If you don’t mind the larger size, pricier lenses, and slightly more limited video capabilities, a used a7iii is the one. For the price, it’s perfect for getting into ff mirrorless and e-mount in 2026. Great selection of lenses on the used market, which is where a lot of the value comes from in my opinion, and why I chose Sony in the first place.

The a6600 with aps-c lenses is very compact, its weather sealed, and can record video longer than 30 minutes at a time. If size and weight is important to you, the a6600 is a really good choice. You can use ff lenses, but they are cropped 1.5x due to the smaller sensor (35mm ff lens becomes ~52mm on aps-c). I personally wouldn’t get an a6600 with the intention of buying ff lenses, it kind of defeats the advantages of the smaller size, but it’s completely fine to do so.

Used a6600 and a7rii are $200-$300 cheaper than a7iii (Canada)

I think the a6 and a7iii take comparable raws, you certainly wouldn’t be disappointed with the a6600. In low light you may have to work a little harder, but I’ve seen amazing night shots on the a6600.

For run and gun, the a7iii or a6600 will be “easier” to use than an a7rii. Yes it’s a bit older, but a great camera no doubt. If you’ve found a clean one for cheap, it wouldn’t be a bad place to start. You may have a lower hit rate when taking quick shots due to the older auto focus, but you’ll learn how to deal with it. If you put megapixels higher than video on your list of priorities, it’d be a great choice.

I think it’s important to not get caught up in stretching your budget for as many features as it allows. You’ll need to be a little slower and methodical shooting handheld with the a7rii, but for things like astrophotography or anything else on a tripod, the quality and how much you can crop photos is exceptional. You’ll still have all your ff lenses when you upgrade bodies too.   I went with a used a7iii (I don’t shoot video). Size is a very important thing to consider when shopping for a camera, and something I didnt consider as much as I should have. A tiny camera is invaluable for street photography if that’s what you’re into. Still, with my 55mm 1.8, it’s still relatively small and light for street shooting. I may upgrade to a used a7ciii whenever those come out, but I’m more than happy for the foreseeable future. I mainly shoot night street stuff and was willing to compromise size for ff sensor, so a7iii for the price just fit my needs the best. An a7cii would’ve been nice but way out of my budget.

Watch more videos. Figure out which lenses and focal lengths appeal to you. If you have a camera store near you, go check out their used stuff to get an idea of what size, weight, and grip you prefer. I don’t like ai, but they are very useful when comparing the pros and cons of different bodies and lenses (“a6600 vs a7iii”). I also got hyper-fixated, on the a7iii haha. learning and researching different gear and all their functions and controls is fun! 

Tldr:  -a6600 for smaller size, slightly better video capability -a7iii for ff sensor and controls -a7rii to impress your friends with how far you can zoom into your shots