Just jumping in here a day late, but I actually disagree with waiting on a sale. Gear prices are brutal right now, but finding a clean secondhand Sony A7IV Mirrorless Camera under two grand is totally doable if you check local classifieds or trusted dealers.

• Look for shutter count under 30k
• Buy from a shop with a return policy
• Skip the retail holiday hype It works out way better for a wedding backup.

Re: "Wait really?? Thats actually super helpful. I always..." - ngl seeing everyone mention the lack of direct price cuts is spot on. Sony rarely discounts standalone bodies below market rate. If you need that backup body by February, skip the holiday wait and hunt for a clean used Sony A7IV Mirrorless Camera with low shutter count instead. Just check the mechanical shutter actuation data before buying.

Adding my two cents here since I upgraded from the III to the Sony A7IV 33MP Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera last year. In my experience, waiting for a brand new body to hit that specific budget during holiday sales is a gamble that rarely pays off. Sony relies heavily on bundle deals rather than deep direct price cuts on current-gen hardware.

• Check Greentoe if you want a new unit below retail without risking shady gray market sites.
• Look at MPB or KEH for rated used stock, they grade stuff reliably and offer warranties. That autofocus upgrade alone saved me during a hectic December shoot last winter. Don't wait until February to test new menus either, trust me.

> my max budget is around two grand for just the body Man, seeing price tags on camera gear lately just drives me crazy. It honestly feels like absolute robbery what companies expect us to pay nowadays. Prices keep climbing higher and higher while build quality sometimes feels like its actually going downhill, and it just sucks because brands know we rely on this stuff for our livelihoods so they can pretty much charge whatever they want without caring about the working photographer. Like, I remember when you could get a top-tier setup without having to sell a kidney. Now every single holiday sale is just a massive tease where they slash prices on tiny accessories or bundle it with a terrible lens you will never even use, just to squeeze an extra few hundred bucks out of you. It's such a scam! Especially shooting weddings up here in the Northeast where winter weather destroys gear with freezing temps and sudden humidity shifts when walking into a reception hall... you need reliable tools, but paying full retail hurts so bad when the market is this inflated. Sony is notorious for holding their prices firm on standalone bodies. Waiting around for a magical two grand drop is just asking for stress right before your busy season kicks off in February. Camera companies definitely arent doing us any favors with these ridiculous pricing games.

Saw this earlier but just had a minute to reply. Honestly, expecting a brand new one to drop down to two grand anytime soon is pretty unrealistic, especially with how Sony prices their gear. They usually just bundle stuff instead of cutting the body price directly. Plus, buying new right before peak wedding season is always risky with stock issues. Have you checked the shutter count on the used market lately? What kind of backup body were you originally using alongside your current setup?

Wait really?? Thats actually super helpful. I always thought it was the other way around.

Ok adding this to my list of things to try. Thanks for the tip!