If you have a photographer on your holiday gift list, but purchasing a digital camera as a gift seems like overkill, digital camera accessories are a great second option.

I recently updated my Digital Camera Accessory Buying Guide for the 2009 holiday season with a dozen gift ideas for camera and photo accessories. Hopefully you can find some good gift options!

If you like the cool, retro design of the PEN E-P1 DSLR camera from Olympus, you now have a second, more powerful retro-looking option: The PEN E-P2.

The PEN series of digital cameras borrows its design from the traditional PEN film cameras. The PEN E-P2 (pictured here) will include 12.3 megapixels of resolution, HD video options, stereo linear PCM audio recording, and eight in-camera art filters.

Look for the PEN E-P2 to be available in December with a price of about $1,100, which includes the camera body and a starter lens. With its advanced features, it is slightly more expensive than the PEN E-P1, which you probably can find for about $800-$900 with a starter lens. (Compare Prices)

Photo courtesy Olympus

If stylish design and great looks are important in your next choice of a digital camera, you'll want to strongly consider Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-T90. It has a touch screen LCD, a small size, and a very interesting design.

However, before purchasing this camera, be sure to read through my Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90 review, because some of this camera's photography features might not meet the needs of all beginning photographers.

Still, the DSC-T90 is more than good enough to be one of the best cameras for under $300. It's one of those cameras where the outstanding design features make up for the minor shortcomings in its photography features.

Photo courtesy Sony

General Imaging, the digital camera division of GE, recently released a pair of new consumer-level digital cameras, the J1050 and the J1250.

The J1050 (pictured here) is a 10.1-megapixel camera and costs about $130. (Compare Prices)

Those selecting the J1250 will receive a little more resolution at 12.2 megapixels, while carrying a price tag of about $150.

Both cameras measure about 0.8 inches in thickness, offer a 2.7-inch LCD, and feature a 5X optical zoom lens. Both cameras also are available in four colors: Pink, red, black, and silver.

Don't dismiss these GE cameras because of their low prices; I had a chance to review the GE A1250 recently, and I found a very strong camera for beginning photographers at a low price. I'll be reviewing the J1250 soon, to see whether it can match the A1250.

Photo courtesy GE