Lego: It’s not really a secret that Lego building blocks are widely loved. They’re perfect for any age, but a particularly fun gift for an engineering or physics nerd who lacks some brightly-coloured fun. Whether you go for a Millennium Falcon, a Mindstorms NXT robot set, or a smaller kit, just be sure your beloved recipient has time for construction. Prices vary widely. [Lego; Image Source]

BuckyBalls: 216 pellet-shaped rare earth magnets may scream “physics lesson”, but in reality they’re a jar full of fun. Your science nut can construct all sorts of 3D shapes for hours of mindless — or extremely brain-intensive — entertainment. And should he ever manage to get bored with the balls, he can just use them for one heck of a refrigerator magnet collection. $US30 [Gizmodo; Busted Tees]

DON’T BUY A Star: I don’t know how you could imagine that getting someone a sheet of paper proclaiming that you’ve named a star after her is a clever idea. It’s a scam to begin with and even the most thoughtless gift certificate would be a better idea (and won’t leave you stuttering that you thought she “likes space and umm… stuff”).

Photo by jared

I’ve never seen a stocking that didn’t like being filled with a bit of awkward science-themed, cotton-based humour and somehow science nerds in particular have a soft spot for geeky shirts. You can head to ThinkGeek, Threadless and Snorg Tees if you’re looking for some of the shirts we’ve mentioned in the past — my personal favourite is still the ingredient shirt. $US19 [Snorg Tees]

Chemistry Experiment Kit: This one’s more geared to the younger lab rats, but no science nerd should miss out on a proper chemistry set. This C3000 set is a nice splurge and even guides you through building a DIY fire extinguisher for when experiments go wrong, but you can certainly go for a smaller kit or even put one together on your own. $US230 [Scientifics]

Casio EX-FC100: Science types want to document the entire world in pictures and video. Thanks to technological advancements, falling prices and MythBusters, high-speed slow-mo photography has carved out a nerdy niche in recent years. Casio’s EX-FC100 may not be an EX-F1, but it’s nice and small and has most of that slow mo covered, plus some nice nature-watcher tricks in still shooting, too. Despite the fact that still picture quality isn’t as high as a similarly sized Canon, the FC100’s set of unique talents make it a worthwhile toy for active observers of the physical world. $US226 [Review; Casio Exilim]

Giant Plush Microbes: If you’re in need of a stocking stuffer for a biology nerd, these plush microbes are a sure thing. They’re cute (just look at syphilis!) and add a bit of silliness to many all-too-serious subjects. $US12 [Think Geek]

Processing Time on a Supercomputer: If you’ve got a mad, crazy, number-crunching, super science nerd on your hands — along with your own pretty thick wallet — then you can go through a company like Exa and get them some quiet time with a supercomputer. Your nerd will be able to run her insane calculations using high-performance computing and save quite a bit of time, so be sure to have some hot chocolate for two ready for a calm evening after. Prices vary, but they’re gonna clean out your pockets. [Exa]

Photo by Argonne National Laboratory

Don’t forget to recommend your own favourite gift ideas for science nerds in the comments.

All Giz Wants is our annual round-up of favourite gift ideas, including amazing attainable objects and a few far-out fantasies. We’ll be popping guides catered to different interests several times per day for the next week, so keep checking back.

The H3DII-50 MS records four shots in a row by “moving the sensor by one pixel between each shot to record full RGB values at each position”. Hasselblad Australia is currently advertising a price of $32,995 on its website (normally $40,995). It might take fantastic pictures, but that price tag is still tough to swallow. [Hasselblad via DP Review via Engadget]

Maximum PC’s how-to uses 3D picture synchronisation software called StereoData Maker, a non-volatile firmware update based on the Canon Hack Development Kit (CHDK).

You’ll then need to build a mounting rig and use a small enclosure (such as an Altoids tin) to build a simple USB switch remote. Free software called StereoPhoto Maker is used for post-processing. And yeah, you’ll still need a pair of red/cyan glasses. Still, it looks like fun. Full instructions at: [Maximum PC]

It’s designed to withstand multiple drops from 2m, work underwater at depths of 3m for 60 continuous minutes and has a number of action-shooting modes. It records wide-format movies at 848 x 480 resolution (30 frames per second).

The EX-G1 will be $US300 in December, and available in either black or red. Just in time for the summer holidays.

Every single time I’ve tried to Liveblog for Giz, I’m hamstrung by the fact that I’m one man with a laptop, a camera, a wireless connection and talent (OK, I made that last one up), but have to connect them all the old fashioned way. If only I could wirelessly stream the photos directly to the laptop from the camera as soon as its taken.

The Samsung ST1000 has got almost everything in the way of connections — Wi-Fi, DLNA, Bluetooth, plus GPS, 720p video recording at 30fps, and is available for an RRP of $749. There’s also a haptic touchscreen and 5x optical zoom.

If you’re a part of that sub market that needs Wi-Fi in its cameras, the ST1000 is available now.

[Samsung]

This very special limited edition of the M7 35mm camera comes in silver chrome with calfskin leather accents in two colours, orange and the mysteriously named “etoupe” [sic]. Brian likes the orange but I prefer the etoupe — the orange version seems like the one you’d take on a hunting trip, while the etoupe seems like more of a safari jaunt. What can I say, I love animals and Brian loves eating them.

The M7 includes a Leica SUMMILUX-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH. wide-angle lens, lens hood, LEICAVIT M winder and a matching carrying case. There aren’t too many changes from the original M7, just a few cosmetic things mostly so the original styling doesn’t clash with your new baby cow–skin leather. It’s pretty much the best-looking camera I’ve ever seen, and commands the kind of price you’d expect: £8550, or about $15,300 Australian. That’s incredibly expensive, sure, but the standard M7 costs about $6000 and these things last forever, so it’s not like you’ll have to buy the Leica “M7S” (zing!) in six months. The M7 Hermes edition will be available in the UK sometime in December. [Pocket-Lint via Engadget]

Here is a new ad currently running in England, featuring Kevin Spacey, In it, he uses the word “hurty” to sell Olympus Pen cameras. Still hurting from K-Pax, K-Space?

[Copyranter]

Everything else on the EX-FH25 looks to be the same. Similarly, the EX-FC150 will keep its 5x optical zoom, and sensor-shift image stabilisation. Both cameras will continue to do 720p video at 30fps.

The new models arrive in Japan on November 27; we’ll keep you posted on their pricing and availability. [Akihabara News: EX-FX25 | EX-FX150]

Rumours surrounding the launch of this expensive little retro looker have been with us since about November 10, when the expertly named Leica Rumors site broke word that the company sharing their namesake was all but prepared to reveal a limited edition film camera.

Two weeks before that, the M7 Hermes camera was showcased in Tokyo, looking gorgeous. Its presence there was no accident apparently, as the latest tidbits, mentioned above, are that this M7 Hermes thing is about to skip onto the scene in a mere 24 hours.

For the price of a compact sedan, it could be yours. [Leica Rumors]

Thrustmaster’s $US20 kit offers variable colour filters, a macro lens, a telephoto lens and a wide-angle lens. It’s great for illustrating the fact that lenses change the way a camera works, since it’s not quite something that clicks solidly in your brain until you see it first-hand. But it’s only $US20, so it’s not too much to waste when your kid loses all the pieces. [Thrustmaster via Ubergizmo via Crunchgear]