Still looking for that last minute gift? Or maybe you'll buy yourself a present after the holidays. Either way, here are some of my favorite photo items for your consideration.

Note that prices are generally the lowest I found (typically from B&H Photo), and that I don't have any connections to these products other than as a satisfied user -- except for the Visual Echoes Flash Extender, where I'm both a satisfied user and a supplier.

Best wishes for the holidays! Here are my suggestions:

1. High Quality Loupe (Magnifier)

Still looking at slides from your $2000 lens with your $20 loupe? Upgrade to a high quality magnifier and see how good your images really are! Plan to spend over $100. The standard for years has been the Schneider 4X, recently updated as Model # 34558 ($120). A 4X loupe is good for general viewing of slides and should probably be your first purchase. For more critical assessment of sharpness, consider adding the new Schneider Magnifier 6X Aspheric (# 34560 - $255) or the less expensive Peak 7X Anastigmatic Loupe (#1990 - $120).

2. A Professional Lightbox

Some photographers on my bird photography tours are skeptical when I tell them they might shoot 20 or more rolls per day -- until the action starts. How to deal with all those slides? Use your quality loupe on a pro-level light box. Features to look for are fluorescent lighting with daylight color balance, even illumination, and an adequate viewing area. I would be lost without my Bretford Acculight Lightbox, which offers a 15" x 4 feet viewing surface, reasonably priced at $320. I also have the matched stand ($220), with castors and handy shelf below. This stand can hold a second Acculight almost vertically behind the first (which requires additional hardware to hold slides in place). See a picture at Dotline.

3. Arca-Swiss Monoball B1 with Quick Release

The Arca-Swiss B1 Monoball ($400) is still the best ballhead available. Part of the reason is the patented aspheric ball, which deviates from perfectly round, so that as the load is tilted from level, the resistance increases, reducing the tendency for the load to flop over. Add to this the fine tension adjustment, the ability to lock super tight with the turn of a knob, a smooth lockable panorama base and Swiss quality machining, and you have a ballhead I use with everything except my heavy 600 mm f/4. It even works well with my Arca-Swiss 4x5 view camera. At $400 it’s not cheap, but "you gets what you pays for." Be sure to get the model with Quick Release clamp, but buy your custom plates for cameras and lenses from Really Right Stuff, Wimberley, or Kirk; the generic Arca-Swiss plates are way too big.

4. Wimberley Tripod Head $464 + Arca-Swiss style clamp $100

What is center of mass and why should you care? If you have a big heavy telephoto lens such as 600/4 or 400/2.8, the well-crafted Wimberley Tripod Head ($464) allows you to place the center of mass of your lens plus camera plus extenders plus flash right at the pivot points (a "gimbal" design). The result? The heavy assembly is so well balanced, you can tilt and pan with your little finger and it stays where you leave it -- no more ballhead flop. This is a great head for taming your big telephoto, especially for panning to follow action. You'll need to add an Arca-Swiss style clamp ($100) from Wimberley or Really Right Stuff. The disadvantages is weight (4 lbs. with clamp) but if you’re hauling everything else, what’s a few more pounds? I don’t recommend the Kirk King Cobra or the smaller Wimberley Sidekick; both are awkward when mounting and unmounting the lens and lack the adjustments that make the Wimberley Head so valuable. Note that this head is really for big glass only: I don’t recommend it for lighter lenses like 300/2.8 and smaller. It’s a toss-up for my new Canon 500/4 IS lens: the Wimberley is great for flight and action, but when weight is a concern, I take only my Arca-Swiss B1.

5. "Plateau Light" by David Muench

I have long admired the landscape artistry of David Muench. Buy his book "Plateau Light" (with James Lawrence; Graphic Arts Center Publishing, 1998, $35) and treat yourself to page after page of stunning large format photos from the American Southwest. The best part for photographers may be the descriptions at the end of the book detailing how each image was created.