We all know by now how retailers love to do the price dance — inflating the price just before a sales event hits only to 'reduce' it back down to the price it already was before they inflated it, making it look like a better deal than it actually is.
Most retailers are selling the Canon EOS R8 for $1299 for Black Friday, but we've found this Canon EOS R8 deal from B&H has an additional $100 coupon automatically added at the checkout, making it $1199 — we've hunted around and this is the cheapest price we can find at the time of writing, so if you've been wanting to get the Canon EOS R8, now's the time.
No word on how long this price will be around at B&H Photo, but it's been flip-flopping between $1199 and $1299 on Amazon for the past week, so it's worth keeping an eye out there as well for when the price goes down again.
- Read our Black Friday 2024 deals page for big discounts on space gifts
We reviewed the Canon EOS R8 earlier in the year, we were surprisingly impressed with how well it handled astrophotography, especially being one of the cheapest ways of getting into Canon's full-frame mirrorless system. In fact, we named it as the best entry-level full-frame camera in our best cameras for astrophotography buying guide.
We liked how lightweight and portable it is, which is great if you travel a lot with your camera, and it has great high ISO handling for astro. It comfortably handles ISO 5000 and above and even when zooming in, we saw very little color distortion in our astro images. It likely wouldn't amaze the professional and seasoned astro-shooters among you, but if you're using it as a way to dip your toe into the world of astrophotography, it's a fantastic option.
We were also impressed by its blisteringly fast autofocus — we thought it was outstanding and incredibly accurate, which is great if you shoot portraits or plan to use it as a second camera for weddings.
It doesn't have image stabilization which could be a dealbreaker for some, however many of Canon's best zoom lenses have image stabilization which will help when shooting handheld or when doing video. And you obviously won't need image stabilization for astro or whenever your camera is mounted on a tripod, so for the price point of this camera, we can forgive the lack of IS.
If the Canon EOS R8 doesn't sound quite right for you, you might find something more suitable in our best beginner cameras, best cameras for low light photography and best mirrorless cameras buying guides.
Key Specs: The full frame 24.2MP sensor is a brilliant choice for astrophotography, being detailed but not too detailed so as to invite more image noise. It has an ISO range of 100-102,400 (expandable to 204,800) which enables beautiful images even at ISOs of 5000 and higher. It can shoot 4K UHD 59.94 FPS video footage, although there's no image stabilization, and it's the lightest full-frame Canon camera, weighing just 0.91 lbs / 414g (without the battery).
Consensus: If you're looking to get into the full-frame mirrorless game and want to shoot Canon without breaking the bank, the Canon EOS R8 is the camera to beat. For our money, we wouldn't go with anything else from Canon's line-up for shooting astro on a budget.
Buy if: It's your first full-frame camera and you want to invest your money on good quality lenses first, then upgrade the body later.
Don't buy if: You're looking for a pro-level camera. It would be fine as a second camera, but the lack of image stabilization, only having a single card slot and a 24.2MP sensor may be a dealbreaker for pros.
Alternative models: For pros looking for a camera that can do everything, check out the Canon EOS R5 (now $900 off for Black Friday). If you're looking for a beast that's also incredible at astro, we named the Nikon Z8 the best mirrorless camera in our best cameras, best mirrorless cameras and best cameras for astrophotography buying guides.
Check out our Black Friday 2023 deals page for a roundup of the best discounts and deals on telescopes, binoculars, cameras, star projectors, drones, Lego and much more.
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