Sony Camera Early Black Friday Deals 2025?

Just catching up on this thread... I totally agree with MysticHorizon about the prices mostly staying the same all month. It's way less stressful once you realize you dont have to stay up until midnight on Thanksgiving to get the deal. My DIY journey so far:

• I usually grab the body right when the first wave of sales hits in early November.
• I skip the big store bundles and hunt for open-box lenses separately because they often get marked down even further during the holiday returns.
• I pick out my own accessories like straps and cards instead of taking whatever the bundle gives me. Doing it this way let me get a much better lens for my budget last time. Definitely worth looking into if you want to stretch your money a bit further!

Hey, so based on my experience watching Sony deals the last few years, the *really* big price drops on the A7 line usually land right around actual Black Friday/Cyber Monday, not in the very early November waves.

What I’ve seen though is this: early deals often match the final price on the camera body, but the best *value* bundles (extra battery, cards, basic 50mm, maybe a small gift card) tend to show up closer to the main weekend from B&H/Adorama. Best Buy sometimes price-matches but with weaker bundles.

If you’re aiming for sub-$2k for body + lens, I’d personally:
- Start tracking prices from Nov 1 with a tool like camelcamelcamel for Amazon.
- Jump on a bundle if you see the A7 IV or A7C II at the lowest body price you’ve seen *plus* a useful lens (even the 50mm f/1.8 or 28–70 kit) and at least one extra battery.

In my opinion, don’t feel forced to wait for the exact BF date, but I’d hold off big decisions until the week-of (Mon–Wed before BF). Sony’s own site has been pretty meh for me; I’ve gotten better deals from B&H/Adorama with bonus stuff.

If you post your exact target combo (A7 IV + what lens), people can sanity-check whether a deal you see is actually good or just marketing fluff. Hope this helps!

Hey,

So I was in almost the exact same boat last year with the A7 IV (and briefly eyeing the A7C II), trying to time Black Friday vs “early Black Friday.” I over‑analyzed it way too much, but it did teach me a few things.

For me, the *headline* price on the body didn’t move that much between early November and actual BF weekend. What did change a lot were:

1. **Bundles and freebies**
Early deals at B&H/Adorama were more like: small instant rebates + free cards/bags. The real BF weekend added stuff like extra batteries, better SD cards, and sometimes a cheap nifty‑fifty. If you’re hoping for a 50mm or extra NP‑FZ100, that’s where the timing matters more than the sticker price.

2. **Lens vs body discounts**
Sony bodies (especially something current like A7 IV / A7C II) don’t usually get massive cuts. Like, $100–$300 off max. But some **FE lenses** get way better % discounts during the main Sony “Holiday Instant Savings” which often lines up with BF/Cyber Monday. If you want to stay under $2k for body + lens, a discounted 50mm (like FE 50mm f/1.8 or even the 50mm f/1.4 if you stretch) can be the real difference.

3. **Refurb and open‑box**
You might want to watch:
- **Sony direct refurb**: sometimes they pop an extra % off **a week or two before** BF to clear stock.
- **Best Buy open‑box**: during BF week a lot of people buy/return, and I’ve seen A7 bodies drop a couple hundred below new for “open-box excellent” if you’re not super picky.

If I had to pick a strategy based on what I’ve seen:
- If you just want the **body only**, early November might be fine if you see $200ish off and you’re okay with basic bundle extras.
- If you want **body + 50mm and to maximize value under $2k**, I’d personally wait until at least the **week of Black Friday** when lens promos and better bundles usually land.

One more thing: make sure to check **card/battery values**. A “free” 128GB slow SD card and a 3rd‑party battery isn’t worth much. A good UHS‑II card or genuine NP‑FZ100 actually is.

FWIW, I ended up buying on Cyber Monday because the bundle finally made sense, not because the body price magically crashed.

Hope this helps! If you narrow down which 50mm you’re thinking about, people here can probably say which sales to watch more closely.

Hey,

So everyone’s covered the *price* side pretty well, so I’ll just add a kinda boring but important angle: safety/reliability when you’re hunting those early deals.

**Background:**
Last year I was also eyeing Sony (A7 III at the time) and trying to grab an early-November deal to “beat the rush”. I jumped on a random Amazon deal from a 3rd‑party seller and… yeah, not as good as expected. Grey‑market body, weird warranty situation, and the battery looked sketchy. Had issues getting support, and returns were a pain.

**Why it matters:**
When you’re spending ~$2k on an A7 IV / A7C II + lens, the main “deal” you want is:
- US warranty actually valid with Sony
- Genuine batteries + charger (no cheap knockoffs)
- Clear return window in case you get a dud

Early promos sometimes bring in a bunch of questionable third‑party listings that *look* like legit BF pricing.

