The best gifts for tech lovers and filmmakers are here!
Black Friday & Cyber Monday are upon us and they give the perfect opportunity to nab some last minute deals ready for Christmas (or even for yourself).
However, there’s a problem. You’re not the tech savvy one that you’re buying for…
Well, don’t worry because I’ve got 15 great products, from a range of prices, that would work well as a gift for tech lovers and filmmakers alike.
Bear in mind that a few of these are camera related gifts so hopefully there’s some good gifts for photographers as well as digital video specialists and tech lovers in here too.
Let’s dive in and see what we’ve got.
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Why Take My Word For It?
Good question and the short answer is; that I’ve spent over 10 years in a mixture of feature film, TV and online media environments producing content and using an extensive range of video tech. I like to think of myself as a know-it-all on the subject but for more information on my background and experience head to the DigiProTips Experience and Background page to find out how I’ve built up my knowledge over that time.
The Top 15 Filmmakers Gifts and Gifts for Tech Lovers
1. Adobe Creative Cloud
Who’s it for?
Adobe Creative Cloud is a staple these days among Editors, Motion Graphic Designers, Artists and Illustrators. It is however not on the cheap side when you’re starting out (unless you’re a student) so getting a yearly or monthly subscription for your friend, partner or sibling could be a very welcome filmmakers gift.
You can choose to gift them one app or the whole suite. It really depends on what their passion is and their needs are. It’s perhaps worth subtly getting those answers first before jumping straight in and purchasing.
Price?
For a one app monthly subscription it will cost: $20.99/£19.99
For the whole suite on a monthly subscription it comes in at: $52.99/£49.94
2. DJI Osmo Mobile 4
Who’s it for?
DJI Osmo Mobile 4 is a pocket sized steadicam gimbal for your mobile phone. It is the perfect gift for a mobile filmmaker, vloggers and budding filmers with no access to higher end cameras and steadicams.
The DJI Osmo Mobile is now in its fourth iteration and it’s safe to say the form factor has improved considerably. It’s ideal for a filmmakers camera bag and can be up and running in no time for those slow and steady, handheld shots.
Price?
The DJI Osmo Mobile 4 is very competitively priced to the Zhiyun Smooth at $149 and is much cheaper than a full-on steadicam for DSLRs or higher.
DJI OM 4 is a foldable stabilizer designed to complement your smartphone, allowing you to start recording right away. Magnetic, ultra-compact, and bursting with easy-to-use features, OM 4 is the ultimate solution for sharing your world.
3. Samsung T5 SSD
Who’s it for?
If the person you’re buying for is an editor, motion graphic designer or involved in post-production in anyway, then a trusty external hard drive is an excellent gift for tech lovers and filmmakers.
The need to store and carry round footage, project files and other material on external storage is essential in this industry. The Samsung T5 SSD has become one of the most trusted on the market. It’s small, it’s fast and it’s reliable! It also connects via USB-C, so it can be used by mobile devices too.
Price?
The T5 comes in different storage sizes, so the price varies but for the standard 1TB drive you’re looking in the region of $140.
SSD with V-NAND offers ultra-fast data transfer speeds of up to 540MB/s (up to 4.9x faster than external HDDs); Ideal for transferring large-sized data including 4K videos, high-resolution photos, games and more.
4. Moment Anamorphic Lens
Who’s it for?
Moment lenses are a great accessory for any budding mobile shooter and are great camera related gifts. I’ve written about Moment lenses before but essentially what they do is add an extra zoom or wide lens to your phone (via the Moment phone case) to get nice crisp and detailed footage/stills that you might otherwise struggle to get.
The Anamorphic lens from Moment is a perfect filmmakers gift because this lens squeezes the image to give that cinematic look that every viewer loves and you get natural lens flares right within your camera, rather than adding them in post.
Price?
Moment lenses by themselves range from around $100 to $150, the Anamorphic lens being the latter. You do, however, have to also add on the Moment phone case, compatible with the phone the lens will be used with.
An anamorphic lens turns normal phone video into a 16:9, wide screen movie. It makes video appear smoother and then when you get the right light hitting the lens it creates these yummy flares on your footage. We bring a cinema style of video to your phone.
5. beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro – Studio Headphones
Who’s it for?
Having gone through a fair few pairs of studio headphones in my time, I can comfortably say that the beyerdynamic DT 770 Pros are some of the best mid-range studio headphones out there. They’re an absolute perfect gift for tech lovers everywhere.
Audiophiles and sound recordists will get a great kick from these in their stockings on Christmas Day.
The DT 770 Pros have been renowned in the audio recording world owing to their bass reference capabilities, but also because of the spacious reproduction that is absolutely remarkable for closed headphones.
Price?
Studio headphones can set you back hundreds if not into the thousands so you might get a shock when I tell you that these are available for around $150!
