Ive been shooting on my trusty old A7II for literally years now but the autofocus is finally starting to drive me insane during my weekend wedding shoots. I know my way around the Sony ecosystem pretty well but I havent bought a body in ages and the used market seems totally different than it was a few years ago. I was hoping to snag a decent A7IV or even a clean A7RIII for under $1600 but the prices on the big sites like MPB and KEH are way higher than I expected... almost feels like they are pricing them near new retail at this point.
Im based out of Portland and usually I check the local Craigslist or FB Marketplace but it is just filled with scammers or people who think their gear is made of solid gold lol. I have a big portrait session coming up in about three weeks and really need to upgrade before then so I dont have to keep fighting with the eye AF on my current setup. Usually I can find a deal pretty quick but I feel like I am looking in all the wrong places lately.
Are there any specific forums or smaller vendors that actually have real discounts? I used to use Fred Miranda but havent been on there in forever. Just looking for somewhere that isnt going to charge me a 30% markup just for being a big name retailer... let me know what you guys think.
Honestly, your best bet is still the Fred Miranda Buy/Sell board. I am very satisfied with the transaction history there. I recently snagged a Sony Alpha a7 IV 33.0MP Mirrorless and the 759-point phase-detect AF works perfectly for wedding work. If you want new gear, check out Greentoe. I have no complaints with their bidding system; you can land a Sony Alpha a7R III 42.4MP Mirrorless near your $1600 target tbh.
