Photography Gift Ideas
If you enjoy coffee as much as photography, then there's no better way to enjoy two of your greatest loves than with a coffee mug that looks like a camera lens. With a camera lens coffee cup perched on your desk, it's as if you're telling the world "I am a photographer, and now I'm ready to shoot."
History of the Lens Coffee Mug
The mug that started the lens coffee mug craze was actually handed out by Canon at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. The mug looked like a Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Lens and was a hit with photographers who were fortunate enough to get one.
Want to know more about the mug? We have a pretty thorough review on the site.
Compact, lightweight, well-built, affordable and with good image quality. Those terms are sometimes used to describe camera lenses, but... rarely do those words all describe the same lens. In this case, however, the adjectives perfectly describe – not one – but two lenses in Canon's lineup.
Of course, I'm talking about Canon's EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM and EF 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake lenses. They're cute, but don't let their small size and low price mislead you. These are solid lenses, featuring adequately fast autofocus and image quality that will likely impress you.
For anyone that has explored DSLR photography but has yet to expand their lens collection beyond the 18-55mm kit lens, the 24 and 40mm pancake lenses provide an excellent introduction to prime lenses, with max apertures more than 1-stop wider than the standard kit lens when set to the same focal length. That means a shallower depth-of-field (DOF) and a lower ISO and/or faster shutter speed, all of which can help improve the quality of images captured.
Seasoned photographers can appreciate Canon's pancake lenses for the same reasons as novice photographers, but with small size and light weight likely being the most appreciated lens' aspects.
The small size and light weight of these lenses mean they take up very little room in a camera bag, are not a burden to carry (either in the bag or attached to the camera) and can even be thrown in a jacket pocket for easy storage and fast access. The lenses are so small that very few photographers will find their gear bags too full to fit a Canon pancake lens.
One thing to note, though, is that the EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM is only compatible with APS-C sensor cameras, like the EOS Rebel series, 80D and 7D Mark II, while the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM is compatible with full-frame and APS-C sensor cameras.
More Information
Trusted Retailers:
Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Lens
B&H | Amazon | Adorama | Canon USA | Canon Canada | BuyDig | Wex
Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM Lens
B&H | Amazon | Adorama | Canon USA | Canon Canada | BuyDig | Wex
Want a unique and interesting gift for the special photographer in your life? A custom lens or body cap may be the answer.
LenzBuddy makes a wide assortment of custom lens and camera body caps (for Canon and Nikon) with designs to suit just about every taste or preference.
For those that want more than just a lens coffee cup perched on their desk, B&H has a set of coasters that stack to resemble an 85mm f/1.2L lens.
Product Highlights
- Set of Five Drink Coasters
- Pieces Combine to Form a Replica Lens
- Hidden Magnets Hold Coasters Together
- Non-Slip Silicone Bottom and Top
If you're curious about these coasters, look no further than this witty customer's thorough product review on B&H:
"This 5-element 'Lens' marked 'Craftmaster 85 mm f 1.2L' externally looks like the Canon 85 mm f 1.2L II USM right down to the red banding. It has 5 'elements' each made of black silicone rubber and having working surface diameters of 75, 80, 80, and 77 mm respectively. The 'elements' stay connected together through internal magnets. The focusing ring is nicely rubber covered and is 15 mm wide, but manual focusing is rather rough. Although there is an aperture scale, there is no aperture ring. Since this lens does not have a bayonet mount it refuses to fit my 1D Mk IV. By affixing the 'lens' with fresh Gorilla Tape I was able to test the lens. Even in direct sunlight I could not get a correctly exposed image. I suspect that's because each of the 5-elements is completely opaque. Also, autofocus didn't work at all (probably because there is no focus motor).Recommended for its intended use, but not for photography."
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