The holidays aren’t just a great time to take pictures, they’re also a great time to spread the photo love (to yourself, or to others.)
Since many of you are probably looking for great photo gift ideas right about now, we thought we’d give you a hand by telling you about a few of our favorites.
For each of the categories below, there are dozens, often hundreds of options. We’re not going to tell you about all of them–we’ve picked the best of the best. It’s the stuff we’d buy (or have already bought) ourselves. We’ll tell you why, and leave rest up to you.
Without further ado…
Photojojo’s Funtacular Photo Gifts Roundup for 2006www.photojojo.com/content/buy-this/photo-gifts-roundup-2006/
Which Camera to Buy
Whether you’re shopping for an upgrade for yourself, or giving the gift of photography to another, here are the two we recommend above all others…
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Point & Shoot: Canon SD800 IS
Canon’s latest and greatest in their Elph line is the perfect all-around digital camera: The Canon SD800 IS. After weeks of research, we just picked one up. It’s great.
HERE’S WHY: It’s small. Small enough that you won’t leave it at home. It’s got a wide-angle 28mm zoom. A rare feature that will get you shots you’d otherwise miss. It takes really, really good pictures. Canon’s compacts are known for their image quality. It has Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). Even in low light, you’ll get sharp shots without flash. Flash ruins pictures and OIS helps you avoid it. This is a big deal. (OIS also means smooth-as-butter video.) Canon packed it with the newest goodies. Face recognition, longer battery life, and an LCD that’s almost twice as sharp. It’s got the best user interface. Simpler than Nikon, Casio, Pentax, Sony, and the rest.
Buy for $361 at Amazon
(Your purchase helps support Photojojo)
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Beginner Digital SLR: Nikon D40
We’ve been shooting with a Nikon D70 for two years now. It’s not just a reliable workhorse, it’s a friend. Of course, we have pals that swear by their Canon’s, too. Normally, we’d abstain from entering the Canon vs. Nikon wars — but this year Nikon made it easy.
The brand-new Nikon D40 is perfect for someone who’s getting their first digital SLR. And at $600 with a decent starter lens, it’s a surprisingly good deal.
HERE’S WHY: It’s wicked small. Something you’re gonna appreciate, trust us. It’s got all the features you’d expect in a DSLR: instant power-up, interchangeable lenses and flash units, advanced focus and exposure systems, full manual control, etc. Excellent build quality. This guy will stand a beating and feels good in your hands. Its user interface was made for SLR newbies. SLRs are known for cyptic, unlabeled buttons, the D40 is not. Intuitive screens even explain what different settings will do for your photos.
Pre-order for $599 at J&R
(available first or second week of December)
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Camera Accessories
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Memory Card: The SanDisk SD USB+
Those big pictures and smooth videos take up a lot of memory! We love the SanDisk Ultra II SD Plus USB. It’s a fast card with a unique feature: it folds up so you can stick it straight into a free USB port on your computer–no card reader or USB cable required! Our favorite.
HERE’S WHY: It’s fast and it folds up to fit into your USB port to download pictures. It’s not only insanely cool, it’s also darn handy. Includes keychain carrying case.
Buy the 1GB version for $40 at Amazon
(Your purchase helps support Photojojo)
Buy the 2GB version for $90 at Amazon
(Your purchase helps support Photojojo)
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Photo Sharing: Mailable Photo Frames
Nothing says “I bought you this sweet digital camera, so you’d better take some kickin’ photos and send some my way!” quite like a dozen Mailable Photo Frames.
HERE’S WHY: They’re beautiful and shiny and come with a built-in stand that works horizontally and vertically. And since it only requires letter-rate postage to send them, your friends have excuse for not sending you photos! Starts at just $2 each!
Buy for $12 at The Photojojo Shop
(Great bulk discounts!)
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Gifts From Your Photos
FlipClips: Flipbooks Made from Your Short Videos
Ever since we wrote about them back in August, you’ve have been telling us you love FlipClips — the one and only site that will turn those short 30 second video clips you can take with your digital camera into real-life flipbooks! For the holidays, why not turn some of your best video clips into stocking-stuffer-perfect flipbooks?