**What I’d do in your shoes:**
- Stick to **authorized retailers only**: Sony direct, B&H, Adorama, Best Buy, Amazon *sold & shipped by Amazon*.
- For bundles, double‑check the lens and battery are **official Sony** or trusted brands (like a legit Sony 50mm, not some random no-name).
- Screenshot the listing and save the invoice – helpful if there’s a warranty disagreement.
- If Sony’s refurb store does a deal, I’d honestly prioritize that over a sketchy “new” early deal. Refurb with Sony warranty is way safer than grey‑market new.

So yeah, early deals *can* be just as good price‑wise, but I’d definitely trade a tiny discount for solid warranty + easy returns, especially with these bodies.

Hope this helps! Let me know what you end up going with.

Hey,

So I’ll come at this mainly from the budget/value side, because I’m usually more obsessed with what I *actually* get for the money than whether I hit the literal lowest price of the year.

**Background (how Sony usually plays it)**
Over the years, what I’ve seen in the US is:
- Sony sets a “holiday promo” price that runs most of November.
- Black Friday itself might add **extras** (gift cards, bundles, freebies) rather than a huge extra price drop.
- The *massive* price cuts tend to hit older bodies or kits they want to clear, not the current hot models.

**Why this matters for your $2k budget**
With A7 IV / A7C II, I wouldn’t bank on a crazy $400+ discount. It’s more likely you’ll see:
- $100–$300 off body
- Or same price but with real value extras: extra battery, 64–128GB card, maybe a bag or small gift card

Where you really win, in my experience, is **total package cost**, not just body price:
- Watch for **lens bundles**: A7 IV + 28–70 or 28–60 kit + a cheap 50mm can end up way under piecing it together later.
- Check for **store gift cards** (B&H/Adorama often do $100–$200), which you can then put toward a better 50mm or extra battery. That’s basically extra “hidden” discount.

**Practical approach I’d use in your shoes**
1. **Set a target package** now: e.g. A7 IV + kit lens + 50mm + extra battery under $2k out the door.
2. Start tracking prices now (use something like CamelCamelCamel for Amazon, or just a simple spreadsheet for others).
3. If an early-Nov deal hits your target budget, I’d honestly buy and not stress about squeezing another $50 out of Black Friday.

Also: don’t ignore **Sony refurbs** and **used from KEH/MPB/B&H used**. A gently used A7 IV + a solid 50mm 1.8 + spare battery can very realistically come in under $2k right now, Black Friday or not.

So, IMO: if early deals get you the body + lens combo you want inside budget, it’s totally reasonable to pull the trigger early and spend the saved time actually shooting instead of refreshing deal pages all month.

Hope this helps! Happy hunting 🙂

Hey,

I’ll come at this a bit differently and zoom out to the *brand* / market level instead of just “when does Sony usually go on sale?”

**1. How Sony behaves vs other brands**
From tracking Black Friday stuff the last 3–4 years (US, watching the same stores you listed), Sony is usually the *least aggressive* on headline discounts compared to Canon/Nikon/Fuji:
- Canon often does deeper temporary cuts or big bundle rebates (R8/R6 II etc.).
- Nikon sometimes blows out older Z bodies right before/around BF.
- Sony tends to do **modest price drops + lens/bundle promos**, but rarely the crazy “$500 off” on current midrange bodies.

So unfortunately, if you’re expecting Canon-level doorbusters on an A7 IV or A7C II… it’s usually not that dramatic. The competition is what makes it clear: Sony knows those bodies sell even at near‑MSRP.

**2. Early vs actual BF – market pattern**
In my notes (yeah, I’m that nerd):
- Sony’s **early November deals** often match the **body price** of Black Friday, but:
- BF/Cyber Monday sometimes adds a **slightly better bundle** (extra battery, better SD card, or a 50mm/28‑70 tossed in).
- Canon/Nikon, on the other hand, sometimes *improve* both price and bundles on the main weekend.

So if you compare across brands, Sony’s early deals are *usually* pretty close to what you’ll see on the actual day, while others may get noticeably better.

**3. What I’d actually do in your shoes**
Given your ~$2k body + lens target:
- Start tracking **A7 IV / A7C II vs Canon R6 II / R8 kits** in early November.
- If Sony’s early bundle gets you under $2k with at least a basic lens + battery, I’d honestly grab it. Waiting often brings disappointment with Sony because the competition moves more than they do.
- If early deals are weak, use the **other brands’ promos** as leverage: when Canon/Nikon deals pop, Sony sometimes quietly bumps rebates or bundles to stay “not terrible” by comparison.

Sony’s refurb store occasionally has decent pricing, but in my experience it’s rarely better than BF bundles from B&H/Adorama once you factor in the free extras.

TL;DR: Sony doesn’t usually reward waiting the way Canon/Nikon do. If an early A7 IV or A7C II kit dips near your $2k mark with useful extras, I’d buy in the early wave instead of holding out for a miracle on actual Black Friday.

Hope this helps! Feel free to DM if you want to sanity‑check a specific bundle when the flyers start dropping.