On days like this we also reflect on what it is we are thankful for.  So, here you go.  I am thankful for my health, my life, my wife, my job, my family, my friends, my freedom, football, and of course, all of you dear readers!  Call it hokey, but it’s true!  What are you doing today, and what are you thankful for?

• I must either want it or already own it!

• It must cost $50 or less

For the first 20 items, you can visit these links for parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 – but if you want the full kit n kaboodle next time, make sure you sign up for the newsletter – these folks got the whole schmear at once for free in a handy-dandy PDF file.  There’s lots of reasons to sign up, including that I will always respect your privacy, and you can unsubscrbe if you ever feel like I am spamming you.  I promise though, the news is good, there’s lots of photos from me and LDP/CB members, and discounts to other products as well.  So, don’t delay, subscribe today!

Okay, now without further ado, the final 5 of the 25 Item Gift Guide for 2010!

1.  Energizer Ultimate Batteries – I had recommended the Sanyo Eneloops last go around because they held their charge much better, and could go through more recharges.  However, my most recent issue of consumer reports indicates that the Energizers have caught up and surpassed them.  Apparently cheaper and packing an equal oomphf ranked it higher, so it goes double for me as I find Consumer Reports to be one of the most reputable publications available.  And for the bargain basement price of $6 on Amazon, it’s worth testing these in the flash units!

Energizer Ultimate Batteries

2.  Webcam – Now that I have a widescreen 24″ LCD on my desktop computer, I find I want to spend more time at it than my laptop.  And for those of us who bought monitors for their viewing and not a built in rinky-dink camera, the add-on of an independent webcam cam make video chats and messaging much easier with friends and loved ones.  I personally like the Logitech line, and they have several for under $50.  Unless you are looking for a webcam that scans your face and tracks with it, there’s really no need to invest more money.  They come as cheap as $20, but I’d trust the C310 HD Webcam.  It’s got a built in microphone too, so no frogging around with headphones and other wired products to talk – it’s that easy!  Plus, right now the regular price of $46 is almost knocked in half with holiday savings – down to $26+ shipping.

Logitech Webcam

3.   F-Stop Watch - Okay, I know this has a high geek factor, but it really is a watch, and the design isn’t that outlandish.  The best part though – is that the f-stops are positioned in their relative clock positions…all the way from f1.4 up to f11!  How cool is that?  For the photog in your life – it’ll be a great gift, and at only $36, well under the price threshold.  Consider it on your final online push…I just told Tracy about it with an “Teee!  Look at this!”

4.  Justin Clamp - I’ve been looking at these for years, and when I get more serious about off-camera lighting using wireless triggers, a Justin Clamp will come in very handy in situations where a light stand just cant reach, or is too awkward.  A one time charge from B&H for $46, and you don’t have to buy it beer or pizza afterward!  Mine’s officially on the list!  Get yourself one too if you use lights!

Justin Clamp

5. Zipshot Tripod - I am not normally one to take risks on gear, and know that you need to spend decent money if you need reliable gear, but here I am making an exception.  This cool little tripod is called the Zipshot, and looks to be made out of the same lightweight rods that camping tents are constructed from – with tension strings that makes it self assemble faster than anything I’ve ever seen.  The speedy setup, combined with its compact and lightweight specs make this something to consider if you are out and about in an active capacity and on the go.  It won’t hold more than a 3LB SLR, so with the 50D weighing in at about a pound and a half, you could probably throw up to say an 28-135mm lens on here and watch it stay in place to capture longer exposures.  I don’t think I’d put anything bigger on it, but for something quick and easy, this compact and durable device fits the ticket at right under the $50 mark.

Zipshot Tripod

There they are, all 25 gift guide ideas in their glory.  Thanks go out to many readers who pointed me to the “best of” lists around the web and other outlets and resources from which these few were pulled.  Happy shooting, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow with the latest and greatest from LDP!  Yup, the annual holiday show! (Well, not really, an annual event, but likely the last of the year, so stop in for a fireside chat with me and my special guest as we talk about the “Finding Your Creative Vision”.

