From $2 to $90, these Holiday Season stocking stuffers for photographers are on my Santa list (I’ve been an awful good boy!)

Four Christmas stockings with goodies inside: Ilford 35mm film, Lego Retro Camera, The Lives of Lee Miller book and Joby GorillaPod
Here are some great photography stocking stuffers for your photographer friends or you! (Image credit: Ilford / Lego / Thames and Hudson / Joby / Digital Camera World)

Dear Santa, I've been an awful good photographer this year, so – assuming I'm not on the naughty list – I thought I'd make things easier for you.

Here’s my Christmas list of stocking stuffers for photographers, I’ve even gone to the trouble of searching out the best deals for you. With that in mind, I’d love to find the Lego Creator 3-in-1 Retro Camera or a roll of Ilford Ilfocolor Vintage Tone in my stocking. Or a Kodak FZ45 for that matter – even if my friend James really doesn’t get it!

Seriously though, stocking stuffers for photographers are hard to come by because – let’s face it – photography equipment can be mighty expensive. But there are some great items out there if you look hard enough and occasionally think outside of the box. So, whether you’re gift hunting for a photography friend, writing your own Christmas list for Santa or picking up some goodies for yours truly, here are my top picks…

The Lives of Lee Miller  By Antony Penrose
The Lives of Lee Miller By Antony Penrose: $16.95 at Amazon

If you know a photographer who also loves reading then The Lives of Lee Miller is a great choice. This isn’t your average biography, because it was written by Lee’s son, Antony Penrose. His account of his mother's incredible life has recently been turned into a major motion picture, starring Kate Winslet.

Lego Creator 3-in-1 Retro Camera
Lego Creator 3-in-1 Retro Camera: $19.99 at Best Buy

Who wouldn't want to find a little Lego in their stocking on Christmas Day? This Lego Creator 3-in-1 Retro Camera is a near-lifesize replication of a vintage SLR in brick form. It even features a couple of rolls of film to load as well as various twisty, flicky controls. Better yet, this set allows you to build one of three models, so you can piece together a retro TV and camcorder to boot!

Ilford Ilfocolor Vintage Tone 400 Plus 35mm film
Ilford Ilfocolor Vintage Tone 400 Plus 35mm film: was $24.95 now $14.95 at Adorama US

Save $10 A film photographer can never have too many rolls of film. Ultimately, you could go for a more conventional roll of film (like Kodak Portra 400) but Christmas gift-giving isn’t about practicality, so check out this striking roll of Ilford Ilfocolor Vintage Tone 400 Plus. It’s a color film with a distinctive vintage twist that’ll make reds really pop (very festive). You get 36 exposures per roll and with 40% off this is a great deal.

Tiffen 77mm Glimmerglass Diffusion Filter 5
Tiffen 77mm Glimmerglass Diffusion Filter 5: was $124.99 now $39.99 at Adorama US

Save $85 Most photographers own conventional filters, making Tiffen's Glimmerglass range a safer gift. Diffusion filters are used to give lighting a halation effect while retaining sharpness throughout the image. These are available in different densities – five being the heaviest – and while the effect isn't for everyone, Black Friday is a great chance to try something new, especially with a saving this big!

Slinger  Lightweight Rain Cover for DSLR
Slinger Lightweight Rain Cover for DSLR: was $29.95 now $14.95 at Adorama US

Save $15 Protect your Black Friday camera purchase with this rain cover from Slinger. It's designed for a DSLR and up to a 70-200mm lens, but in reality, it'll work with any optic up to 18 inches long and most mirrorless cameras. Plus, there’s room for a full-size flashgun. Hook-and-loop fasteners and a drawstring allow you to secure it to your lens and a polyurethane window allows you to keep your camera dry, while still being able to view the rear LCD and viewfinder.

Slinger  Rain Cover (two-pack)
Slinger Rain Cover (two-pack): was $4 now $2 at Adorama US

Save $2 If the Slinger rain cover (above) is a little too fancy and you want something cheap that’ll get the job done, look no further than the Slinger Rain Cover (two-pack). This is designed for cameras with a lens up to nine-inches long and a flashgun. It’s little more than a plastic bag with a couple of drawstrings, but it’s only $2 and barely weighs anything, so you can slip it into your camera bag and forget about it until there’s a weather emergency. I never leave the house without a rain cover like this.

Kodak Pixpro FZ45
Kodak Pixpro FZ45: was $99.99 now $89.99 at Amazon

Save $10 This little point-and-shoot is having a bit of a moment. It’s aimed at photography newbies, those on a budget, anybody looking for a ‘beater’ camera, Gen Zers and everyone in-between. You get a 27-105mm focal range, a tiny pop-up flash, a sizable 2.7-inch screen and 63MB of onboard memory.

ProOptic Glass Screen Protector
ProOptic Glass Screen Protector: was $19.95 now $9.99 at Adorama US

Save $9.96 If you’ve bought a shiny new camera this Black Friday, a screen protector will likely be your next purchase. I've gone for this ProOptic protector for the Sony A6400 and Sony A6600, because their 3-inch rear screens are quite exposed. Also, these cameras are excellent everyday workhorses, meaning they’ll need to weather everything you throw at them.

Joby GorillaPod 5K Tripod Kit with Rig
Joby GorillaPod 5K Tripod Kit with Rig : was $199.99 now $64.99 at Adorama US

Save $135 If you're a content creator, this is the GorillaPod for you, thanks to a pair of arms with a 1/4-inch thread and cold-shoe mounts for attaching accessories such as LED lights or an action camera. And of course, Joby's patented ball-and-socket design allows you to mount your GorillaPod in a huge variety of ways, making it one of the best mini tripods available.

SanDisk 256GB microSDXC card
SanDisk 256GB microSDXC card: was $25.99 now $18.99 at Amazon

Save $7 If you know somebody who has a Nikon Zf then this is the perfect gift, given its oddball secondary microSD slot. $18.99 for a 256GB card that can reach read speeds of 150MB/s ain't too shabby, either. And it's a SanDisk no less. Santa, Baby, slip this SanDisk under the tree for me, please!

SanDisk 128GB SDXC card
SanDisk 128GB SDXC card: was $18.99 now $12.92 at Amazon

Save $6.07 Unless you only own a pair of Nikon Z9s with dual CFExpress slots, I doubt there's a photographer on the planet who wouldn't be pleased to find one of these in their stocking on Christmas Day. A few years ago a 128GB SanDisk SD card for less than 13 bucks would have been unheard of. And 140/MB/s, too! This is a great deal.

If you want to make sure you're getting the very best deals possible, I scoured the best camera retailers' price-match policies this Cyber Monday.

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Mike Harris
How To Editor

Mike is Digital Camera World's How To Editor. He has over a decade of experience, writing for some of the biggest specialist publications including Digital Camera, Digital Photographer and PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine. Prior to DCW, Mike was Deputy Editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine and Production Editor at Wex Photo Video, where he sharpened his skills in both the stills and videography spheres. While he's an avid motorsport photographer, his skills extend to every genre of photography – making him one of Digital Camera World's top tutors for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters and other imaging equipment – as well as sharing his expertise on shooting everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...