpness, the dreaminess of f/1.2, there’s everything to love about this lens. It also boasts Canon’s premium L-series build quality, so it’s dust and moisture-sealed: Perfect for those snowy Christmas shoots.
FUJIFILM X100V Digital Camera
Recommended by the Photofocus team | Read review | $1399; available via B&H
If you’re a street photographer, you’re no doubt familiar with FUJIFILM’s lineup of cameras. The X100V is a high-end camera perfect for street, featuring a gorgeous, compact and retro rangefinder-style body.
Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens
Recommended by Kevin Ames | $1099; available via B&H
This compact, versatile lens covers a wide-angle to portrait view, and is outstanding. It handles practically every situation a photographer might encounter.
Pentax K-1 Mark II DSLR
Recommended by Ken Lee | $1796.95; available via B&H
This is easily one of the greatest DSLRs ever made. What is even more astounding is the price. The impressive image quality and dynamic range is easily comparable to high-end DSLRs costing more than double its price. There’s a real openness and beauty to the RAW images.
The robust weather sealing makes this a no-brainer for those who work in wet, windy or harsh conditions. Add to that an intuitive menu and button layout, backlit buttons and 3.2-inch 1,037,000-dot Cross-Tilt LCD … it’s a winner. And I haven’t even mentioned the AstroTracer function, which calculates movement of stars in the sky and moves the sensor to minimize the capture of star trails with long exposures, red light display to preserve night vision or countless other features that make this an amazingly well thought-out camera.
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO Lens
Recommended by Bryan Esler | Read review | $1199; available via Olympus
If you’re looking for a great all-in-one lens to take on your next trip or simply walk around town with, it doesn’t get much better than the M.Zuiko 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens. This micro four-thirds lens offers a constant aperture of f/4, and has a full-frame equivalent field of view of 24-200mm. It’s lightweight and is perfect to take on-the-go.
Sony Alpha a7 III Mirrorless Camera
Recommended by Bryan Esler | Read review | $1698; available via B&H
Sony has really created some remarkable mirrorless cameras over the years, and the a7 III is no different. Featuring an upgraded grip, the a7 III is a joy to hold. On the inside, the autofocus is spectacular and the low-light performance is some of the best you’ll find.
Canon EOS R6 Mirrorless Digital Camera
Recommended by Kevin Ames | $2499; available via B&H
The R6 features the same sensor as Canon’s flagship DSLR, the 1D X Mark III. It has a small form factor and sports ultra high speed eye tracking autofocus. Best of all, it’s light weight and works for a week on a single battery charge.
Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 for Sony and Leica
Recommended by Bryan Esler | Read review | $1399; available via B&H
If you’re looking for a sharp wide-angle lens for landscapes or real estate, you have to check out this Sigma lens! It’s got amazing sharpness, beautiful and smooth bokeh … perfect for the scene you’re capturing. It also takes rear filters, meaning the days of dealing with big, clunky square filters are gone.
Check out our complete over $1000 gift guide at B&H!
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