Keepa works well for me. Im satisfied with its reliability.

• Is that budget before or after tax?
• Looking for new or used? Stay safe.

Building on the earlier suggestion, CA prices are a total nightmare.

• Try Keepas telegram bot
• Set 1% drop alerts Honestly, chasing these fleeting deals is just plain exhausting.

> which one works best for canada? Go with Camel, you cant go wrong for regional data. Just track any Sony and set alerts... itll basically come down to the refresh rate on the .ca domain.

Securing a lens within a specific budget is all about having a reliable system in place. This actually reminds me of a time my cousin was trying to grab some gear for a trip to the Bruce Peninsula. He was so caught up in the price monitoring that he didn't realize his credit card had expired until he was halfway through the checkout process. It turned into a significant ordeal where he had to call his bank from a gas station just to authorize a new card. He was quite satisfied when he finally received the gear, though the process was definitely stressful. I've been using this Chrome extension to keep my browser organized and it works well for my workflow. I'm very satisfied with how it performs during my research. It's just nice when your tools don't let you down.

Just caught this thread and honestly, it's been a rough ride trying to track gear lately. I actually tried setting up my own Python scraper with a Raspberry Pi last year because the latency on those big sites was just not as good as expected for the Canadian servers. Unfortunately, the headers kept getting flagged and I missed a massive sale on a 70-200mm G Master while I was busy debugging my code. It was pretty gutting. If you want something that actually sticks to the page DOM changes, Glass It has been slightly more reliable for me than the big ones, tho still not perfect for our region. Are you looking for a specific focal length or just any Sony glass under $800? Also, are you okay with open-box deals or does it absolutely have to be brand new from Amazon directly? Knowing if you're chasing the 85mm prime or a wider zoom would help narrow down how often the price usually fluctuates.

While I am satisfied with the data Keepa provides for Canada, I have to respectfully disagree that refresh speed is the only factor you should be worrying about. Performance isnt just about catching the drop... it is about making sure the deal is legitimate. Like someone mentioned, those warehouse deals are tempting, but you really have to be careful with the condition descriptions or you might end up with a lens that has a scratched element right before your big trip. A few things you should be cautious about:

• Third-party sellers with low ratings often drop prices to bait buyers and then cancel later.
• Make sure it isnt a gray market lens or Sony wont honor the warranty here.
• Shipping times on .ca can be unpredictable if it isnt coming from a nearby warehouse. I have had no complaints with my current setup once I started filtering for Sold by Amazon only. It saves a lot of hassle. If you're tired of copy-pasting individual links, check out Easy Cart Share for Walmart, it just exports the whole Walmart cart in one go.

Did this last week, worked perfectly

@Reply #3 - good point! Honestly, I have tried just about everything for the Canadian market. Over the years, I've realized that Camel is great for looking at the big picture, but it feels like it sleeps on those quick flash sales we see on .ca lately. I was trying to get a Sony prime lens last summer for a trip and Camel didnt ping me until the price was already back up by a hundred bucks. It was super frustrating. Keepa is definitely more robust for the data nerds among us, but it can be a bit of a headache to set up properly if you just want a simple alert. These days I've been using this Amazon tracker because it seems to catch the regional price shifts way faster than the big names. Amazon's pricing algorithm for Canada is basically a game of cat and mouse. You really need something that refreshes frequently or you're gonna miss the window. Keep an eye on the warehouse deals too, sometimes they drop a like new lens that fits right under that 800 limit and those disappear in minutes.

^ This. Also, if you're really trying to stick to that 800 dollar cap, I've found over the years that watching the warehouse or used listings on the same page is a total game changer for Sony gear. Sometimes the price drops on those are way more aggressive than the new stock. Been doing this for ages and I still find that having the Keepa extension installed directly in my browser is the most reliable way to go because it shows the history graph right on the product page. Its way less stressful than refreshing a separate site constantly. In my experience, the .ca market is just slower to update, so having that visual data right in front of you helps you pull the trigger fast when it hits your price point. You got this tho, that Sony lens is gonna take some killer shots in Ontario!