Buy for $9 at FlipClips
(Use coupon “holidayjojo” for $3 off your order!)
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Custom Photo Soda Pop Bottles
Everyone’s seen those photo mugs and t-shirts, but not many have seen the custom Jones Soda photo soda bottle. Upload your photo, choose a flavor, and get a custom-made case delivered to your door!
HERE’S WHY: It’s totally unique, and you can even get Turkey & Gravy flavor for a limited time!
Buy for $35 at myJones
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Something for the Whole Family, or Office
The Non-Photo Frame: Magnetic Photo Rope
Need something fun and inexpensive? At just $12, our Magnetic Photo Rope is the perfect Secret Santa Surprise. 8 so-tiny-yet-so-mighty neodymium magnets hold your photos to a thin steel cable you can hang just about anywhere.
Wanna buy one for every cube in the office? Or stuff one in every stocking? We’ve got great bulk discounts!
HERE’S WHY: It’s way more fun than a boring picture frame, and lets you re-arrange your photos on a whim. You can even use it for notes, cards, memos, or anything else made of paper. You can hang it anywhere and the tiny, powerful magnets will keep whatever you desire firmly attached.
Buy 1 for $12, 2 for $20, 3 for $28… or 12 for $99 at The Photojojo Shop
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[…] Now, I admit it, I’m a self-professed photo geek with an admiration for most things photography. The latest trend has been getting photos out to people in ways better than a 4×6 card. Well, Photojojo has a whole list of photo ideas, including: […]
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Pingback by Techory.com - Regular Ramblings About Technology » 2006 Holiday Gift Guides — December 4, 2006 @ 12:50 pm
[…] Posted: Monday, December 04, 2006 10:47 AM by Will Femia I love the Doritos-on-the-beach story. Aside from making a funny dovetail with the show Lost, I can just imagine a guy on the beach feeling a little hungry and thinking about maybe heading up to the snack stand for a bag of… wha?? (Great photos too.) In other Doritos news, the delis in my neighborhood have been carrying the new flavor “Buffalo & Ranch.” I didn’t find the flavor to be very distinct from the others. However, this weekend I tried a new limited edition flavor “Sweet Spicy Chili” or something like that. That’s a keeper. What? You don’t try new Doritos flavors as they come out? I used to be able to name them all. That’d be a good contest if I could find a definite list somewhere. Looking at their site, they list a few I’ve never seen in New York, like Taco Doritos. They probably do regional flavors too (Like Doritos Latinos in Scotland and the “kick in the crotch” bags in Japan.) This whole thing is just begging for a Flickr photo pool. Maybe later I’ll go back to the deli to get a picture of the chili flavor. Now I’m wishing I’d been taking pictures all along. When was the last time you saw the old red and white bag? Update: OK, out of curiosity I took a peek, and yes, there does appear to be a Doritos economy. One more: I see Doritos is offering ten grand for a homemade commercial. I wonder if anyone has footage of the Doritos on the beach. Speaking of Flickr pools, you have until the 11th to submit an entry in NPR’s “Make a Menorah, Create an Ornament” contest. CNET’s James Kim and his family are apparently still missing. Such a strange story, though I guess that’s the nature of all missing person stories. It’s the protocol stupid! Here’s more on that confusing news about BitTorrent striking a deal with movie companies. It makes the movie companies look pretty stupid, but not in a way that isn’t believable. “The freebord is a skateboard that rides like a snowboard. It has the same edging ability and this makes any hill ridable.” The Coming Era of Magical Physics - I generally try to avoid stories about “what could be” in science. Some folks like to get excited by the implications of studies that are only in planning like, “If the funding comes through and the tests are successful, we could be looking at the most amazing, civilization-changing invention ever.” That said, here’s an exciting article about technology that hasn’t been invented with pretty weak proof that it’s going to be invented. 