I have a strategy for camera and lens buying during the holidays. Wait.

Author. Waiting on pins and needles for the big, post-Christmas, used camera sales.

Past time to upgrade from that Olympus EP-2 (but keeping the finder....).

It's a feeding frenzy out in the wilds of the internet. And it even spills over to the bricks-n-mortar retailers. Whatever sales were planned by the big camera companies I think they happened in late November. Now it's impossible to get the cool stuff anywhere and the prices are back up in the no discount range if you can source what you want. The really "cool" stuff is going for a 50% surcharge on EBay. No guarantee it will ever arrive....

What I have noticed in just about every previous year is that February is the best time to buy gear. Inventories have largely caught up to demand, most people have come to grips with the fact that holiday spending of all kinds has ravaged their budgets and traffic for commerce plummets. The people who plan ahead are, by February, already looking into the future with dread about paying taxes in April. 

The silver lining exists a couple of months down the road in February. And it's all about lightly used "pre-owned" gear.  Everyone lucky enough to be wealthy snapped up whatever new gear they wanted and traded in or sold their "old" stuff during the holidays. Those with enough credit left on their various cards did pretty much the same thing in the weeks leading up to the year's end, rewarding themselves for who knows what. 

February is when the "New Arrivals" flow into the used categories of my favorite stores. All those folks who really, really wanted a new Leica SL3 or Q3 dumped perfectly good, low mileage SLs, SL2-S, SL2 and Q2 cameras with reckless abandon. You can pick up a good condition SL2 right now for around $2500-$3000 (last new retail price? Around $6k) but I'm betting you'll not only have a better selection but will also save about $500 more by waiting a couple months. Same with Q2s. And remember, two years ago those Q2s were the holy grail of compact cameras and waiting lists were the norm. That camera is still great but in Feb. 2025 you might see a 30-40% reduction from their last list price....and a smile-inspiring drop in used Q2 prices as well.

I'm pretty sure it's the same for Nikon, Canon and Sony users.

Yesterday I got a notice from B&H that Leica D-Lux8 compact cameras were now back in stock. I went back to check this morning and whatever they got in yesterday is gone today. As is nearly every Canon compact camera currently being made. As are the little Ricoh's and the TikTok-powered Fuji X100V1s. But when supply catches up with demand I'm pretty sure all of the "older" cameras (last year's precious commodities?) will be available used but in almost un-used condition in time for you to get something really nice for yourself by Valentine's Day. Skip the box of chocolates and the lingerie and pick up a heart-throbbing camera or lens (or both) instead. But keep your powder dry coming into the end of the year. Can't wait to pick up a Leica 75mm APO SL lens for half price. "Desperately needed...."

Obsolete Mannequin Technology.

Praying for that perfect, used APO something!