2017 Treat Yourself Buying Guide The holidays are all about giving, so why not give back to the most important photographer in your life? That’s right, I’m talking about you. At this time of year there are plenty of gift guides out there geared toward buying for others, but at the end of the day, your own photographic spirit needs nurturing.
Also, camera gear can be pretty pricey and no matter how much they love you, your significant other/siblings/parents/friends might not be able to spring for that $1600 item on your wish list.
In this guide, we’ve rounded up a list of gear designed to pamper you and your creative spirit. From the ultimate pocket compacts, to nicer ways of carrying your camera, to the perfect rugged, portable hard drive – we’ve got you covered.
Peak Design Everyday backpack, 20L black
Peak Design Everyday backpack, 20L | $260 | PeakDesign. com
Treat yourself to one of the most technical and well-thought-out camera backpacks on the market: the Peak Design Everyday backpack. It comes in both a 20L and 30L capacity.
Weather-proof with plenty of ways to expand its carrying capacity including luggage straps, this bag is also real slick-looking. We're big fans of the origami-style Flex-Fold dividers used to organize the bag's interior, and we also appreciate the many interior pockets.
DJI Mavic Pro Fly More Combo
DJI Mavic Pro more combo | $1300| DJI. com
There are smaller, cheaper drones than the DJI Mavic Pro out there, (like the DJI Spark) but we recommend treating yourself to the Pro because it offers a great balance of portability, features and image/video quality. The Mavic Pro can shoot 12MP Raw files and 4K video and offers 27 minutes of flight time, 3-axis gimbal stabilization and can fly at up to 40 mph. It's also pretty easy to pick up and start using, especially in beginner mode, though there is a slight learning curve.
In a sense, it's the perfect drone for the first-time-flyer, long-time-photographer who wants to shoot more than HD video or JPEGs with their drone. We recommend you spend the extra cash on the controller - using your cellphone alone provides a very limit flight range and mediocre flight experience. But there are few things better for changing up your photographic perspective than owning a flying camera.
Affinity Photo for desktop
Affinity Photo for desktop | $50 | Affinity. Serif. com
Affinity Photo for desktop is a nifty piece of editing software that rivals Photoshop, all for a one time payment of $50.
In our review of Affinity Photo, we found the software more than capable at handling the majority of our re-touching tasks. Editing is mostly non-destructive and there are tools for batch processing, Raw processing, tone mapping, creating panoramas and focus stacking. Plus, if you're coming from Photoshop, the learning curve is pretty shallow.
Affinity Photo for desktop is available for both Mac and PC.
Polaroid OneStep 2
Polaroid OneStep2 + i-Type film pack | $146 | PolaroidOriginals. com
The ultimate treat yourself: Take a step back from the technical nitty-gritty of this modern digital world and try shooting just for composition – it can do wonders for your creative spirit. To get into this mindset may we suggest one of the coolest instant cameras on the market, the Polaroid OneStep2?
The OneStep2 is a modern rebirth of the classic Polaroid OneStep. The controls on this camera are purposely limited: there's a shutter button, a flash on button and a self-timer. It shoots Polaroid i-Type film which is similar to the original Polaroid 600 film and substantially larger than the Instax film offered by Fujifilm.
The camera itself is pretty affordable ($100), but it's the film cost that'll get you – at ~$2 a shot it'll definitely have you shooting decisively. Nothing wrong with that!
Sandisk Extreme 500 portable SSD 500 GB
Sandisk Extreme 500 portable SSD 500 GB | $170 | ShopSandisk. com
This tiny portable SSD drive is both drop-proof and weather-proof and it weighs less than 80g. For the traveling photographer with limited space, it's an invaluable piece of gear – one that won't fail if dropped or knocked around. It also offers super fast transfer speeds and runs cool and quiet.
So treat yourself and your data to peace of mind and pick up what we consider to be the most sensible rugged hard drive currently on the market.
Ricoh Theta V
Ricoh Theta V | $430 | us. Rioch-Imaging. com
360-degree photos and videos are pretty darn cool and the technology required to make decent looking 360/VR content is finally coming down in price. Why not get in on the fun and treat yourself to one of the nicest stand-alone 360-cameras on the market in the form of the Ricoh Theta V?
