People often say that the best camera is the one you have with you, and today that usually means your smartphone. This year, phones from Honor, Oppo and Vivo have improved so much that many people may not need a premium compact camera any more.
If you’re buying a gift this holiday season for a photography buff or imaging hobbyist, that is certainly one thing to bear in mind. Of courses, these days, digital imaging tools also include drones and other accessories that let you get the best picture or video on the go.
They make for great gifts this holiday season. Here are the gadgets that should delight your favourite shutterbug:
Vivo X300 Pro (S$1,599) and telephoto extender (S$249) and grip (S$179)
The Vivo X300 Pro is an excellent smartphone that is focused on mobile photography. It captures great image detail as well as a neutral colour palette, which makes it a great mobile camera for everyday shots as well as your holidays.
What makes it stand out, though, is support for an add-on teleconverter that gives you an additional zoom lens for taking pictures of subjects a bit further than what regular smartphones can do. With it, you can get the shots with better clarity and sharpness, without relying too much on AI processing.
The Vivo phone also supports a better hand grip that gives you more a traditional camera feel. Besides the X300 Pro, you may also consider the Oppo Magic 9 Pro, which offers a photography kit as well. Both make for great gifts to capture the moment on the go.
DJI Neo 2 (S$269)
Flying drones in Singapore can be troublesome due to strict regulations, but you can still buy them, learn to fly them and use them for your holidays in 2026.
For this holiday season, one great gift is the DJI Neo 2, which is a simple and capable drone for beginners to fly and take great images.
Even children can control it with hand gestures, though you can use your mobile phone for more advanced features. It is small enough for a backpack, fast enough for outdoor activities and smart enough to avoid obstacles, while still being reasonably priced.
The Neo 2 does have limits, especially at high altitudes, where its small size makes it susceptible to winds, for example (read our review).
The larger DJI Mini 5 Pro handles these conditions better. It can fly longer, higher and farther, and it has a better one-inch sensor for improved image quality.
The downside is that it weighs more than 250g, so you need to register it with the aviation authorities in Singapore. If you want to avoid registration, the older Mini 4 Pro is slightly lighter and still produces very good images.
Insta360 Antigravity A1 (S$2,169)
For an easier way to capture aerial videos, the Antigravity A1 from the makers of Insta360 cameras offers a different approach. It records full 360-degree footage, and you can later reframe the video into the usual 16 x 9 format.
This means you can record one flight and create several different shots. Shooting a drone footage from a first-person perspective that supports a 360-degree, all-around view provides an even more immersive experience when flying the drone.
The Antigravity A1 Explorer Package comes with two additional batteries, one charging hub, carrying case, spare propellers and a sling bag. It can be bought for S$2,169 at MS Color.
Insta360 X5 (S$769)
For action and adventure, the Insta360 X5 action camera remains a strong option. You can mount it on a helmet, a bicycle or a trekking pole to capture immersive 360-degree videos.
It is useful for recording everything from hiking trails to busy city streets in Japan’s Shinjuku or Korea’s Myeongdong. You can also shoot a full 360-degree view from a mountain top with a single click, something traditional cameras cannot do.
Fujifilm X Half (S$999)
Yes, smartphones are versatile but what if you want a more film-look look in your pictures? For those who enjoy that retro feel in digital files, the Fujifilm X Half compact camera offers a nice middle ground. It is designed for smartphone users and produces attractive film-style images.
Apart from the old school look, it also has a frame advance lever, which gives it the feel of an old film camera. You can try to get a similar effect on a smartphone, but using a dedicated camera makes the experience more enjoyable.
Acasis 10Gbps Magnetic Docking Station (~S$41)
Backing up photos on assignments or holidays is never fun, but it is essential because memory cards do fail and drones may decide to “vanish” before you can backup the previous images.
The Acasis 10Gbps Magnetic Docking Station tries to make that job easier. It works as a compact card reader and lets you mirror your Android phone or laptop to a TV or projector through its HDMI port.
More importantly, it comes with an internal M.2 NVMe solid state drive (SSD) slot for quick backups on the go. A small built-in fan helps keep things cool, especially when running a demanding task like recording ProRes HDR footage straight from an iPhone into the SSD.