77 Ways to Learn Faster, Deeper, and Better - What a great list. Especially good if you’re feeling in a rut and looking for new ideas for how to break out. Scott Adams likes Bill Gates for president. Adams often argues in favor of smart people, but I have to wonder what would convince Gates to be president. I’m having trouble coming up with something he could do as president that he can’t do on his own without all the added grief. “Let me remind my readers that the “Juba the Baghdad sniper” does not exist–at least, not in the heroic sense that the jihadi crowd has painted him as. He’s a myth. A piece of fictional propaganda produced by terrorists. A heroic superman for the al Qaeda supporters of the world.” I never even heard of Juba and I thought I was paying pretty close attention. Here’s a good one for regular Clicked readers. Can you see the message? (P.S. Does anyone else suffer memory leak problems when they have that many Firefox tabs open?) Sixth Grader Tasered At Middle School or… Taser used to save 11-year-old girl from attack. While it does feel like taser use is getting out of hand, if I was the parent of the girl being attacked, I probably wouldn’t have any trouble supporting the electrocution of her attacker. Did you hear about the guy who said that if his blog entry made it to the front page of Digg he’d quit his job? Apparently he actually went through with it, but it did blow up in his face a little. The Photojojo Holiday Gift Guide - What to Buy and Why in 2006 There are now three parts in the “Social lending the next Web 2.0 phenomenon” series. Social lending is like citizen journalism, only for banking. For the casual Web surfer, it’s interesting to see people make their pitch for money. I wonder how often people get burned doing this. It looks like most of the participants invest such a small amount that the risk isn’t too huge. Here’s one for sports fans, though the real attraction is the hysteria of the commentators. NOTE: NY Giants fans may find this strikes too close to home. (Be sure to watch the whole thing through.) “Create a nation anywhere in the world and decide how you will rule your people by choosing a government type, a national religion, ethnicity, tax rate, currency type, and more in this new geo-political, nation, and government simulator.” Life Goggles: Online video sharing quality comparison Biblical Studies Carnival XII How to synch your X-mas lights to music - There’s no real trick revealed here. You still have to manually program the lights with the music. “Virtual communities are as important as their real-world counterparts, many members of online communities believe.” “Explicit sex in films and books used to be shocking but there are signs of a new liberalism gaining ground.” (Totally SFW) This article made me think of the comment someone left about Pantiless Britney only being a big deal in the context of puritanical modern America. (By the way, remember that item about the hunt for 2006’s word of the year? “Pantiless” isn’t actually a word, but looking at the search terms people are using to look for the Britney photos, I’d say it’s on its way.) Wow, this fake Seinfeld episode is really well done. It mixed old episodes and clips from recent news. NOTE: You’ll recall that those clips from recent news involve Kramer shouting out the N-word. Non-NOTE: I seem to remember from my youth that National Lampoon Magazine had naked ladies in it, but I don’t see any on the Web site. […]
Pingback by Clicked : The Doritos economy — December 4, 2006 @ 2:19 pm
[…] gift guides: secondarily and tertiarily - The Food Section’s Guide to Holiday Gift Guides, and also their own Food Section Gift Guide. - Mighty Goods 2006 Holiday Guide and the 2006 Covet Guide. A huge congratulations go out to Maggie for her interview on NPR last weekend! - Make’s Open Source Gift Guide - Photojojo’s holiday gift guide - Treehugger’s Gift Guide (thrillingly long!) - Quint’s Gift Guide at Ain’t It Cool News, multiple parts - and this handy Indie Fixx’s guide to holiday craft shows. - also see my own little list of things on Amazon, it’s my own store! and I cannot stop adding stuff to it! […]
Pingback by not martha — December 6, 2006 @ 12:30 pm
[…] p.s. Our pal Nick Gray tells us Amazon’s got some crazy great pricing on Sandisk’s superduper fold-it-up-and-stick-it-in-your-usb-port-no-card-reader-necessary memory cards: $25 for the 1GB (was $40) and $49 for the 2GB (was $90). Find out why we love these in our 2006 Holiday Gift Guide. Bookmark this in Del.icio.us First Time Here? → See more Photo projects, DIY ideas, and Gear ← → Get it all free: Subscribe by email or RSS ← You might also like… […]
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