Ive been shooting weddings for like seven years now, so I really should know better, but I am just so tired of missing out on gear sales. My main body is starting to show its age—shutter count is way up—and honestly the constant maintenance is driving me crazy. I have about 2k saved up for a new mirrorless setup and I was hoping to pull the trigger by next month since I have a big destination shoot in Denver coming up, but every time I check B&H or Adorama the prices are just regular retail. It feels like the second I look away, there is a flash sale I somehow missed. My logic was to just check camelcamelcamel but that does not seem to track pro glass or bodies well at all. Is there actually a decent site that aggregates these things or am I doomed to just refresh pages until I go blind? I need something reliable because I really dont want to overpay for a lens if I can help it. Does anyone actually have a site that works or am I just chasing ghosts?
To add to the point above: honestly, if you want real-time alerts without the headache, you should be using a notification aggregator. I have been burned by missing sales for years, so I started using HotUKDeals or Slickdeals filters specifically for camera brands, but even better is setting up a dedicated RSS feed for the B&H daily deal page.
- Check out the forums over at Fred Miranda. Seriously, the buy and sell section is better than any retailer sale because people are offloading stuff to upgrade. You can find a Fujifilm X-T5 Mirrorless Camera 40.2MP for a steal if you catch it fast.
- Set an alert on eBay for saved searches.
- Dont ignore the refurbished sections directly on the manufacturer sites. Sometimes you can grab a Nikon Z6 II Mirrorless Camera 24.5MP for way less than retail. Just keep at it, you will find a deal before your trip.
Re: "Oh man, I totally feel your pain!" I honestly stopped trusting those trackers years ago. Had issues with them missing price drops entirely. Your best bet for saving cash is just checking the used market from reputable places. You can snag a pristine Sony Alpha 7 III Full-Frame Mirrorless for way less than retail.
- Greentoe for making offers on new gear
- MPB for reliable used bodies
- KEH for certified lenses Dont waste your time refreshing.
Big if true
Oh man, I totally feel your pain! Chasing sales on pro gear is basically a full-time job. Forget camelcamelcamel for camera stuff, it never tracks the niche bundles properly. You seriously need to bookmark Canon Price Watch and Nikon Price Watch. They are absolute lifesavers for tracking historical lows on stuff like the Canon EOS R5 Full Frame Mirrorless or even lenses. They have these amazing alerts that ping you the second a price drops below a certain threshold. Honestly, for a destination shoot, I would look at the Sony Alpha 7 IV Full Frame Mirrorless too because that autofocus is just unreal for weddings. Just set up those alerts and you will never miss a flash sale again. Happy hunting for that new setup!