1.  SnagIt! – If you ever needed a screen capture utility with professional features, including adding callouts, banners, text, and other things, this is the place to go.  It retails for $50 so just fits in the guidelines of being under $50 and on my wish list!  Made by the folks over at Tech Smith, it beats the pants off the native print screen functionality of Windows and Command-Shift-F4 on Mac.

Snag It!

2.  A star filter – I’ve always been a fan of starbursts in imagery, and there’s no time like the holidays to add that effect to all your lights.  If you can’t afford the stopping power of F-16, try one of these filters from Hoya (link from B&H Photo for the 77mm variety, so check to see if they have your filter size in stock…in all likelihood, they do!)

Hoya Star Filter

3.  USB Charging Outlet – I think it’s safe to say that the USB cable has pretty much become ubiquitous.  Whether you have an iPhone, a Droid, a bluetooth earpiece, or any one of a countless bunch of USB devices that need charging almost daily, an outlet like this makes your life a LOT easier!  No more actual outlets lost to a charger when you need a lamp, a monitor, or some other device to plug into the real outlet.  Just a bit of DIY know-how to swap out an existing outlet is all you need!  (Don’t forget to cut off the power first.)  I want like 5 of these, but each is only $20, so it makes the list!

USB outlet

4.  Captured! – Probably one of the most esteemed wildlife photographers out there, Moose Peterson has quietly built a reputation for his legendary captures of both nature and wildlife.  I can’t remember the last time he published a book, but this one is definitely on my wish list this Christmas.   Reading about photography is always a good thing – reading from the masters, even better!

Moose Peterson's Captured!

5.  Wireless Lapel Microphone Kit – Finally, for those of us with video on our DSLR’s (and it’s a growing crowd), consider your audio when you record.  A simple wireless lapel microphone system will deliver the goods better and more professionally.  Invest right from the get-go and save yourself tons of aggravations down the road.  Here’s a simple system from Radio Shack right on the money at $49.99! – Although I should note that the unit comes with a jack that is 1/4″, and a reducer is needed to go down to the 1/8ths needed for SLR plugs… (you are tethered to a wall because it needs AC power, so don’t think you’ll get the portability of, say a hotshoe mounted microphone set, but that’s for the very dedicated crowd as it’s way above the $50 max for these lists)

Wireless Microphone Kit

There ya have it, the five for today!  That means there are only five more items to go in the last list, which should be out next week!  Get your own thoughts in before the list is done, and let me know what you think of things so far!  Sound off in the comments and via email!

1.  A New Card Reader: With faster and higher sized cards coming out all the time, believe it or not, that card reader from 3 years ago (or older) might not work anymore.  The newest format – SDXC – Secure Digital Extended Capacity – takes things to the stratospheric level, with card memories reaching the theoretical limit of 2TB of data!  Obviously, developed with the photo/video – ographer in mind, these cards re-designed the way media is read, and a newer card reader is needed to see all the bits and bytes.  They’re not terribly expensive, usually around $15-$30, but the one I got was the Delkin Reader came from B&H for $20.

Card Reader

2.  Daylight Balanced Light Bulbs: For the color correction perfectionist, truly accurate color balance only comes from working in a controlled environment.  One of those elements is the light bulb.  The ideal recommendation for a color-controlled work flow starts with a colorimeter, but ends with the ambient light.  Consider the bulbs you use in your lamps and ask yourself – are these the right light levels?  According to many resources, daylight balanced light bulbs give the best neutral light to work from.  A number of vendors claim their products meet the daylight balance gauge but look for ones with a Kelvin of 5000-5500, so be sure you get bulbs that are in this range.  The ones I like are from Tabletop Studios – ranging from $10-$40 depending on size and wattage.  (I got the 14 watt spiral tops for $10…)

