Our favorite gifts under $250 –

As we gear up for the biggest shopping season of the year, we’re presenting our favorite gifts for photographers this holiday season. Thanks to Capture One, Fundy, Mylio, MPB, Skylum, Excire and Tamron, the sponsors of this year’s Holiday Gift Guide.

Need more gift ideas, and want to see all the latest holiday deals? Check out our Holiday Shopping Guide!

Below are a few of our favorites that are valued under $250. These are great gifts for the photographer in your life!

Luminar Neo

Recommended by the Photofocus Team | Read review | $119 via Luminar (Skylum)

Photo editing software for PC and Mac! A simple photo editor with AI that helps edit your photos as you imagine it in your eyes.

AfterShoot yearly subscription

Recommended by Julie Powell | Read review | $119; available via AfterShoot

AfterShoot seeks to solve the biggest time consumer that every professional photographer runs into: culling. The software works marvelously to detect blurry photos, photos with closed eyes, duplicates and more. Portrait (and event) photographers, this is a huge timesaver! It has literally cut my culling time down dramatically. And the best part? It works as both a pre-processing tool or one that will embed its meta data so you can use it in tools like Lightroom Classic and Capture One. I highly recommend this program, such a game changer.

Mylio

Recommended by Photofocus Team | $119 ($9.99/month); available via Mylio

This is a recent find for us. Mylio makes backing up your photos simple…and using the cloud is optional. Just add a vault hard drive, then start connecting all your computers, phones and tablets. Now, all your images are backed up and you can sync between devices. Want to clean up a shoot, and meta data and ratings, or even pick your best shots on the go? It’s easy, and everything stays in perfect sync.

ProMaster TTS522 Professional Small Table Top Tripod

Recommended by Pam DeCamp | $119; available via Amazon

Great for the macro photographer or a nice travel light tripod. Weighs just 1.65 pounds and fits easily in the side pocket of a camera backpack. The full working height with post extended is just over 18 inches. Ball head and ARCA compatible plate included.

Tinden Photography Glove

Recommended by Sara Kempner | Read Review | $199.95; available via Vallerret

Vallerret’s Tinden gloves are perfect for any photographer looking to keep their hands warm during frigid winter months. The 100% Merino wool inner lining with Primaloft Gold Insulation will keep your hands toasty while the FlipTech fingers caps allow you to operate your camera with ease. No need to take your gloves off to operate your camera! The gloves are extremely comfortable and water-resistant, making them the perfect winter gift. 

Ilford 35mm Gift Calendar

Recommended by Lauri Novak | $129.99; available via B&H

The 35mm Gift Calendar from Ilford is an ideal present for the film enthusiast in your life, or the perfect way to treat yourself! This gift set contains a fantastic selection of Ilford and Kentmere 35mm 36 exposure black & white films, as well as a few other fun items, all hidden behind 12 doors.

Platypod eXtreme Tripod Plate

Recommended by Bob Coates | $149; available from B&H

Handy to have when you need your camera at a low level, but also handy to use a strap or place it on a higher object such as a car. The eXtreme can be deployed quickly, as the legs are built in and with a quick twist the legs can be in the ready position.

Hex Ranger DSLR Sling (XL, Black)

Recommended by Ken Lee | $150; available via B&H

The Hex Ranger DSLR Sling XL camera bag, for me, hits the sweet spot in a bag. It is large for a sling but small for a backpack, filling a void. It’s large and well-designed enough that I would not be surprised if many photographers used this instead of a traditional camera backpack. What I didn’t mention in my review of the Hex Ranger is that last week, at the end of my trip, I opened the hatch of my car door only to find that the bag fell out, striking the concrete hard. I inspected the five lenses immediately, including the heavyweight Pentax 15-30mm f/2.8 lens. All were fine. All operated beautifully. All had been protected. Nice.

Zhiyun-Tech FIVERAY FR100C RGB LED Tube Light (Black)

Recommended by Jemma Pollari | Read Review | $199; available via B&H

The Zhiyun-Tech LED Tube Light is a well-priced entry-level tool for photographers and videographers. It works well for light painting as well as handheld illumination in long-exposure landscapes. You can change color temperature and intensity with the built-in modes, and it has a thread for mounting on a tripod or lighting stand.

SlickPic Bespoke Classic Plan

Recommended by Jemma Pollari | Read Review | $239.70 a year with the 50% discount for life of the account offer for Photofocus readers

SlickPic is my favorite photographer software solution of the year. It includes everything that you need to display and distribute your photos to potential and existing clients. Client delivery galleries and portfolio websites are all in one place, powered by the Organizer backend that stores and backs up your photo collection. For anyone looking to take their photography next level, SlickPic’s 50% offer for the life of the account is an offer that can’t be missed.

Zhiyun-Tech FIVERAY FR100C RBV LED Tube Light Combo with Power Supply

Recommended by Ken Lee | Read Review | $249; available via B&H

The Zhiyun LED Tube Light shines in its versatility and brightness. Just about everyone can find great uses for this light. Photographers will find this useful and easy to use for portrait, product, fashion, model, macro, light painting, and product photography. Videographers will find it useful for a variety of video instances. Either will be able to illuminate their subjects using stands in a variety of settings or handheld.