Father’s Day is coming up, and what Dad wouldn’t like some really nice gifts for his special day? Our staff has put together a list of products and accessories that would put a smile on any man. How do we know your “Best Dad in the World” would like these?… because they came right off our own wish lists.

DSLR Cameras

• Nikon D80
The Nikon D80 is an excellent entry into digital SLR cameras. Sporting pretty much every feature you would want as well as being able to use a broad range of Nikon lenses. With 10.2 megapixels and a decent 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6 general purpose lens, the D80 is an excellent choice of camera to move into the DSLR arena.
Retail price $1,099

• Olympus E-500
The Olympus E-500 is actually a very highly rated camera but since it’s not from “the big two” you don’t hear much about it. We have several of them around here and just love them. The E-500 has 8.2 megapixels and comes with a 14-45mm lens and a 40-150 zoom lens making it one of the best bargins around.
Retail price: $699.99

• Canon EOS Rebel XTi
The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi offers an unbeatable combination of performance, ease-of-use and value. It has a newly designed 10.1MP Canon CMOS sensor plus a host of new features including a 2.5-inch LCD monitor. Dig those old Canon lenses out of the closet – they will most likely still work with this amazing camera.
Street Price: ~$749

Compact Cameras

• Canon PowerShot G7
This camera is a dream! Now, some may say that it’s almost as expensive as an entry level DSLR, but once you include the cost and bulk of image stabilized zooms covering the 35-210mm range ,the comparison becomes irrelevant – and the price difference significant. Plus it has a build quality that is, quite simply, in a class of its own.
Retail Price: $499

Point and Shoot Cameras

• Fujifilm FinePix F31 fd
The camera body design is nothing amazing, but the imaging sensor on this latest model FinePix performs exceptionally in low light situations. This unassuming little 6MP camera still sets the benchmark for image quality in the entire compact camera sector.
Retail Price: $279

Camera Bags

• Think Tank Photo Change Up Camera Bag
Picking just one bag from Think Tank Photo is next to impossible, their entire range of bags and belt systems are just awesome. The Change Up bag is very interesting as it can change forum as a beltpack, should bag, or even used with a chest harness system making it very versatile. You would be hard pressed to go wrong with any system from Think Tank Photo.
Retail Price: $130
http://www.thinktankphoto.com

Storage Devices/Media

• Memory Cards
One thing you can’t seem to ever have enough of is good storage cards and the price of top quality and fast cards is dropping every day. Any dad would appreciate some new memory cards for his favorite camera and SanDisk Extreme III cards are some of our favorites.
Retail Price: $49
http://www.sandisk.com

• Wolverine FlashPac 40GB
We have had a Wolverine FlashPac 40 for a couple of years and it is one of the most usefull tools we have had in a long time. When out on a photo shoot you can pop a memory card into the FlashPac and back it up to the device’s internal hard drive.
Retail Price: $99
http://www.wolverinedata.com

Software
• Adobe Lightroom
Lightroom is the professional photographer’s essential toolbox, providing one easy application for managing, adjusting, and presenting large volumes of digital photographs so you can spend less time in front of the computer and more time behind the lens. Lightroom is the primary workflow tool of all of us here at Camera Dojo.
Retail Price: $299
http://www.adobe.com

• Adobe Photoshop Elements
Photoshop Elements 5.0 software combines power and simplicity so you can do more with your photos. Instantly fix flaws or adjust color and lighting with new advanced controls. Quickly drop your photos into customizable layouts and show off your creativity with dynamic web photo galleries created using Flash® technology. And view all your photos and video clips in one convenient place.
Retail Price: $99
http://www.adobe.com

Tripod/Monopod

• Manfrotto 728B Digi Tripod
No matter how manly your man is, he can’t hold a camera perfectly still in all conditions, a good tripod is an absolute neccessity for taking good shots especially in low-light conditions. The Manfrotto 728B is a good one to start with as it isn’t too heavy and doesn’t cost a fortune. It includes a ballhead for quick and easy camera orientation.
Retail Price: ~$120
www.bogenimaging.us

• Slik Lighty Pod III Monopod
While the tripod is the anchor of any photographer’s equipment, you don’t always have the option of setting on up and you don’t always need that much support, in time like this, a monopod is a great accessory to have. Having the extra stability of a monopod can make all the difference sometimes. The five-section monopod extends to a maximum height of 63 inches and supports a maximum weight of 6.6 pounds.
Retail Price: $69
www.thkphoto.com

Misc. Accessories

• ExpoCap
One of the big issues with having a DSLR is knowing how to correct for white balance. While there are a number of different tools to help you get the best color in your photos you need a good white balance. The ExpoCap is our favorite tool for this task. Check out our recent article on white balance to help explain why a tool like this is important.
Retail Price: $79
http://expodisc.com

• LensPens
The only thing between your subject and your camera’s sensor is your lens. Regardless of wether you have a cheap point and shoot or the most expensive DSLR, keeping your lens clean ensures that your pictures will be as good as they can be. The LensPen Comes with a handy retractable dust removal brush and a special non-liquid cleaning element, designed to never dry out. Safe and very easy to use.
Retail Price: $20
http://www.lenspen.com

Books

• The Digital Photography Book
Written by Scott Kelby, The Digital Photography Book is like having Scott with you on a photo shoot. Instad of giving you all the theory and techniques, The Digital Photography Book is more like a recipe book of how to set your camera to take the pictures described in the book.
Retail Price: $11.99 at amazon.com

• Rick Sammon’s Complete Guide to Digital Photography 2.0: Taking, Making, Editing, Storing, Printing, and Sharing Better Digital Images Featuring Adobe Photoshop Elements
For those of you using Photoshop Elements, Rick Sammon’s new book gives you everything you need to know in order to make the most out of Photoshop Elements that you never thought possible.
Retail Price: $26.37 at amazon.com

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