I've been staring at my screen for like three hours and my head is spinning. I need to get a Sony a7 IV before my cousins wedding in three weeks—I promised her I'd do the video and photos and my old a6400 just isnt gonna cut it for a full day event. I have about $2,600 max to spend on everything including a lens and some accessories.
Right now I am looking at the Adorama bundle that comes with the 28-70mm kit lens and a bunch of extras like a bag and a couple SD cards for about $2,498 but then I saw B&H has a similar price but they include a better shoulder bag and a different tripod. I'm also lowkey considering just getting the body from a local Best Buy if they have an open box deal and then buying a used Sigma 24-70 separately because the kit lens feels a bit cheap for a wedding? I am so worried about the shipping taking too long or getting a bad unit and having to return it right before the deadline.
Is the Adorama bundle actually a good value or are the extras just cheap junk I wont use? Or should I just risk the open box route to get better glass? I dont want to blow my whole budget and realize I still need more batteries. Where are people actually seeing the deepest price cuts right now?
Those Adorama extras are mostly generic filler that wont survive a wedding day tbh. Youre way better off hunting a deal on the Sony a7 IV Mirrorless Camera Body and focusing on quality glass.
- Get a used Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Sony E
- Buy at least two Sony NPFZ100 Z-series Rechargeable Battery
- Grab a ProGrade Digital 128GB UHS-II SDXC V60 card That f/2.8 is basically mandatory for indoor receptions.
Regarding what #2 said about generic filler, my bundle tripod broke mid-shoot. Such a disappointment. Buy a used Sony Alpha a7 IV Mirrorless Body.
- Save $300
- Better glass Bundles are traps.
Re: "Those Adorama extras are mostly generic filler..." I once had a bundle SD card corrupt during a shoot and it was stressful. TLDR: Reliability over freebies. Are you planning on 4k 60p for the video? That crop changes everything. Look at the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 for better low light than the kit lens. It is solid and you wont regret having that constant f/2.8 for the reception.
listen, dont touch those bundles! they include literal junk thatll fail when you need it most. for a wedding, reliability is everything. skip the kit and grab the Sony Alpha a7 IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body plus at least two Sony TOUGH-G series SDXC UHS-II 128GB cards. those cards are amazing because they are basically indestructible. i actually dropped one of mine into a cup of coffee last week and it didnt even blink! i was so frantic cleaning it up that i accidentally knocked over my whole desk lamp too. what a mess. i really need to get one of those spill-proof mugs i saw on social media, they look so cool and come in like fifty different colors. anyway, get the tough cards and some genuine Sony NPFZ100 Z-series Rechargeable Battery packs so you dont lose power mid-vows. but yeah, bundles are a trap.
Just found this thread and honestly I'm in the exact same boat trying to prep for a gig next month. The bundle situation is just depressing right now. Every single deal I've looked at is packed with slow V30 cards that won't even support the a7 IV's S&Q modes or higher bitrates properly. It's a complete waste of money. To add to the point above: I've been crunching the numbers and I'm just going to buy everything separately because the failure rate on those bundle accessories is way too high. Here's what I'm looking at to keep it under budget:
- Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary for Sony E - it's way lighter for a long day than the Art version.
- SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-II Card - you need the 300MB/s write speed for the 4K 10-bit stuff.
- Godox V1 Flash for Sony - the bundle flashes are garbage and you'll need a real bounce flash for the reception. Unfortunately, there's no shortcut here. That 28-70 kit lens is really gonna struggle once the sun goes down at the wedding venue... the aperture just isn't wide enough and the glass quality is honestly not as good as expected for a 33MP sensor.
To add to the point above: I'm in the same boat and it's honestly been a nightmare trying to piece this together. I've been looking for a setup that actually handles a full day of shooting without failing, but everything feels like a compromise lately. It's so disappointing that even with a decent budget, you still have to worry about gear failing mid-event. There are some serious performance risks I've noticed while trying to find a solution:
- Low-tier memory cards that cause buffer lag and can literally ruin a processional shot
- Knock-off power solutions that don't communicate properly with the camera's firmware
- Bundled bags that offer zero actual padding for a body as heavy as the a7 IV Unfortunately, I haven't found a single pre-made bundle that doesn't include at least two or three deal-breakers. I'm terrified of making the wrong choice and having the camera lock up during the vows...
Honestly, just skip those bundles. After shooting on Sony for a decade, I can tell you those accessory kits are mostly junk, ngl. You are way better off mixing brands to get the best value for your money. The Tamron G2 is a personal favorite because it is way lighter than the Sigma Art, which matters when you are running around a wedding for 10 hours straight. Heres exactly what I would do to stay under that 2600 budget:
- Get the Sony a7 IV Body Only from a big retailer like B&H or Best Buy
- Buy the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 for Sony E lens
- Grab two Lexar Professional 1667x 128GB SDXC UHS-II cards
- Get one spare Sony NP-FZ100 Battery Pack The kit lens is okay for hobbyists but you really need that f2.8 for the reception or youre gonna have grainy photos. This setup works well and gives you pro results without the cheap plastic tripod or slow SD cards. Shipping from B&H or Adorama for the single items is usually lightning fast so you wont have to sweat the wedding deadline. No complaints with this combo at all, been using it for months and it stays reliable.
Wait really?? Thats actually super helpful. I always thought it was the other way around.
