hey sorry if this is a totally dumb question im super new to all this camera stuff. I just bought a Sony a6400 last month because my phone camera wasnt cutting it for my cats and our weekend hikes in Colorado. The kit lens is fine I guess but Ive been hearing that Black Friday is coming up and people save a bunch of money on lenses then. Im trying to stick to like a 300 to 500 dollar budget since I already spent way too much on the camera body itself lol. Do certain kinds of Sony E-mount lenses usually go on sale more than others during holiday sales like primes vs zooms? Like do older models drop a lot or is it mostly just third party stuff like Sigma and Tamron that get discounted?
Congrats on the new body, you're gonna love it for those mountain hikes. Stick with your budget and look at third party glass since thats where the real savings happen around the holidays.
- Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary is usually right around that price point and goes on sale all the time
- Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD sometimes dips lower, though might stretch the budget a bit I picked up a couple primes last year during November and saved enough to grab an extra battery and a decent strap too. Just watch out for open box deals if you wanna save even more cash without taking risks.
TL;DR: Grab a Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD if you find a refurb deal. Totally changed my landscape shots without breaking the bank.
late to the party here but totally feel you on wanting to upgrade from that kit glass. in my experience tracking these sales over the years, you gotta be super careful about weather sealing if you're taking your gear out on Colorado trails where sudden rain or snow happens.
- look at the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD if you want one do-it-all zoom, though it might push your budget a bit even on sale
- the Sony E 35mm f/1.8 OSS is a way safer bet for your exact price range and has image stabilization which helps big time with shaky hands on cold hikes just dont rush into buying the first cheap third-party lens you see without checking if it can handle dust and moisture. learned that the hard way after a windy day in the rockies ruined an older manual focus lens i had.
> Black Friday is coming up and people save a bunch of money on lenses In my experience tracking these sales over the years, older first-party primes and third-party zooms see the deepest holiday cuts.
Can confirm this works. Did the same thing on mine and its been solid ever since.
No way, I literally just dealt with this yesterday. Small world.
Nice, didn't know that
Re: "Can confirm this works. Did the same thing..." - honestly I'd be super careful just jumping into holiday deals without doing your homework first. I remember rushing into a lens sale a few years back and ending up with glass that wasnt really weather-sealed well enough for mountain trails, which turned into a nightmare when it started spitting snow on me halfway up a hike.
- watch out for grey market stuff online during sales
- check return policies carefully
- make sure the mount is strictly E-mount and not something else I think waiting is usually safer if youre on a tight budget. Just take your time with it so you dont end up with buyer remorse. Someone told me authorized dealers sometimes price-match later anyway, so you might not even miss out.