Dreaming of ditching your day job for TikTok stardom or want to level up your photography? Cyber Monday brings serious bargains on cameras and accessories for upgrading your photo and video toolkits. From a backpack for toting all your lenses or editing gear for when the film is shot, these are the best Cyber Monday camera deals we’ve found.
We test products year-round and handpicked these deals. The discounts we show are based on actual street prices at retailers in the past few months. Products that are sold out or no longer discounted as of publishing will be crossed out. We’ll update this guide periodically.
Top Deals
Jump to a Topic: Camera and Lenses, Photo Printing Deals, Bags and Straps, Mobile Photo and Video, Tripods, Lighting, and Microphones, Instant Cameras, Memory Cards, Storage, and Accessories, Books
The Nikon Z6 II is our favorite camera for Nikon shooters and the most comfortable camera we’ve tested. The 24-megapixel full-frame sensor has excellent dynamic range, and the phase-detect autofocus system is one of the best I’ve used. Video quality is also excellent, but the star of the show is the Z-series lens system with its wider base mount, which allows more light to the corners of the sensors. Note that the B&H price includes a shoulder bag.
The Nikon Z7 II bests the Z6 when it comes to megapixels. Aside from the larger 42-megapixel sensor, these two cameras are very close in features. If you can afford it, though, the extra megapixels are nice to have. As with the Z6 deal, the B&H price includes a shoulder bag, and in this case an SD card as well.
The Canon R5 sports a massive 45-megapixel sensor and is a hefty beast, with a solid feel that reminds me of what I used to love about film cameras. Even the on-off switch is made of metal. The sensor is typically Canon, which is to say sharp, with good contrast and the characteristic Canon color rendering (slightly warmer in tone to my eye). The phase-detect autofocus is fast and accurate. It’s not the cheapest camera by any means, but this is the lowest price we’ve seen.
Our favorite action camera, the GoPro Hero 12 (8/10, WIRED Recommends), just launched in September. The previous model is still selling for $300, which makes this a pretty sweet deal that includes two batteries and a mini tripod. There’s not a big difference between the Hero 11 and 12, but the Hero 12 does have better battery life, can shoot HDR video in 5.3K, and doesn’t overheat. The GoPro Hero 11 is also on sale for $298 ($51 off).
DJI’s Action 3 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is last year’s model, but it’s still a fine camera—and at this price, it’s probably the best-value action cam you can get. The image quality doesn’t match the GoPro Hero 12 (or the new DJI Action 4), but it’s good enough for most people, with 4K video and 12-megapixel stills. It has a great design with a magnetic clip system that puts GoPro to shame. The battery life is also outstanding.
Panasonic’s mirrorless cameras have been the go-to for independent filmmaking for years. The GH6 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) continues that trend with great image stabilization for those handheld shots, Apple ProRes support, and some great extras like a built-in accelerometer to display lean and tilt. Battery life could be better, but otherwise, this is a solid choice for anyone wanting to shoot high-quality video on a budget.
Best Cyber Monday Photo Printing Deals
Photos deserve to exist in the real world, on paper. Check out our guide to photo printing services for more options.
Photograph: Mpix
Our favorite place to print photos is having a 30 percent off sale on all its print services. Mpix makes high quality prints at a reasonable price. Mpix prints on Kodak Endura paper and offers a variety of paper options. I tested the E-surface, which renders rich, deep blacks and very true-to-life colors. It holds up well over time; images we printed in 2013 look exactly like they did when we got them. We also like Mpix’s books and calendars.
If you need to print some gifts for your family, Shutterfly is having a sitewide 50 percent off sale. We’re fans of Shutterfly’s book printing service, which had the best results so far in our testing of photo printing services. We also like the calendars. The printing is good enough, especially for the price, and shipping is generally speedy.
The highest-quality prints in our testing came from Adorama’s Printique service. It would be top pick in our print services guide if it were a bit cheaper, which, with this deal, it is. You can choose from a range of papers, and they’re listed by their actual names like Kodak Endura or Fujifilm Matte. I also like the option to print the date and file name on the back of each image.
