Sony Photography Holiday Shopping

Sony Alpha Cyber Monday Shopping Guide

Sony Alpha Cyber Monday 2019

With a poor market for photography in general, there are lots of holiday discounts available. Some that were easily predictable, some that really aren’t great bargains, and some great bargains that have raised by own eyebrows.

Some may view this post as click bait. (If you use the affiliate links, I do earn a small commission at no additional cost to you). But my goal is to help you make educated holiday shopping decisions, so I’ll point out that prices that are true discounts and those that really aren’t very special. 

Sony Camera Discounts

Sony A6000 2-lens kit

Sony has deeply discounted the Sony A6000 kit every holiday season for the last few years. When introduced, it could even be thought of as an enthusiast camera. Now, it’s Sony’s entry level camera. It will be 6-years-old in February.  With the 2-lens kit, it was $650 in 2018, and now it’s just under $600. It’s a capable camera packaged with two light-weight versatile lenses (of mediocre quality). I just can’t recommend a 6-year-old camera. No touch screen, no 4k video, and lacks the fantastic autofocus of Sony’s newer cameras. 

You can find the Sony A6000 kit with lots of accessories on discount at Amazon.  If you use an Amazon Prime credit card, you can 15% cash back on the Sony A6000.

But if you are looking for the cheapest and best entry level, I’d look at the Nikon D3500 2-lens kit. A newer camera with better lenses, for under $400. 

Sony A6100 

Sony’s newest “entry level” aps-c camera gets a $100 discount to approximately $650. for body only, $750 with base lens. While this isn’t exactly dirt cheap, it’s a whole lot of camera for the price point. I comprehensively reviewed the Sony A6400, a camera with the same autofocus, same performance, almost the same body. Basically, you’re getting 95% of the goodness of the A6400 for 70% of the price. If you’re looking for an entry level camera that can last you for several years, or a backup small aps-c camera, this is a good chance to grab the A6100. 

See the Sony A6100 on Amazon.  Adorama has the Sony A6100 for the same price with some included accessories. 

Sony A6400

The Sony A6400 is a fantastic mid-level aps-c mirrorless camera. With good image quality, small body and cutting edge autofocus system, it can serve many photographers well. (My review of the Sony A6400). It’s been selling well for Sony and it is not on sale for the holiday. So why am I listing it? Because if you use the Amazon Prime credit card, it qualifies for 15% cash back.  Becomes a very reasonable price for a powerful camera. 

Sony A7ii with 28-70mm lens

A deep discount on this 5-year-old camera was expected. It was $1000 for camera body in 2018 holidays. Now, it’s just under $1,000 for the body and the kit 28-70mm lens. A full frame camera and lens for under $1,000 is pretty astounding. Barring used cameras, this is the cheapest entry into the world of full frame. But for just slightly more, you can get the 2019 model Canon RP ($999 for body only). About the same price, the Nikon D750 is about the same age as the Sony A7ii but is actually a much better camera (if you want a dSLR). Because of the included lens, the Sony A7ii works out slightly cheaper, but you do get what you pay for…

Be warned, Sony took a huge step in improvements between the A7ii and the A7iii. While sometimes changes between generations can be small, there is a chasm of difference in this case. The A7iii has far better autofocus, touch screen, better image quality, better speed, dual card slots, better body design, much better battery life. The A7iii is double the price but most people would find it worthwhile.

You can see the A7ii kit on Amazon here.  Adorama has A7ii packages with additional accessories. 

Sony A7iii

This is the best selling full frame camera in Sony’s history. While other cameras from Sony and other camera makers quickly got discounts, the Sony A7iii maintained it’s introductory price of nearly $2,000 for almost 2 years. With the 2019 holiday season, the Sony A7iii got it’s first $200 discount. So if you’ve been waiting, it’s a great time to pick up the A7iii. Given the age of the camera though, I expect there will be chances to get the A7iii at similar pricing in 2020.

But this holiday season does offer a chance to save even more on the A7iii: It qualifies for the Amazon Prime credit card 15% cash back. So $200 off and then another 15% off… if you were on the fence, it’s a great time to buy the Sony A7iii on Amazon. 

Sony A7rii

42 megapixels of astounding full frame image quality for under $1400. The autofocus is only okay. The battery life is horrible. The ergonomics are poor. And it’s a slow laggy camera. But if you’re looking for something for great landscapes and portraits on a budget, a great chance to pick up the Sony A7rii on Amazon. Adorama offers a bunch of kits, including with the kit lens for just  a little more. 

Sony A7riii

With the introduction of the Sony A7riv, the A7riii price has been discounted, fluctuating between $2500 and $2800. My full review of the Sony A7riv will be published soon but a spoiler: In many ways, I prefer the Sony A7riii. The Sony A7riii remains the best all around camera from Sony, and it’s one of the best all around cameras on the market. In addition to holiday pricing under $2500, it qualifies for Amazon Prime credit card 15% cash back. A camera as good as the Sony A7riii for a total of under $2200 — TOP CHOICE for holidays 2019. 

If you’re a photography enthusiast who has been waiting to step up to the next level, it’s a great time to buy the Sony A7riii with the cash back offer on Amazon. 

Sony Lens Discounts

There is no reason to rush to order Sony lenses on Cyber Monday. There are no deep discounts. Many Sony lenses are discounted between 25% and $100, often working out to no more than a 5% discount.  But if I were to look for one holiday bargain, it’s back to the Amazon Prime Card cash back offers — a 10% cash back offer on the Samyang 85mm F/1.4 AF lens for Sony. For under $550, you get a lens extremely competitive with the $1,800 Sony 85mm F/1.4 GM. I have the lens in my own camera bag. You can read my review of the Rokinon/Samyang 85mm F/1.4 here. 

Flash and Accessory Discounts

The best lighting system for Sony is the array of products from Godox. At a fraction of the price of the Sony-branded products, they actually offer a more diverse and overall superior product line. Adorama offers the Godox flash system under their store-brand name, “Flashpoint.” Importantly, these Flashpoint flashes are identical to Godox and entirely compatible with Godox. And Adorama is offering decent Cyber Monday discounts..

See all the Cyber Monday Flashpoint discounts here.  My favorites for Sony shooters:

If you’re looking for a portable travel tripod that is perform for Sony mirrorless cameras, you can get the Joby Gorillapod 3k from both Amazon or Adorama for about 40% off at approximately $45. 

Looking Ahead to 2020…

The camera industry is struggling. Sony might be struggling a little less than Nikon and Canon but they are all feeling sales dropping more than expected. You are seeing huge discounts this holiday season from all the camera makers as they attempt to move volume, burn off excess inventory, and try to preserve their 2019 unit sales goals. If and when inventories start to normalize, you’ll see less significant discounting in the future.

Unfortunately for the industry, I expect sales to continue declining rapidly. For enthusiast photographers, it’s a great time to get serious about photography. The more casual part of the market is ditching their dSLRs and mirrorless cameras in favor of phones at a rapid pace. So, if you don’t rush out on Cyber Monday, I expect to see similar pricing through much of early 2020. Prices will increase temporarily, but then expect to see regular sales throughout the year. 

 

 

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