Still wondering what to get that shutterbug friend of yours? Here are 12 great gifts that are sure to warm the heart of any picture taker on your holiday list—or maybe even you.
Multi-card readers, $30–$50: Like Lexar's reader, these cute little devices come in a variety of shapes and colors, but all will fit easily into the smallest camera bag. Great for photographers on the go, the drives accommodate a variety of memory cards to read, store, and transfer image files to your computer via the USB port.
Point & shoot camera cases, $20–$60: A pouch case fits your camera and a few memory cards, but if you want to carry filters, accessories, and personal items, go for a compact compartment case. This padded wristlet bag from jill-e designs fits a slim point and shoot and two memory cards.
Tabletop tripods, $20–$80: These useful little three-leggers, such as the Tiltall from BKA, fold to fit your pocket or a small-to-medium camera bag. They can be set on a table or other firm support for taking night shots or (with a self-timer) getting yourself into the picture. Hold them firmly against a wall, doorframe, or tree, and they'll steady your camera when shooting in low light or with long lenses.
Digital flash units, $30–$70: These compact units, including Sunpak's PF20XD, work with a digital point-and-shoot or a DSLR camera to give you more flash output, extending your flash distance. They fire automatically and wirelessly when your camera's flash goes off. Units that include a bracket get the flash away from your camera for better portrait lighting.
Lens/camera cleaning kits, $8–$15: These handy kits include a blower brush, lens tissue, lens cleaning fluid, and often a microfiber cloth that removes fingerprints from your camera's LCD or lens. Most come in a handy little pouch that slides easily into your camera bag. Pictured, Hakuba's KA-11.
Digital picture viewers, $60–$600: Compact and battery powered, this portable version of the popular digital picture frame is great for displaying digital images large enough to be seen in greater detail or by a group of people—a far more satisfying experience than viewing them on a camera's LCD. Shown, Epson's P-3000.
Memory card wallets, $6–$25: It's still the best way to organize, store, and access your precious memory cards. If you give one as a gift, be a sport and include a high-capacity high-speed memory card that fits the recipient's camera. Delkin Devices' eFilm Mini-Tote two-pack holds eight MMC or SD cards.
CD/DVD Cleaner/Repair Device, $25-$60: Everyone has at least a couple of CDs or DVDs that come up as unreadable on a computer due to dirt, fingerprints, or scratches. These compact plug-in devices, such as the Xinix CD/DVD Repair Pro, will restore most of them using cleaning fluids, mild abrasives, and rotary cleaning action.
Portable printers $99–$199, These compact, ultra-portable gems, including Canon's Selphy ES2, transform any digital point and shoot or DSLR into an instant-picture camera. Many can be battery powered, and they'll turn out quality 4x6 prints quite rapidly and connect directly to your PictBridge-enabled camera.
Photo jewelry, $10–$50: Photo bracelets, necklaces, pendants, and key chains are a great way to take your favorite pictures and memories with you wherever you go. They come in a myriad of styles, themes, and sizes, and many accept three to six mini prints. Shown, Lucky Feather's Smile keychain.
High capacity, high-speed memory cards, $20–$125: With today's digital cameras offering more megapixels, memory cards with greater storage and faster write speeds are a must-have. The cost of memory has steadily come down, so you can snag a 2GB CompactFlash card with a write speed of 133x for under $30. The Kingston card here is an 8GB CF card with a speed rating of 266x that sells for about $85. Be sure to find out the type of card used by the recipient's camera. Prices vary by capacity and speed.
CD/DVD packs, $10–$50: This is a terrific one-size-fits-all gift that practically anyone on your list can use. If you're giving a pack of DVDs, such as Panasonic's DVD-R discs, make sure the end user can burn images to this type of disc—many older computers will only do CDs, which have less storage capacity.