Camera Strap and Bag Deals
Wandrd’s Rogue (formerly called Roam) is the best everyday bag for carrying your camera and gear. It can be carried as a sling, messenger, or waist pack, and the soft padding conforms to your back, making it comfy to wear for long periods. The mix of 840-denier and 1680D ballistic nylon and water-resistant YKK zippers make it feel like it’s worth twice its price, too. The 3-liter version is on sale for $87 ($23 off), and the midsize 6L is on sale for $111 ($28 off). Not sure what size you need? We have a handy explainer.
Moment’s Rugged Sling is aimed at street photographers who trek around all day. It has a modular organization system inside, and its weatherproof fabric is made from recycled sails. There’s a large zippered front pocket that makes it easy to get to your gear, and the “winged” rear padding design makes it super comfortable on your back. The larger 100-liter size is also on sale for $90 ($60 off).
This has been my camera strap for eight years, and I still love it. It’s light, comfortable, and perfect for the average mirrorless camera. Now, full disclosure, if I had a 300-mm or larger bazooka wildlife lens, this isn’t what I’d use, but for my Fujifilm and Sony A7 cameras, this thing is perfect. I also love that it easily converts to a wrist strap. Simplr has one sale a year, and this is it.
WIRED reviews editor Julian Chokkattu calls Wandrd’s Prvke the closest a camera bag has ever come to perfection with cushiony padding, waterproofing, and a ballistic nylon exterior. It fits everything you need to shoot a video in the field, including a tripod (which secures in place with a buckle). If you’re purchasing it from Wandrd’s site, make sure to click the “Photography Bundle” option before adding it to your cart.
The Jumper is one of our favorite camera bags. It’s stylish with common features like front and side entries for easy access to your camera and lenses, and a zippered front pocket has mesh pouches for batteries, cables, or SD cards.
The Everyday Backpack Zip doesn’t immediately give itself away as a camera bag, which is nice, and we like the fact that you can access your camera by slinging the backpack around your shoulder to the front. This deal is for the 15-liter version which still has room for Peak Design’s Travel Tripod in the side pocket and a 13-inch laptop in the laptop sleeve.
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Mobile Photography and Video Deals
Moment redesigned its lenses this year, and the new ones will not work with older cases. That doesn’t matter if you’re just getting started, and that’s why we like this deal that gets you a new T-Series case with two mobile lenses. (You can pick which ones—we suggest the fish-eye and anamorphic.) But be aware that they’re back-ordered and Moment says they should ship around December 8.
This is Moment’s old lens, not its 2023 redesign, which we’ve always liked, but we wouldn’t suggest investing unless you already have an M-Series lens mount for your phone. If you do, this is a decent deal on what we’ve always thought was the company’s best lens. Otherwise, you’re better off with the new lens kit.
Lume Cube’s Creator Kit is a mobile studio in a box. You get a Lume Cube light, a compact tripod that can open up to 55 inches in length, a shotgun mic with a windscreen, and a universal phone mount with clips to attach all of these accessories together. It’s a great all-in-one solution for mobile video recording.
Lume’s mobile tripod is very stable, but the best part is that the ends of the clamp double as cold shoe mounts, so you can hook up a microphone and a compact video light for a full on-the-go studio. It’s fairly comfortable to grip and carry if you are moving around as you film. Our only gripe is that you can’t adjust the height.
Tripods, Lighting, and Microphone Deals
This ring light provides great lighting and is easy to set up. You just need to make sure to put it near a power source to keep it plugged in via the provided USB-C cable (you can use it with a power bank in a pinch).
We love Anker’s wireless mic system. It comes in a wonderful case that lets you magnetically recharge the two transmitters as well as the receiver. Even better, you have the option to plug the system into a variety of devices. There’s a Lightning adapter and a USB-C adapter in the case itself, or you can use the Aux cable to plug it into your camera. The audio quality is solid too.
