A Sony for someone who photographs often
They have already decided on the maker. Honour it, and spend the thought on the lenses.
Some people have decided already. They like Sony, or they have borrowed one, or everybody they follow uses one. An argument about makers is not a present.
That is easier to honour than it sounds, because the maker matters far less than the lenses. Give the body they expect, and the two lenses that will still be on it in five years: one that covers almost everything, and one that opens wide enough to make a face stand out.
So the answer is
Everything they need, and nothing they will outgrow
One zoom that covers almost every picture a day will ask for, and one small lens that turns a snapshot of a person into a portrait. This is the pair most photographers settle on after years of buying and selling, given at the start instead.
The present
Camera
Sony A7 IV
A camera they can grow into and never outgrow. It handles a dark room without complaint, and the pictures hold up when they print them large.
Lens
Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS
The lens to leave on the camera. It goes from a whole room to a face across the table without them changing anything.
Lens
Sony FE 50mm f/1.8
Small, light, and the cheapest way to get the soft blurred background people mean when they say a photograph looks professional.
Memory card
SanDisk Extreme PRO 128GB SDXC UHS-II
The card the pictures are saved onto. This is the right one for their camera, and it is fast enough that the camera never has to pause and wait.
What goes with it
Not needed on the day. Add one if you want the present to feel finished.
Bag
Peak Design Everyday Sling 6L
Swings round to the front and opens with one hand, so they can reach the camera without taking the bag off. Holds a camera, a spare lens, and a phone.
Strap
Peak Design Slide Lite strap
Clips on and off in a second and adjusts with one hand. The strap that comes in the box is the first thing most people replace.
What it gives up
It is heavier than a small camera, and it will not go in a coat pocket.
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Two other ways to go
Spends less
Good in a dim room, and small enough to carry
A big sensor in a small body, with one lens that makes people look their best. Photographs taken indoors in the evening come out cleaner than a phone manages, and that is where most family pictures are taken. A camera built for near-darkness is a different and dearer thing.
Why not this one. One lens means one view. They cannot reach a distant subject without walking closer.
Another way
A first camera that will not be outgrown
The same size and the same small lens as the cheaper Sony, and a far better camera underneath. It sees more in a room lit by lamps, it keeps up when nobody is standing still, and it is not the thing that will be holding them back in five years.
Why not this one. Most of the money went into the camera, so the lens is the small starter zoom. A better lens is the first thing to add later, and every lens that fits the cheaper Sony fits this one.
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