I'm pulling my hair out and I might even not buy a new lens when I stand to save over £200. Why? Because of Cashback deals, which I find a bit odd.
What is wrong with a good old discount? It was one price, now it is another? Simple and straightforward. Bish, bosh.
Even as a writer who is sharing a lot of deals over the Black Friday period it's easier because I can do the old price, with a line through, and the new price.
Sony, however, seem keen to frustrate me by offering something called Cashback. Which means I need to claim my reward after the purchase. A month later, in fact. And, honestly, I don't like that (and I'm very uncertain how to write about it).
Having briefly held the new (and very definitely out of budget) Sony A1 II and, more significantly, the Sony 28-80MM F/2 GM lens that launched alongside I started to pine for a 'proper' lens, rather than the kit lens I've been making do with on my A7 III. Sure, it's fine for what I actually need day to day, but what if I actually wanted to take some really nice pictures?
Sоnу’ѕ FЕ 24-70mm f2.8 G Маѕtеr ІІ Lеnѕ. Тhе fіrѕt was good – this is better, especially improved for video use. 20 Lens elements, but 22% lighter and noticeably smaller than the well-regarded original.
+ Wex 'Free memory card with any purchase over £500
See this on 🇺🇸 Amazon.com 🇬🇧 Amazon.co.uk
The FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II seems the obvious upgrade as a carrying-around lens with a suitably wide aperture. But because all the reviews talk about the original, and because money is a factor, I start thinking about the cheaper original, which leads me to a 'Cashback' deal at Wex...
Sоnу’ѕ FЕ 24-70mm f2.8 G Маѕtеr ІІ Lеnѕ. Тhе fіrѕt was good – this is better, especially improved for video use. 20 Lens elements, but 22% lighter and noticeably smaller than the well-regarded original.
SALE PRICE AFTER VOUCHER
+ Wex 'Free memory card with any purchase over £500
See this on 🇺🇸 Amazon.com 🇬🇧 Amazon.co.uk
Now the problem for me is that I don't love the idea of having to do admin to get my discout. But, on the other hand, Wex's deals here are clealy better than the Amazon ones that I've linked as alternatives!
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Luckily for me, I did have an additional route that I could call on for advice – the rest of the Digital Camera World team who, collectively, have experienced Sony's cashback offers before and know that the company can be trusted to pay up – though they do make you wait a month after purchase. Perhaps they're hoping you forget, or perhaps they're just hoping you won't take the lens back?
Why Sony don't offer cashback to customers who buy from Amazon we can't say for sure, but the fact that they do go with a number of trusted camera retailers is probably a good thing.
I won't sniff at a free 128GB memory card either. Now I'll just decide if I really should do it. (That version II is looking mighty tempting right now!)