This is one of the most compact tripods on the market—it’ll fit in the water bottle pouch of your backpack, but doesn’t compromise on height or stability. There’s a slightly lighter carbon-fiber version as well, but it’s expensive even on sale. Unless weight is your primary concern, this aluminum version does the job. You get a built-in phone mount, but we suggest grabbing the universal head adapter so you can pair it with a fluid head like the iFootage Komodo K5.
We love this tripod head for shooting stationary things, like products, so you can add some motion to your B-roll footage. WIRED reviews editor Julian Chokkattu has been using this for more than three years with no issues.
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Fujifilm Instax and Instant Camera Deals
Fujifilm’s Link Wide is my favorite Instax printer. This deal has been running since early October, so it’s not really a Cyber Monday sale, but it is the lowest price we’ve seen and a great deal. Note that this does not include film; you’ll want to grab a pack of Instax Wide Film ($14) as well.
Our favorite for parties, Fujifilm’s Mini Link 2 prints images from your phone. Fujifilm’s new mobile app is much better than its past efforts with extras like Match Test, which takes images of two people (or two images of one person) and prints a combined image, telling you how “compatible” it thinks the pair is. It’s gimmicky, but what party doesn’t lighten up with a little gimmickry?
The Instax Mini 40 isn’t a camera I’ve used much, but it’s roughly the same as other Instax models we’ve tested in that it features automatic exposure, a plastic lens that’s passable but not great, and a built-in selfie mirror. It shoots the roughly credit-card-sized Instax Mini prints. This deal includes a pack of film and is the same price as the deal that doesn’t include a pack of film, so avoid that one.
Polaroid’s Now+ Instant Camera has the standard features you’d expect including roll-out film, vintage aesthetics, and a chunky body with buttons that are easy to find. But what sets it apart is the smartphone companion app. It wasn’t the best experience when we tested it a couple of years ago, but it does come with features like Manual Mode, Tripod mode, and the ability to set a custom f-stop in Aperture Priority mode. It lets you take intentional double exposures too.
Memory Cards, Storage, and Accessory Deals
This SD card is more expensive than most, but it’s also faster. I’ve been shooting with various versions of this card for five years now and I’ve never had an issue with them. They’re speedy enough for 5K video recording and they hold up well to life in a camera bag. This card is never full price, but this is the lowest we’ve seen it get this year.
If you’re primarily shooting still images on a mirrorless camera, this card is plenty fast enough for most people and saves you considerable money over the faster version. This one is also never full price, but again this is the lowest price we’ve seen this year.
These Crucial drives are my favorite portable drives. They’re reasonably priced (for a portable SSD) and speedy. These are lightweight, which means they’re ideal for when you’re working away from home. I use one to store video clips, and it’s fast enough to edit them right off the disk. The only downside is the plastic construction. Don’t expect it to survive many drops.
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Striking the perfect balance between speed, reliability, and price, the SanDisk Extreme Pro is our top pick for USB thumb drives. It has a sleek and durable aluminum case with a loop for attaching it to a key ring. Push the plastic slider to reveal or hide the USB-A plug, and it’s completely operable with one hand. In our tests, the speeds matched what SanDisk advertises (420 megabytes per second read, 380 MB/s write), making it ideal for copying images between devices.
We like the Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor (8/10, WIRED Recommends) for how dead simple it makes video editing with dedicated editing keys and a jog wheel for easily scrubbing through the timeline. It also comes with a free copy of DaVinci Resolve Studio, which is normally $295. With this deal, you’re basically buying the board and getting the upgrade for free, which is pretty nice.
Want to get better at photography? Learn how to use the gear you have and start studying the work of those who came before you.
I have not used this particular guide, but DK publishes dozens of kids books in a similar vein through its Eyewitness series and they have all been excellent. This one is a 20-week course, complete with a quiz at the end of each “week”.
This is a great book bundle for aspiring young photographers. Aperture says it’s for 8-12 year olds, but older kids would get something out of these three books. Joel Meyerowitz’s Seeing Things, gives kids an introduction to photography as a thing that captures meaningful moments. Eyes Open: 23 Photography Projects for Curious Kids, is an assignment book for kids by Magnum photographer Susan Meiselas, and Go Photo! is another activity book with different projects to get kids engaged with the world around them.
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