We've found found the Theta V to be both easy-to-use and capable of impressive quality stills and video. It offers 4K video capture and shoots 14MP stills. Connectivity and audio capture have both been improved over the previous model, and the camera itself has a slick, Apple-like design.
Olympus Tough TG-5
Olympus Tough TG-5 | $450 | Get. Olympus. com
The budget compact may be dead but the rugged compact is still very much alive. And the Olympus Tough TG-5 is a DPReview favorite. We already recommended it as a great gift option for others, but if you're into outdoor activities it'll make a great compact option alongside your main camera. In fact, DPR's Carey Rose deemed it the 'best rugged compact you can buy right now,' based on his shooting experience.
The camera offers a 25-100mm equiv zoom lens and the body is completely sealed, making it waterproof down to 50ft, drop proof from 7ft, crush proof up to 220lb and freezeproof to 14F. It also shoots Raw and is capable of surprisingly good image quality. Other features include 4K video capture and 20 fps burst shooting.
There's something to be said for a go-everywhere-camera that you don't have to worry about dropping, breaking or soaking. And there's none we'd recommend over the Olympus Tough TG-5. Treat yourself!
Sony RX100 V
Sony Cyber-shot RX100 V | $950 | Sony. com
Speaking of compacts, the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 V is arguably the most advanced high-end pocket camera to ever exist, jam packed with a dizzying array of technology and features. The creme de la creme of small cameras, for many it is a want-to-have, not a need-to-have. To that we say. . . treat yourself!
It's got a useful and sharp 24-70mm equiv. F1. 8-2. 8 zoom lens and can shoot at up to 24 fps with AF and auto exposure. Plus, it uses an impressive 315-point phase detect AF system. But that's not all: it's capable of outstanding 4K video and class-leading stills. The RX100 V also offers built-in Wi-Fi, a pop-up electronic viewfinder and a pop-up flash (read our full review).
The RX100 V has come down a tiny bit in price since launch, but if it's still too expensive, you should consider some of the other also excellent, but more affordable RX100-series cameras.
Fujifilm X100F
Fujfilm X100F | $1300 | Fujifilm. com
We've enjoyed using every camera in the Fujifilm X100-series, and the X100F is the latest and greatest iteration. A beautifully-designed, retro-looking camera, the X100F offers a fixed 35mm F2 equiv. lens and tons of direct controls.
The X100F gains a higher-resolution 24MP sensor, an AF joystick and improved AF performance. We especially like the hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder. And unsurprisingly, we gave the X100F a gold award in our review.
In short, we think it's among the nicest-designed compact cameras around and a great companion for travel, or documenting friends and family. So treat yourself to retro-elegance in this fixed-lens beauty.
Canon 85mm F1. 4L IS USM
Canon 85mm F1. 4L IS USM | Canon. USA. com | $1600
If you’re going to buy a portrait lens, you might as well buy one of the nicest primes released this year. We're talking of course about Canon’s new 85mm F1. 4L IS (see our sample gallery shot with it). Sharp, fast and stabilized, this lens is capably of seriously excellent image quality. It's also dust and weather-sealed and features a 9-blade aperture.
At $1600, it's priced pretty competitively, but Sigma's 85mm F1. 4 is also excellent, and somewhat cheaper at $1200 - though it lacks image stabilization.
Nikon D850
Nikon D850 | $3300 | NikonUSA. com
Perhaps you already shoot Nikon, but maybe you are invested in another DSLR system, or you shoot mirrorless. Regardless of the camera your are currently shooting with, we'd urge you to take a look at the best DSLR currently on the market: the Nikon D850. As we stated in its gold award winning review. . .
'Offering an impressive 45. 7MP of resolution, 7fps burst shooting, full-width 4K video and a focusing system derived from the flagship D5, it looks as though Nikon's thrown just about everything they've got into the D850, and priced it well to boot. Competitors with similarly specced megapixel counts such as the Sony a7R II and Canon EOS 5Ds R may be cheaper at this point in their lifetimes, but they also fall short of the D850 in a number of ways that may make a difference in the way you shoot. '
If that doesn't have you convinced the Nikon D850 is the ultimate treat yourself purchase, maybe our sample gallery will.
That's all the self-gifting advice we have for you this year. We certainly don't expect you to pick up everything on our list, but hopefully there is something here that'll make you, or a special someone smile.
. dpreview.com2017-11-21 17:00
