At any moment the advertising and marketing firms will start their blitzkrieg of holiday shopping promotions, and as such, and because I've been a very lucky recipient lately of some rad gifts, I thought I'd download some recent gifts and gift ideas that someone may want to check out. Note to mom: I have most of this stuff, so just send cash. And note to the rest of you: John's 27th birthday is Oct. 26th.
Camera shit:
Canon 28/1.8 USM auto focus lens - $400
If you or your special friend shoots Canon, and doesn't have this lens, then buy it for them right now. Its easily the best Canon lens I've ever owned. It's really just perfect; very sharp, very small, very light, and it takes a beating. Do not be tempted to buy a lens hood for this lens, or any lens... they are stupid.
SanDisk Extreme IV 4GB CF card w/ FW reader - $330
I was skeptical too when SanDisk released the new version of these CF cards. I already had 2 of the extreme III series, which are great. But these are SO much faster, and the FireWire 800 reader is SO much better, that now its all I want to use. They make different sizes obviously, but I think that 4GB is the perfect size if you shoot RAW... and you should be shooting RAW, folks.
HyperDrive HD80 portable storage drive - $140
I've already mentioned this little dandy in the blog... my "dump drive"... but its a great gift and it limits any photographer's need for more than a few CF cards (above). I've linked to the "casing only" version... which means that you need to buy a hard drive elsewhere. I promise, this is the way to go -- you can get a better, bigger, and less expensive drives here, and just pop it in. The installation is very very easy, and you'll get more for your money.
Other tech-y shit:
Garmin Nüvi 360 portable GPS navigator - $625
OK, so this is a pretty extravagant gadget gift... but what can I say? I have a great girlfriend. This GPS is sort of a hybrid between the old car dashboard models and the handheld/sports models. Its much quicker (in acquiring satellites), and much more portable. I've just begun using it, and its works incredibly well. Thanks Google Maps... it was fun while it lasted. The wicked feature upgrade that I'm hooked on is that this puppy has bluetooth and a very good speakerphone (for your bluetooth cell), which means you can not only look up the closest Thai joint and get directions, but call them right from the screen with a single touch and confirm they are open.
Shure E4c earphones - $300
Another pretty ridiculous gift... I wouldn't actually let anyone buy these for me; especially because I've lost a pair, along with 2 iPods this year (Thanks AMEX protection!), but I'll treat myself. These are the best headphones (I'm a bit obsessed about this) that I've ever heard. I've now had 2 pairs of the E2c's, and also the E3g's... and these are the best -- best sound isolating ability, best and purest sound, best bass response, BEST!
Apple iPod shuffle (aluminum) - $80
This is actually a gift that I'm hoping some nice soul is getting me for my birthday. As I stated below... I have a problem w/ the big video iPods. I lose them. But, the new iPod shuffle is clippable right onto your person, and is so friggin' small and cool. Only holds 240* songs, but that's perfect for me.
Edirol R-09 Wave recorder - $400
I've been researching audio recorders to begin to do some multimedia work with my projects, and this unit seems to be the way to go. Some of you may be a bit surprised to even hear me use the word "multimedia" but I'll talk about that sometime soon as well.
Swift Data 200 G5 drive upgrade system - $80
This is extremely tech-y for my standards, but its a very cool way to add storage to your Mac system if you are using a G5. Basically the SD200 is a bracket and controller which allows you to install up to 5 serial ATA hard drives in your G5 at once, greatly increasing your storage space. It sounds pretty overwhelming, but installation was easy, and everything has worked perfectly. I bought my SATA drives here.
Nintendo Brain Age for DS - $20
This is from my Mom who got this for her birthday and is a little crazy about it. I've only played it a couple of times, but its the sort of thing that you could basically devote a few hours a day to... which is to say that if you fly a lot, this may be perfect.
Media, books, shit, etc.
Forgotten War: Democratic Rep. of the Congo - $25
One of my most recent photo book purchases, and one the better I've bought over the last year in both design and content. This is a project by several VII photographers in coordination with MSF. Somewhat incredibly, my favorite images in the book are from Gary Knight. The binding and packaging of this tiny book have an interesting relationship to the tone of the images.
Winterreise by Luc Delahaye - $20
The Mennonites by Larry Towell - $40
These are two of my favorite photo books of all time. Buy them for someone.
Yoga for Dummies - $12
Because such a huge part of being a freelance photographer is schlepping around a ton of gear -- through airports, on assignment, etc. -- I've started to get a little more serious about exercise to keep my back in good shape, and yoga is the answer. Currently I'm way below the "dummy" status, but I'm trying, and its already made a difference.
Good Night, and Good Luck - $15
An incredible indictment of how far broadcast standards and talent have fallen... and a beautifully shot film.
All the King's Men - $10
Forget the new movie adaptation... read the book, which I've always loved and turned to again and again. The opening two dozen pages are mesmerizing. That's how I want to learn to shoot.
Adrift mobiles - $150-300
I'm a long time Alexander Calder fanatic, and if money was no object, and if I had a much bigger apartment with ever taller ceilings, I'd happily write a check for a few million dollars for one of his creations. Until then, Adrift makes beautiful natural wood mobiles that are a lot more affordable and still seem to capture the same spirit of wonder. I want the centric or vessel models.
The Daily Show iTunes multi-pass - $10
And last but not least I'll end on a funny note... since we don't have cable, I have to rely on out of town assignments (hotels) or iTunes for a Jon Stewart fix every now and then. iTunes offers downloads of the show in individually ($1.99), or you can buy a multi-pass for only $10 and get 16 of the newest episodes. And now that iTunes has upped their resolution to 640x480 (slightly less than DVD) its a pretty good deal. Full disclosure: I'm already paying $1.99 per Studio 60 show... damn you Sorkin!
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