Every year around the holidays, I start getting the same question in my inbox: “Tyler, where’s the best place to score deals on gear right now?” My honest answer is usually the same mix of deal sites, open-box sections, and refurb listings I check before my first cup of coffee. But occasionally something comes along that makes all of that irrelevant, because the gear is just free. That’s exactly what The Slanted Lens has pulled off with their Holiday Mega Giveaway, and it’s worth paying attention to.
In this The Slanted Lens video, the team runs through a genuinely impressive stack of prizes totaling over $10,000 in photography and videography gear from some brands that actually matter. This isn’t a “win a $25 Amazon gift card” situation. We’re talking real equipment from companies like Tamron, Datacolor, Vanguard, SKB, Gnarbox, and more. I’ve covered budget gear long enough to know which brands punch above their price point, and several of the names in this giveaway are ones I’d recommend people spend their own money on. The fact that you might win them instead makes this worth five minutes of your time.
Watch the full tutorial on YouTube
Step 1: Understand What’s Actually Being Given Away
Datacolor Spyder Pro displayed on screen
The prize pool here is not a single item split among thousands of entrants. The Slanted Lens has structured this as a multi-prize giveaway with distinct bundles and standalone items. On the display side, there are Datacolor Spyder Pro monitor calibrators, which are tools I’d argue every serious photographer needs before anything else. If your monitor isn’t calibrated, your edits are a guess. Datacolor makes the most accessible calibrators on the market and the Spyder Pro is their sweet spot between price and accuracy.
Tamron lenses are also in the mix, which is worth getting excited about. Tamron has quietly become one of the best value lens manufacturers working today. I’ve run their glass against name-brand options in side-by-side tests, and the results don’t embarrass anyone.
Step 2: Check the Storage and Protection Prizes
SKB cases shown with gear stacked around them
SKB cases show up multiple times in the prize lineup, and if you’re not familiar with them, think Pelican-level protection at a slightly more approachable price. These are the kind of cases working photographers buy when they need their gear to survive airline checked baggage or a job site. Four of them are part of the giveaway across different prize tiers.
Gnarbox also appears in the prize pool, covering the backup and storage side of a working photographer’s kit. Gnarbox makes compact, rugged field storage devices that let you back up memory cards without a laptop. If you’re shooting on location or traveling, it’s the kind of piece of kit that feels unnecessary until the one day you desperately need it.
Step 3: Look at the Support and Lighting Gear
Vanguard tripods lined up side by side
Three Vanguard tripods are included, which is relevant to me personally. I once bought five tripods under fifty dollars just to find one worth recommending, and what I learned from that exercise is that the difference between a bad tripod and a good one isn’t always price, but brand reputation and build consistency do matter. Vanguard sits comfortably in the “reliably good” category. Winning one of these would save somebody a lot of the trial and error I went through.
Lightroom-related tools and accessories from photography professionals are also listed, along with sling bags and carrying solutions from Gnarbox. The details on the specific Lightroom items are light in the video, but the inclusion of workflow tools alongside physical gear is a smart move. Editing tools are often the last thing photographers budget for, and they probably shouldn’t be.
Step 4: Note the Green Screen and Creative Extras
Green screen setup visible on screen
A full green screen setup appears in the prize stack, which tells me the Slanted Lens is thinking about video creators and educators, not just still photographers. If you’ve priced out a decent green screen setup recently, you know it adds up fast between the backdrop, stand, and lighting needed to make it actually usable. Getting one as part of a prize bundle is a legitimate score.
There are also Richard Lev gift cards in the mix. Gift cards in a giveaway get dismissed sometimes, but a gift card to a photography retailer is basically gear money, and gear money is always useful.
Step 5: Go to the Giveaway Page and Sign Up
theslantedlens.com/giveaway URL shown on screen
Here’s the only step that actually matters for entering. Head to theslantedlens.com/giveaway and sign up directly on their site. The video is clear that there are multiple ways to enter and increase your chances, which is standard for this type of giveaway. More entry methods usually means following on social, sharing, referring friends, that sort of thing. Each additional action you complete typically earns more entries.
The giveaway is described as open right now, so don’t sit on this. Giveaways like this have hard end dates and the entry window doesn’t wait for anyone. Spend the two minutes it takes to sign up and come back to this article later.
What I’d Add From My Own Experience
I’ve entered photography giveaways before and ignored a lot of them. The ones worth entering have a few things in common: they’re run by creators with an actual audience and reputation, the prizes are things working photographers would buy with their own money, and the entry process is simple enough that it doesn’t feel like a data grab. This one checks all three boxes.
The Slanted Lens has been producing photography education content long enough to have real credibility in this space. The brand partnerships here, Tamron, Datacolor, SKB, Vanguard, are not random drop shippers or white-label nobody brands. These are companies photographers actually argue about on forums, which is usually a good sign.
If I were advising someone on how to approach this, I’d say complete every entry method available, share it with one other photographer you know who’s serious about the craft, and then let it go. The prize pool is large enough that multiple people are winning, which improves your odds compared to a single-item giveaway. That math is worth remembering.
The single most important thing to take away here is simple: over $10,000 in legitimate photography gear is being given away for free, the entry process is straightforward, and the deadline will pass whether you act or not. Go enter.
Watch the full tutorial on YouTube
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