If you are looking to photograph the night sky this winter then we can recommend the Canon EOS R8 which we called the best entry-level camera for astrophotography and it has a great reduction this Black Friday with $130 off. With some retailers selling it for $1499 MSRP, this actually means a saving of $429 for you!
You can get the Canon EOS R8 on sale right now at Walmart for $1069.99.
In our Canon EOS R8 review, we called the camera a “surprising victor in the astrophotography realm”, having been pleasantly surprised by how good its ISO handling for low-light shooting is. We also appreciated how lightweight its body is without feeling cheap — it is the lightest full-frame camera currently in Canon’s line-up.
We were not quite as impressed with its battery life: It does not last quite as long as we would have hoped and we commented that its exposure compensation controls are a little awkwardly placed. Still, for just $1070, there is an awful lot to like here and we would not hesitate to recommend the R8 to any astrophotography beginner that has the budget to spend.
- We’re constantly checking the best prices on our Amazon Black Friday space deals page for big discounts on the best telescopes, binoculars, star projectors, cameras, drones, Lego, streaming and more.
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A $130 saving is not to be sniffed at and it is a great lump of money to keep in your pocket, particularly if you are in the market for an entry-level model. The Canon EOS R8 has a 24.2MP full-frame sensor — it is one of the cheapest full-frame cameras on the market. It is a great choice for amateur photographers wanting to skip out on a crop sensor option and it is also a good choice for enthusiasts wanting a budget-friendly full-frame upgrade.
We have already said it is one of the best cameras for astrophotography but it is a great performer at most types of photography. It has fantastic autofocusing capabilities, making it great for capturing moving subjects (be it sporting events or wildlife) and its excellent ISO handling means it performs valiantly in low-light situations, too.
It is capable at shooting video capturing 4K at 60fps which should be more than enough for most users other than the most advanced. We did find its video stability options were not quite as good as more expensive Canon models but that is to be expected at this price point.
This particular deal does not come with a lens but that extra $130 can then be put towards picking up a lens of your choice — take a look at our best lenses for astrophotography for some ideas.
Key features: Full-frame 24.2MP CMOS sensor, video recording at 4K60, Canon RF lens mount, single SD card slot, ISO range of 100-102,400 (expandable to 204,800)
Product launched: April 2023
Price history: The Canon EOS R8 is incredibly cheap this Black Friday with this being the lowest price we have ever seen.
Price comparison: Amazon: $1,199 | B&H Photo: $1,199 | Best Buy: $1,399
Reviews consensus: There are some compromises here given the price point of the Canon EOS R8 but it is a great entry-level full-frame camera and you will not get a more capable full-frame camera for anywhere near this price. For astrophotography, we think it is an absolute winner and unless we had a bigger budget, we would not look elsewhere.
TechRadar: ★★★★ | Space: ★★★★½ | Digital Camera World: ★★★★½ | T3: ★★★★
Featured in guides: Best cameras for astrophotography
✅ Buy it if: You are wanting to jump to full-frame photography for the first time and you are on a budget or if you want an excellent astrophotography camera that is not going to break the bank.
❌ Don’t buy it if: You are a pro or you have more money to spend, there are more capable cameras on the market. If you have a larger budget, we recommend the Nikon Z9 which currently has 9% off on Amazon.
Check out our other guides to the best telescopes, binoculars, cameras, star projectors, drones, lego and much more.