Daylight Balanced Light Bulbs

3.  Gaffers Tape: This is one thing that photographers hate to buy, but love to have.  It’s just not sexy to own, or fun to have around, but when you want to somehow strap a light to a corner, a tree, or any one of a number of both conceivable and inconceivable uses, gaffers tape is your best friend.  It’s kind of silly not to buy it, but it’s just not got the pop.  Get your photographer a 30′ roll of it for only $15 at B&H though, and they will be thanking you over and over again!  From B&H

Gaffers Tape

4.  Gift Cards: Out of Ideas? – Let them do the shopping with a gift card.  It may not have the creative spin of gaffers tape or a battery caddy (from Part 1), but if you truly have no idea what someone wants or needs, let them decide and get a gift card.  Most major vendors from Amazon to Best Buy have them.  For me – I like the B&H Gift Card, with values ranging from $25 – $1000.

B&H Gift Card

5.  Zip Ties!: Cables are a necessary component for photographers.  Whether it’s the mini-USB, the micro-to-USB, the iPhone-USB, or any other connector (also think PC-sync cables), nothing keeps things organized better than cable ties.  My super “on-the-cheap” method is left over twist-ties, but you can class it up easily with a couple packs of these much more professional-looking Velcro-ties.  At $6 for a pack of 100 ties from Amazon, you can’t go wrong!

Cable Velcro Zip Ties

In case you’re wondering, there is a Part 1 and a Part 2 with ten other ideas for the photographer you know, so if nothing here strikes your fancy, be sure to check those out for other options.  In the meantime, enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving here in the States, and for the international readers, have a Happy Thursday!  We’ll see you back here likely on Monday.  Don’t forget Friday is the National Family Photo Day (as declared by Nations Photo Lab), so you can take and print pictures of all your family, while getting a chance to win lots of fun free stuff from them!

1.  Wireless Trigger System:  Pocket Wizards, Radio Poppers and Cybersyncs are great if you’ve got the moolah, but for those on a budget, there should be some happy medium to get reasonably reliable triggers.  I had tried the Cactus triggers myself, and they were a good point of entry, but really just were too unreliable.  My buddy Kerry Garrison from Camera Dojo has researched the heck out of this and knows his stuff on lighting.  He’s put together a great kit that includes everything you need from transmitters to receivers, and PC Sync cables too, all for the budget-friendly $50 rate!  Check out his demo video here and get your photographer a set of these.  I can’t wait to get my own set!

Wireless triggers from Camera Dojo

2.  Lexar Memory:  Everyone could use an additional memory card, and with prices dropping rapidly, the 8GB UDMA CF cards are now within the budget-conscious range, so pick up a spare (or two) of these as we never have enough in our bags…this one is linked from B&H but pick your own vendor of preference as the deals are across the internet.

Lexar CF Cards

3.  Black Rapid RS7 – Okay, so it’s 8 bucks over the limit, but for the portability and easing of camera holding during extended sessions, the Black rapid RS 7 is a godsend.  If you don’t have one – get one, plain and simple.  Visit here to buy one today!

Black Rapid RS-7

4.  Online Training – a month or two from either Kelby Training or Lynda.com is just the ticket to help the photographer in your life help themselves.  Whether it’s a refresher on Photoshop, boning up on Indesign, or even learning how to set up a WordPress blog or website, these are great resources for online training.  Monthly rates are $25 on average, and with the holidays approaching, you could easily find discount codes or bonus offers for signing up, so consider this valuable option.  It’s all part of the mentality of helping people advance in their craft through education!

Online Training

5.  Light Stand – I have been procrastinating getting a second light stand for some time now and there is just no excuse.  The primary is an Impact stand I got from B&H and it has served me well, so I just need to add this to my own wish list, and encourage you to add one to yours (if you don’t already have enough that is…but then again, do we ever have enough lightstands – it’s a VAL you don’t have to feed or take out for beers after a shoot!)!.  Here’s my own preferred one:  10′ Impact Lightstand (Tracy, are you reading this?) I should probably note here that I am linking to the 10′ tall heavy duty one – well worth the extra investment in my opinion, but for the super budget-conscious, these can get as cheap as $20 for a light duty 6′ one!

