GearFocus
Dec 2, 2025

I still remember the first “uh-oh, my camera just got old overnight” moment.
I was mid-shoot at a warehouse studio, Sony A7 III in hand, when my phone lit up. New model dropped. Same line. Better specs. The comments section was pure chaos: “RIP resale value,” “Guess I’m stuck with this now,” “Should I sell before prices tank?” And honestly? I felt all of that at once.
Fast forward to today, and here we are again. Sony just announced the A7 V—AI autofocus, faster readout, better video, all the buzzwords—and every A7 III and A7 IV owner just felt a tiny punch in the gut. You can almost hear the Facebook groups spinning up: “Is it time to sell my body?” “Will prices crash?” “Do I wait or move?”

Here’s the deal: if you own a Used Sony A7 IV, you’re standing right in the middle of a perfect storm. New flagship hype, used prices in motion, and a window—shorter than you think—where you can still get top-tier money for a killer hybrid camera. Let’s walk through how to play this moment so you don’t look back six months from now and say, “Yeah… I missed it.”
Any time a new body drops in the Sony Alpha line, there’s a pattern. Early adopters upgrade instantly. Flippers offload their older gear. Rental houses quietly re-balance inventory. And the used market fills up fast with “lightly used,” “studio only,” “shutter count under 20k” listings.
The A7 V is built to make A7 IV owners twitch: same 33MP-class sensor, but now it’s partially stacked, with faster readout, higher burst rates, AI-driven subject detection, and smarter processing across autofocus, white balance, and exposure. It’s not a tiny bump; it’s a real quality-of-life leap for working creators.
What does that mean for your Used Sony A7 IV? Simple: the value curve just tilted against you. As more people list their Used Sony A7 IV to fund an upgrade, buyers suddenly have options. When buyers have options, they get picky—and they negotiate harder. The bodies that move first, at the best prices, are the ones listed early, in great condition, with clean listings on platforms where buyers actually trust the transaction.
Translation: there is now a countdown on how much your Used Sony A7 IV is worth. It won’t fall off a cliff tomorrow, but the high-water mark is right now, not next summer.
Let’s not kid ourselves—this isn’t Sony’s first rodeo.
When the A7 IV launched, it came in a full $500 higher than the A7 III at its original release price, and people still lined up for it because it hit that hybrid sweet spot for both stills and video. Over time, prices on the A7 III slid as expected, and now the same thing is about to happen to the A7 IV.
Historically, major new models can pull used prices down by roughly 15–30% over the first year as early adopters dump bodies and price wars start on the used market. Add in recent price hikes on new Sony bodies thanks to tariffs and other fun economic surprises, and you’ve got even more pressure pushing buyers to look at used options instead of retail.
So if you’re holding a Used Sony A7 IV, there are really three phases coming:
Your job is to make decisions while you’re still in Phase 1.
Alright, confession time: I don’t think everyone should instantly sell their Used Sony A7 IV. That camera is still a beast. 33MP full-frame, 10fps, 4K 60p in Super 35, rock-solid autofocus—it’s still more camera than most people know what to do with.

So here’s a simple gut-check:
You should seriously consider selling your Used Sony A7 IV if:
You might want to keep your Used Sony A7 IV if:
I’ve ignored that last point before—upgraded out of pure hype. Big mistake. The best reason to sell your Used Sony A7 IV isn’t envy. It’s strategy. Either the upgrade will unlock real creative or workflow gains, or the cash will clear space for something that will.
If you decide to move your Used Sony A7 IV, your listing is your storefront. You don’t want “shrug emoji” energy. You want “this person takes care of their gear and knows what they’re doing” energy.
Here’s how I’d prep a Used Sony A7 IV before listing it on GearFocus:

If you haven’t sold with GearFocus before, this is also where our seller protections, payout system, and community really matter. You’re not just yeeting a Used Sony A7 IV into a sketchy DM thread—you’re selling through a marketplace built for creators.
(And side note: this is exactly the kind of thing we break down in detail on the GearFocus blog and in step-by-step guides over on Photography.FYI, so this post can link out to those “how to sell used gear” resources.)
This whole moment isn’t just about sellers. If you’ve been stuck on APS-C or an older full-frame body and waiting for the right time to jump, the Used Sony A7 IV is about to become the best value in Sony land.
Here’s why buyers should be on high alert:
On top of that, you can still sanity-check specs and performance with deep-dive reviews on sites like DPReview, PetaPixel, and B&H’s learning center before you pull the trigger. And if you want a creator-first breakdown, keep an eye on the GearFocus blog and our sister site Photography.FYI, where we’ll be unpacking real-world A7 V vs Used Sony A7 IV stories from the community.
Moments like this don’t come around every year.
A major new body like the A7 V lands, the internet loses its mind, and in the background the used market quietly reshuffles. Some people freeze and wait. Some people sell too late. And a handful of creators—usually the ones who’ve been around the block a few times—move fast, list smart, or buy at exactly the right time.
If you’re holding a Used Sony A7 IV, you’re in that decision window right now. You can ride it out and keep shooting (nothing wrong with that), or you can use this launch to cash out while resale is still strong and either upgrade or redirect that money into lenses, lighting, or whatever actually moves your work forward.
Either way, I’d love to see what you do with it. If you list your Used Sony A7 IV on GearFocus, drop the link in your socials and tag the community. And if you score a wild deal on a Used Sony A7 IV because of this launch chaos, tell that story too—those are the lessons the next wave of creators will learn from. You can even pair this post with a deeper “is it time to upgrade?” breakdown on Photography.FYI so readers who want more storytelling and context have somewhere to go next.
Q: Is now really the best time to sell my Used Sony A7 IV?
A: If maximizing resale is your goal, yes—launch windows are typically when demand is still high and supply is just starting to climb. As more Used Sony A7 IV bodies hit GearFocus and other platforms over the next few months, you’ll be competing with more listings and more aggressive pricing.
Q: How much will prices actually drop on the Used Sony A7 IV?
A: No one can give you an exact number, but past launches suggest that previous-gen bodies can lose 15–30% of their used value within the first year after a major new release, especially once the initial rush of trades and upgrades hits. The Used Sony A7 IV won’t be worthless, but the ceiling is almost certainly lower six to twelve months from now than it is today.
Q: I’m an indie filmmaker. Should I upgrade from a Used Sony A7 IV to the A7 V?
A: It depends on what’s limiting you. If rolling shutter, AF reliability in chaotic environments, or lack of higher-frame-rate 4K are holding you back, the A7 V’s new sensor design and AI-driven processing might be worth the jump. If your Used Sony A7 IV is doing the job and your pain points are more about lighting, audio, or lenses, you might get a bigger return by keeping the A7 IV and investing your budget elsewhere—for now.
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