The DT 770 PRO headphones remain the top choice for music producers, sound technicians and broadcast users and are a firmly established piece of equipment in studios worldwide.
6. X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Video
Who’s it for?
So this is definitely in the genre of filmmakers gifts over tech lovers gifts purely due to the fact that this present is relevant for videography/shooting work rather than anything else.
An X-Rite ColorChecker chart is an incredibly useful tool for cameramen and videographers who want/need to get perfect color from their shoots every time. This is pretty much any cameraman or videographer’s goal.
I explain more about them here but essentially, you put this in front of your camera and adjust your settings whenever you move location or change lighting, to ensure consistency.
If your giftee doesn’t already have one then this will, not only, be a welcome camera related gift for them but it should also improve their shooting work.
Price?
The X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Video retails for around $150.
The X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Video enables shooters, videographers and enthusiasts to get perfect color on their shoots, every time!
7. Red Giant Universe
Who’s it for?
Editors and Motion Graphic Designers primarily but if you’re looking for a gift for tech lovers who are a dab hand in post-production, then this could also be for them too.
Red Giant Universe isn’t a physical item. It’s plugin software for editing applications (like the Adobe Creative Suite above) that allows you to easily add great effects and transitions to your edits or graphic work without having to manually create them yourself.
I’ve got a post about how great Red Giant Universe is here and you can see how extensive the plugin is.
If your sibling, partner, friend or whoever else, is starting out in post-production then this is a filmmakers gift that they will love.
Price?
As this isn’t a physical product, it is similar to Adobe Creative Cloud in it’s pricing structure. You can get the Red Giant Universe plugin for a monthly subscription or pay yearly. You can also go ahead and order the whole Red Giant suite, if you know that your giftee will want it.
Red Giant Universe is a collection of 89 GPU-accelerated plugins for editors and motion graphics artists.
8. Wacom Intuos Pro
Who’s it for?
Editors, Motion Graphic Artists & Illustrators.
Wacom pen tablets are an amazing tool for post-production professionals. They let you hone in on specific parts of your creation with the dexterity and definition of your fingertips rather than the clunky movement of a mouse cursor.
I’ve written about how Wacom tablets can save editors time here but for Motion Graphic Artists and Illustrators working with a pen tablet is almost a necessity over a desire. Working without one will be unproductive and less creative.
Wacom tablets are great filmmakers gifts for post-production specialists creating films, content and art.
Price?
There’s a range of Wacom tablet sizes but the one featured is the medium size and it retails for $380.
The new Wacom Pro Pen 2 features impressive pressure sensitivity, tilt response and virtually lag free tracking. Get natural creative control while you illustrate, edit or design digitally with Intuos Pro.
9. GoPro Hero 9
Who’s it for?
Everyone.
GoPro’s are not just filmmakers gifts they are for everyone and anyone who likes to get outside and record the moments the adventures they have. They are a fantastic gift for tech lovers everywhere.
The GoPro Hero 9 is the latest in the GoPro range and it has so many features it’s hard to put them all down here. However, for those of you interested in buying this as a gift, the main points would be that it can now shoot in 5K UHD, so your shots are always super high definition. It has even better in-built stability (called HyperSmooth 3.0) which means even the shakiest of cameramen can get buttery smooth shots. It now has a feature for horizon levelling, so if your adventurer can’t keep the camera at the same angle all the time then the GoPro will do the work for them, without having to do it in post-production.
Oh and it’s waterproof. No need for those chunky plastic housings anymore. Just attach it to your head, chest, wrist, surfboard, skateboard, BMX, mountain bike, boat, wing suit or whatever you want and it will survive it.
Price?
The new GoPro is retailing for around $400. Which is pretty incredible for the amount of features you’re getting with this little bundle of tech.
5K Video, 20MP Photo with SuperPhoto, Front Display + Rear Touch Screen, HyperSmooth 3.0, Horizon Levelling, Live Streaming + Webcam - The GoPro Hero 9 has got it all!
10. Synology DS720+ NAS
Who’s it for?
All filmmakers and post-production professionals.
‘What even is this?’ I hear you ask.
Well, this is a NAS or Network Attached Storage. It’s a storage device for your home or small studio office that connects directly to your network and can be accessed instantly, from anywhere.
It is a great first NAS as a gift for tech lovers with an interest in how to maximise storage space, efficiency and speed.
With 2 hard drive bays the Synology DS720+ allows for backup failure and corruptions without losing your data.
This is a product that any production professional with a lot of media would be happy to get in their stocking. It’s not as simple as an external hard drive but has many more benefits, so it definitely sits as a gift for tech lovers over beginners or non-tech savvy shooters and editors.
Price?
The Synology DS720+ is more than an external hard drive and as such is priced that way too. For the unit you are going to pay $400 and then you need the internal hard drives as well. However, the peace of mind and increase in efficiency this product offers cannot be undervalued or underestimated.
