Honestly so done with my old DSLR it keeps hunting for focus every time I try to record anything and its basically ruined half my travel footage from last month which just makes me want to scream. It is so heavy and the mirror slap is just annoying at this point and I am just ready to switch to something modern and mirrorless because I cannot deal with this clunky thing anymore.
I am actually really excited though because I finally saved up around 1200 bucks and I have been waiting months for the holiday sales to finally kick in so I can upgrade my setup. I am mainly looking for something that is good for hybrid use like street photography but also some decent 4k video for my YouTube channel without it overheating every five minutes like some of the older models do. I am located in the US so I am looking at Best Buy and B&H and those spots but everything still looks full price right now which is stressing me out a little bit.
Are there actually going to be any legit good mirrorless camera deals for Black Friday or am I just gonna be stuck waiting for a sale that never happens? I was looking at maybe a Sony or a Fuji but I am open to anything if the price is right...
Watch for the Sony Alpha a6700 26.1MP 4K120p Mirrorless to hit your price point. It has the dedicated AI autofocus chip and handles 4K heat better than most older APS-C bodies.
Honestly, most of the early deals I have seen at B&H and Best Buy are pretty underwhelming this year. Prices are staying flat because of supply chain issues and its just frustrating. If you want true hybrid performance for 1200 bucks, you are in a tough spot if you want to avoid the usual models.
- Canon EOS R7 Mirrorless Camera Body looks great for street work with that 32.5MP sensor. Unfortunately, the RF-S lens selection is basically a desert. You would likely end up buying heavy full frame glass which kinda defeats the purpose of a compact setup.
- Panasonic Lumix S5 II Mirrorless Camera is technically superior for video because of the active cooling and phase detect AF. But its price usually sits way above your budget unless there is a massive holiday slash which havent happened yet. It is a bad time for buyers tbh... prices just dont drop like they used to.
To add to the point above: I would suggest being cautious about stock levels if you look at Fuji. The Fujifilm X-S20 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 15-45mm Lens is an incredible hybrid for the price, but it tends to sell out fast during holiday promos. Make sure to look at thermal performance reviews for the 4K modes because even though it is improved, it can still get warm during long sessions. You might want to consider the Nikon Z5 Mirrorless Camera with 24-50mm Lens if you want to jump to full frame. It usually gets a deep discount at B&H and Best Buy. I should warn you tho, the video autofocus is decent but not quite as sticky as the Sony systems. Also, dont forget to budget for extra batteries and a fast card like the SanDisk Extreme PRO 128GB UHS-I SDXC because 4K footage is a storage hog.
Re: "Honestly, most of the early deals I have..."
- I would be super careful about those massive bundles you see pop up around this time. I learned the hard way a few years back when I snagged what I thought was an insane holiday deal. It came with a bunch of "free" extras like filters and a tripod, but they were basically plastic toys that fell apart almost immediately. The "value" they add is usually just fluff to make a mediocre price look like a steal. I have also seen people get burned buying older inventory that still has the overheating bugs. I actually ended up having to take my last body apart to apply some DIY thermal pads because the manufacturer did such a poor job with the heat sinks. It fixed the issue, but opening up a thousand-dollar camera is definitely not for the faint of heart tho. Just make sure to read the fine print on these sales... if it seems way cheaper than everywhere else, it might be a gray market import with zero warranty. If the electronics fry, you are basically out of luck. Stick to the authorized sellers, even if it feels like you are paying a premium right now.
I have tried many systems over the years and honestly the specs are everything when it comes to video. Before I weigh in tho, what kind of bitrate and bit depth are you aiming for with your 4k stuff? It basically affects the thermal ceiling and whether the body is gonna overheat on you. Tbh there is a really good breakdown of all these holiday sales on the main photography subreddit. Just go over there and search for the black friday megathread, they have a whole list that people update daily. There is also a solid youtube video on this that I saw recently, just search for mirrorless holiday buyer guide and you wont have any trouble finding it.
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