Gotta’ Get ’Em All: Your YouTuber Holiday Shopping Guide
Too naughty for that Samsung Gear 360 Camera but too nice for a lump of coal? You already know that asking your family for Pokemon Go Plus, no matter how much you really want it, will cause headaches and heartache. So what should you say when you’re asked, “What do you want this holiday season?”
Here are some suggestions of gifts that retail for under $100 that will help any YouTuber create.
Power Through the Holidays
RAVPower 26800mAh 3-Port 5.5A Portable Charge
Costing only $50, this should be on the top of everyone’s list. With enough power to get you through a day of run and gun shooting with your phone or tablet, this battery should even survive a full day of extreme Poke-hunting. You can charge three devices at once with this unit, and there’s enough power to charge an iPhone 6 Plus or Galaxy S6 more than six times.
Make Sure They Hear What You Want Loud and Clear
Zoom H1
Available from many brick and mortar retailers, this digital recorder features two built-in mics in an X/Y configuration to capture stereo sound in .wav or .mp3 formats. Zoom recorders are also really useful if you’re shooting live events with a DSLR because you’ll maintain audio despite having to power your camera on and off. The Zoom H1 runs on one AA battery, which will get you about 10 hours of recording. It records to microSD cards and retails for $100.
Shure MVL Omnidirectional Condenser Lavalier Microphone
This omnidirectional microphone with a great signal-to-noise ratio plugs into the headphone jack of iOS and Android devices. Using a 1/8” (3.5 mm) TRRS connector, you get the quality of a Shure mic at a fraction of the cost by using the recording capability of your mobile device. It includes a windscreen and retails for $69.
Rode VideoMicro
This compact on-camera microphone retails for $59 and features a cardioid condenser mic with a frequency response of 100Hz-20kHz. The mic is powered by camera plug-in power (min. 3V), so no battery is required. The VideoMicro also includes a Lyre shoe-mount and a furry windshield.
Rode VideoMic Me
This also retails for $59 and offers a great compact, directional microphone solution for mobile devices that connects directly to the TRRS microphone/headphone socket. It can be used to capture audio for primary camera or front camera (selfie) use with its flexible mounting bracket.
Although it can work with Android devices, it’s designed for the iPhone, and we would double check compatibility with your specific device since issues arise from how the microphone mounts to the phone — it often blocks the camera on Android devices.
Make Your Season Bright
Neewer 20 LED 700LM Flash
For $30, this waterproof (up to 131ft/40m), dimmable, wide-angle, 700 lumens, max. 5500K 20 LED light is great for shooting underwater with your GoPro. Rechargeable via USB, it includes white, orange and purple colored filters.
Fancierstudio H69G
Why are we listing this 6' X 9' chroma key kit under lights? Because this green screen unit comes with two lights, stands and umbrellas. The lights have a 400 watt capability that can be increased with the use of LED bulbs. In addition to the green screen, you get an 8-foot by 10-foot backdrop support system and a soft-sided case to carry it all in for a great price of $80.
Edit This onto Your Wish List
Adobe Premiere Elements 15
Some of the best things in life are free, but video editing software isn’t always one of them. If you’ve been looking for a few more bells and whistles in the edit suite, then you might want to try Adobe Premiere Elements 15. Designed for Mac OS X 10.10–11 and Windows 7, 8, and 10, it includes some great features such as a sound effects library, the ability to edit and organize with touchscreen devices, the ability to edit and view 4K videos and the ability to do some basic but effective visual effects. Retailing for $100, the software even includes built-in social media sharing as well as visual and location-based tagging.
Kris Kringles under $20
GoPro The Tool
Tighten your thumb screws, then open your beer! This combo specialty wrench and bottle opener will provide all the extra torque you need for your high-vibration, high-speed activities. Priced at $5, it’s a great gift for any GoPro lover.
Nite Ize Gear Ties
These reusable, bendable, soft rubber ties should live in everyone’s camera bag. The small ones work great on cables. We’ve used the larger ones on set to make stands for mobile devices; we’ve even used them to mount a tablet to a camera as an external monitor. The 8 pack includes two each of the 3", 6", 12", and 18" ties and retails for less than $9. My favorite is the 12 pack, which includes three 3", three 6”, two 12", two 18”, and two 24" and retails for $19.