Impact Light Stand (6' to 10')

Okay, so consider it 5.5 suggestions today.  I’m sure you have your own ideas too, so feel free to throw your own suggestions in the mix.  Remember, with two down and three to go, keep the ideas coming as I do have some room open for a few more!  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

A.  I either own it or want it!  If I don’t own it, how can I say it’d be a great gift?  Only if it’s something I want!

B.  Let’s be realistic, the current economic trials are hitting us all hard – and throwing $100+ ideas on a gift guide is too rich for the blood of many photog-types in the trenches, so it’s gotta be cost-effective (nothing over $50)

To keep this manageable, it’s been parted out into five posts – each with 5 items.  These are in no particular order, with no favoritism or affiliation to the actual products or vendors.  So, without further ado:

1.  Ditty Bag – My brother had some of these on our canoe trip earlier this year, and they proved invaluable in keeping my gear dry.  $27 for a three-pack of dry ditty bags is a steal!  From REI:

REI Ditty Bags

2.  The Photo Mug – What can I say?  I want one of these muchly.  With my own expenditures being withheld to ones that are needed versus wanting, and not splurge items, I just have to hope someone in my family sees this:

Photojojo Lens Coffee Mug

3.  The Battery Caddy – I know, this was in last years showcase, but that should tell you how much I love this.  Mine was won in a photo contest online about three years ago and it has never left my camera bag.  Brilliant idea, and worth its weight in gold!  More options available than the AA clip shown here.

Battery Caddy

4.  Flickr is probably one of the most recognizable photo sharing sites.  With a pro account ads are banished and you are not limited in your daily uploads nearly as much.  Only $25 gives the gift for a year!

Give the Gift of Flickr

5.  Pocket Rocket from Think Tank.  A sponsor of the Lightroom workshop, Think Tank gave us a bunch of these to include for each participant.  I had to have one myself too, so out went the $17 – totally worth it!

Think Tank Pixel Pocket Rocket

Number 6-10 will be out soon, but I still have room on the list for some late additions, so if you’ve got some ideas, feel free to share (sharing is a good thing) either here in the comments or with me via e-mail.  Happy shooting and we’ll see you tomorrow (or possibly Friday)!

1. My health – I know it sounds corny, but when you consider how many people are fighting off diseases and life-threatening circumstances, I am very lucky to be in fairly good health.  Granted I am a little over-weight, and a little under-exercised, but for the most part, am feeling in pretty good health considering.
2. My wife – For those of you that read the blog regularly, you know that Tracy is my ever-supportive wife, who not only tolerates my obsession with photography and technology, but also encourages me to do things better, who constantly says she is proud of me, and will always be there for me when I need her most.  She is literally the best thing that has ever happened to me and I am a lucky guy to have her.
3. My Freedom – I rarely get political on the blog, but we Americans take so much for granted when it comes to freedom.  We have freedom of speech, expression, the right to bear arms, the right to vote, and so much more that others across the world only dream of.  That freedom came at a price – and that is the lives of many of our servicemen and women.  So, I also would like to tangentially give some thanks to our troops both domestically and abroad.
4. My Family – Again, it sounds corny, but there are so many homeless folks, orphans, and people who live alone in the world – to have the benefits of having a family (even when they drive you bonkers) is to have it all.
5. The viewers and readers – That’s right – without the readers, listeners, and friends I’ve made through all of this time online, this blog would be just another voice in the wind of the internet.  It’s the encouragement and participation from readers and listeners of the blog and podcast that has often kept me motivated to keep on going, and the success the blog and podcast have seen is due mostly to the inspiration, encouragement, and feedback I’ve received from each and every listener out there.

What are you thankful for?