Synology DS720+ is a compact NAS solution to streamline data and multimedia management. Perfect for small home studio setups and for Editors, Motion Graphic Designers, Illustrators and other Post-Production professionals to store their media and projects.
11. DJI Mavic Mini 2
Who’s it for?
Enthusiasts, beginner drone pilots, videographers, tech lovers.
The DJI Mavic Mini 2 is the latest Mavic Mini from DJI and as you can see from the picture above, it really is mini.
As drone brands go DJI is one of, if not the top in the market. They have an extensive range of products and cater for beginner enthusiasts all the way through to professional drone pilots.
The Mini 2 is 100% a gift for tech lovers but as it is also incredibly useful at taking amazing footage I would also say that this is a great filmmakers gift.
The new Mini 2 weighs 249g, so it’s perfect for the camera bag. Shoots 4K on a 12mp camera connected to a 3 axis gimbal, so your shoots are always smooth. It now has a flight time of 31 minutes and can be operated 10km away!
It’s a bundle of joy for any drone lover and will be a welcome gift for tech lovers this Christmas.
Price?
As drones go this is cheap, the DJI Mavic Mini 2 retails for $450.
DJI Mini 2 is beginner-friendly, powerful, and well, mini. Impressive performance, stunning image quality, and creative videos are just a few taps away. Explore an entirely new perspective, capturing the moments that make your life truly yours.
12. Atomos Ninja V
Who’s it for?
Shooters and videographers.
This is definitely a filmmakers gift. It’s primary purpose is to sit atop a camera whilst on a shoot and record exceptional video as well as providing a larger display to view your frame on.
There is a case to be made that the Atomos Ninja V could be used as a gaming capture device and as such would be a great gift for tech lovers but there are certainly cheaper options out there for that job than this.
Atomos are well known in the external display product category and you can read about them here. The Ninja V is a bestseller due to its size and exceptional performance.
Your giftee will be able to record higher quality footage on a larger screen that ultimately results in faster and better quality finished products than if they record to the internal storage of their camera.
I highly recommend the Atomos range for camera related gifts as they are as versatile as they are useful for shooters.
Price?
As we get further down this list the prices increase but so do the features and performance value each product offers. The Atomos Ninja V retails for $599.
Eliminate your camera’s internal compression and time limits – record up to 4K 10-bit HDR video direct from your camera's sensor over HDMI 2.0. Record 4K 12-bit RAW with enabled cameras. And when you’re done, your edit-ready ProRes, ProRes RAW and DNxHR recordings are stored on affordable SSD drives.
13. Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Who’s it for?
The iPhone 12 Pro is the latest ‘Pro’ model of iPhone and as with all iPhones it’s a gift for Apple ‘fanboys’ and tech lovers alike. But I actually, also class this as a great filmmakers gift.
I’ve talked before about how mobile shooting is, not only, now very accessible but it yields incredible results too.
The iPhone 12 Pro has enhanced low light shooting capabilities for getting great nighttime footage and has built in 5G network connection now. That means from videographers to vloggers, everyone can capture greater quality video and upload it or stream out instantly.
Price?
As with all iPhones the price is never as cheap as Android phones and the iPhone Pro is no exception. The phones starts at $999.
The iPhone 12 Pro brings enhanced low light shooting capabilities and 5G speeds. Ideal for vloggers and mobile videographers. Get better footage from your mobile shooting.
14. Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K
Who’s it for?
Blackmagic Design have been taking the DSLR and high-end film camera markets by storm in recent years due to their fantastic specs but lower costs.
The Blackmagic Design cameras are capable of capturing incredibly high quality footage with a wide dynamic range. The only downside to these cameras are that they don’t have quite as many options and buttons as other DSLRs and high-end digital film cameras.
This is a perfect filmmakers gift for any budding shooter looking for a high end camera but without the normal price tags associated with them.
Price?
For a 6K camera this is very small price tag. The camera retails at $1995.
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K features a Super 35 size sensor, 13 stops of dynamic range and dual native ISO up to 25,600 for HDR images and incredible low light performance.
15. Your Guide to NDI eBook
Who’s it For?
Streamers, vloggers, filmers, video enthusiasts, video engineers, pretty much anyone in video tech.
Ok, so a bit of a shameless self plug here but NDI is a game-changing, wire-cutting, technology that is altering the face of how video is produced.
I’ve worked with it’s development over many years and can say that anyone getting into video should know about it now.
My eBook guides beginners and professionals through NDI setup and best workflows to enhance and increase efficiency in their productions.
This is a great gift for tech lovers as they expand into more complicated video setups.
Price?
The eBook is available now for $7.99 here.
Your blog is very nice. These tools are really very helpful…:-)