Sabrent Fetch
Have fun letting Fido shoot the videos; this dog harness mount is compatible with all GoPro cameras. Start a new channel that showcases videos made by your dog. The adjustable belts on the harness fit dogs from 15 to 75 lbs (7 to 35 kg) and allows for two mounting locations — on the back or the chest — for a variety of perspectives. The harness has a quick release base, so attaching and removing the camera easy. Priced at $15, this is another great gift idea for the GoPro owner who has almost every accessory.
Neewer 5 in 1 Portable Round 32" Multi Camera Lighting Reflector/Diffuser Kit
Add a little bounce to your holiday and your videos. This set of collapsible reflectors has grips on both sides and includes one each of the following: gold to warm up the picture, silver to brighten the picture, white to bounce light into shadows, black to block out unwanted light and translucent to soften and diffuse light. It even includes a zippered carry case for only $15.
For the Person Who Has Everything
LimoStudio AGG779 Chromakey Green Suit
This green chroma key body suit provides complete invisibility. The suit even covers the face with green transparent see-through fabric. It claims to be one-size-fits-all but we all know that’s really not true, so we wouldn’t get too excited if you’re overly small or large. Priced at $32, you can let your imagination and your visual effects skills run wild.
GoPole GPSL-16 Scenelapse
This 360-Degree time-lapse device just may be the GoPro accessory you don’t happen to have. Priced at $35, the GoPole Scenelapse mounts between your tripod and your GoPro and can spin up to 360 degrees offering panoramic time-lapse views. For non-GoPro the GoPro connector is removable allowing for a ¼"-20 screw mount for other cameras.
Memory is a Gift Not Worth Forgetting
SanDisk Ultra 64GB USB 3.0 OTG Flash Drive
For Android devices, this OTG drives offers both micro USB and USB 3.0 connectors. With speeds up to 130MB/s for file transfer from the drive to your computer, this makes downloading footage either for use or archive quick and easy. A survey of retailers found this drive pricing at $18 or less.
SanDisk iXpand 64GB USB 2.0 Mobile Flash Drive
For iPhones and iPads with Lightning connectors and iOS 7.1 and higher, this drive allows you to transfer photos and videos between iPhone, iPad, PCs and Mac computers. It also allows you to encrypt files for a secure transfer, and it works with wmv, avi, mkv, mp4, and mov video formats. A 64GB drive is priced at $68, although you can get a 16GB for $33 or a 128GB for $107.
Sponsored
DJI Phantom 4
The Phantom 4 pioneered the use of state-of-the-art computer vision and artificial intelligence technology. It flies smartly and with minimum effort, automatically creating seamless tracking shots with ActiveTrack, senses and avoids obstacles and captures brilliant 4K with its integrated aerial camera and gimbal. Flying is no more difficult than tapping your finger, and the Phantom automatically returns safely with Smart Return Home.
G-TECH G-DRIVE slim SSD USB-C
Built with stylish content creators in mind, G-DRIVE slim SSD USB-C portable drives are the perfect storage companion for your MacBook.
But don’t let their sexy looks fool you. These high-performance external solid state drives (SSD) pack a powerful punch — with lightning fast transfer rates up to 540MB/s and a USB-C (USB 3.1 Gen2) connection. Available in 250GB, 500GB and 1TB sizes, road warriors and speed demons alike will also appreciate their color choices of silver and space gray.
So don’t settle for boring when your work is anything but! Rely on the slim, sleek, and speedy G-DRIVE slim SSD USB-C portable drive from G-Technology.
Little Audio Miracle!
Capture pro audio directly to your camcorder or DV camera with the amazing Beachtek DXA-MICRO PRO. Powerful, low-noise preamplifiers ensure clean, hiss free audio. Super easy to setup and use. Works with virtually any microphone. From the makers of the worlds most popular audio adapters. $199
Final Shopping Tips for Your Family and Friends
Why deal with crazy, holiday crowds and traffic? Tell your family and friends that all of the above listed products can be purchased from the comfort of their homes. Amazon, B&H, Adorama, and Best Buy are just a few of the retailers that carry these products.
Remember, holiday shopping can be very stressful, especially for those loved one who want to find you the perfect gift. Try to make their jobs as easy as possible. You can offer to put products on a wish list or in a shopping cart. When telling them exactly what you want, be sure to suggest multiple choices so you can still be surprised this holiday season. And who knows, maybe you’ll find some real holiday magic and open a festive package containing Pokemon Go Plus.
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