15 Gifts For Photographers Under $50

Once you, or the photographer in your life, have your camera, whether it's a DSLR, mirrorless or even a smartphone, with the help of a few simple and affordable accessories, you can break many limitations and get creative with your images.

Don't forget, you could even put together a gift basket of accessories for someone who needs them. There is an accessory out there for every photographer and if you need a gift for a photographer in your life – as a stocking filler or for another event and you are limited to how much you can spend – this list could be what you are looking for.

15 Gifts For Photographers Under $50

1. Universal Mounting Plate

At some point, every photographer comes across a situation where they wished they had the tripod or, they are in a place where tripods are not allowed. This is one of the best accessories that can come in handy as a substitute when you do not want to miss that shot that requires stability or long exposure.

Made of aircraft grade aluminium, this plate can hold up to 300 pounds, comes with removable spike screws, non-slip rubber feet, has multiple mounting options, is compatible with most cameras and can fit into a corner of your camera bag.

Universal Mounting Plate

2. All-in-one Waterproof Case for Memory Cards

Protecting your memory cards should be a priority. This is a waterproof case, anti-static and floats on water. It can hold

  • 8 micro SD cards,
  • 4 SD cards, and
  • 4 compact flash cards.

Made of polycarbonate material, this case is also shock resistant and a must have for every photographer.

All-in-one Waterproof Case for Memory Cards

3. White Balance, Metering and Reflector Kit

As a compact 14” white balance and metering kit, foldable to 6”, this kit will fit into any camera bag. It has a neutral 3-tone panel that allows for photographers’ white balance and accurate metering. The back side has a silver lining that can work as a reflector and this kit comes with an instructional DVD as well.  

White Balance, Metering and Reflector Kit

4. Joby JB01503 GorillaPod 1K Kit

If you are looking for a tripod to carry around so you can have your camera still for a shot that requires stability, then this is the tripod that you should be going for. Although this cannot replace the conventional tripod completely, it can come in handy for certain situations. It is portable, durable, lightweight, has a ball-head, can hold mirrorless cameras, flashes, video lights or any device weighing less than 1 kg and can be adjusted to hold your camera in any situation.

Joby JB01503 GorillaPod 1K Kit

5. Wired Remote Controller With Timer

When you want to avoid shake during shutter release or you want to make long exposure photographs or time-lapse photography, this controller is a handy accessory. You have the option to set timer delays, exposure times and intervals up to 99 hours.

The controller has a backlit LCD display for easy viewing during night time photography. Powered by 2 x AAA alkaline batteries this accessory is a must-have for serious night photographers.

Wired Remote Controller With Timer

6. Camera Bean Bag

A tough bag with heavy stitching that is sold empty with a rugged zipper so you can fill it with polystyrene balls or rice or birdseed or anything of your choice; a good choice for wildlife photographers.

The bag provides rock-solid support for your camera, lens and fits into any place like a car window or on the ground. It comes in a variety of colors so you can choose one to work in whatever environment; yes, there is one for camouflage as well.  

Camera Bean Bag

7. Camera Rain and Dust Cover

A perfect accessory to protect your expensive gear if you are ever shooting in harsh weather conditions or in areas like deserts and beaches. Protects your gear from dust and scratches.

This cover is water resistant, ultralight and is available in 3 sizes (small, medium, large) to fit any camera, with access to the viewfinder and opening for the lens without having to remove the cover while shooting.

Camera Rain and Dust Cover

8. Waterproof SLR Camera Bag (7 Litre)

This bag is an incredible gift for anyone interested in adventure water sports or for when they go on an adventure water ride. This bag can hold a pro DSLR and a long lens with some accessories. This bag floats if accidentally dropped in water, has well-padded walls/base, welded seams, reflective front patch and four D-rings for attachments.

There is also a 15-litre model here.

Waterproof SLR Camera Bag (7 Litre)

9. Light Tent

For anyone who shoots product photos or needs a backdrop for just about shooting anything, this is a perfect kit. It comes in many sizes and four colored backdrops with a removable front opening that has a slit for the camera lens. It is made of light-diffusing white nylon fabric that aids in eliminating reflections and shadows.  

Light Tent

10. 5-in-1 Reflector Disc (40” diameter)

A collapsible reflector disc that helps minimise shadows under any lighting conditions. You have a choice of five colors to suit your preference or different lighting conditions.

  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Black
  • White
  • Translucent

It is portable as it is foldable and comes with a storage sleeve

5-in-1 Reflector Disc (40” diameter)

11. Photographer’s Vest

A vest made of polyester (could get warm in the summer) with almost 17 pockets that are either velcro-ed or zippered. There are pockets for lenses, flashes, maps, wallets, spare batteries, phone, etc (you name them!) and a large pocket at the back for a tablet or a small laptop.

If you want to avoid the hassle of carrying a backpack or a sling bag, this can be a great alternative. It comes in a few colors, black, olive and khaki to suit most photographers' likes.

Photographer’s Vest

12. 77mm Circular Polarizer

A great gift for any outdoor photographer, this circular polarizer is a must have for outdoor photography. It provides color and contrast enhancement, especially deepens the blue color of washed out skies, helps reduce or even eliminate glare from reflective surfaces and comes in different sizes.

77mm Circular Polarizer

13. Hoya 77mm DMC Pro1 UV filter

A UV filter is used to block UV light from spoiling your images. As much as it is a filter, most photographers use it as a protection for lenses, preventing dust, dirt, and scratches from ruining the front part of the lens. There are also times when this filter protects your lens from getting broken if there is an accidental fall.

Hoya 77mm DMC Pro1 UV filter

14. SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Card

One of the most important accessory that a photographer can have is a good quality, high-speed memory card. This card has transfer speeds of up to 170MB/s and shot speeds up to 90MB/s thereby letting the photographer shoot rapidly or in burst mode and capture them in RAW without any delay.

This card is ideal for professionals and is shock proof, temperature proof, waterproof and x-ray proof.

SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Card

15. Zeiss Lens Cleaning Kit

And last but not least, once all the work is done, this is a great tool for any camera owner. It comes as a complete kit with wet and dry cleaning options; a bottle of cleaning fluid, microfibre cloth, blower,  pre-moistened lens wipes, along with a travel case to hold the contents of the kit.  

Zeiss Lens Cleaning Kit

For more great gift ideas see our previous post – 12 Cheap Gifts For Photographers (Plus 12 Expensive Ones)

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About Author

Dahlia is a stock photographer and full time educator at Light Stalking. You can find her on Gurushots and see some of her more popular articles at The American Society of Media Photographers. Get to know her better here.

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