What could be better than buying one of the best cameras in the world? When you can save hundreds of dollars with an Amazon Prime Day camera deal!
We've named the Sony A7R IV as the best camera overall in 2023 and its astronomy variant the best mirrorless camera for astrophotography and the Sony A7R IV is now over $200 off for Prime Day.
We've tested hundreds of cameras over the years and as of 2023, we think the Sony A7R IV is the best overall. It offers good value for money and all-round performance so it's equally adept at capturing portraits, landscapes and wildlife as it is shooting astrophotos of the stars, galaxies, moon and more.
When we put the camera through its paces in our Sony A7R IV review we remarked on this mirrorless' outstanding 61-megapixel image quality, 4K 30p video footage and rock-solid in-body Optical SteadyShot image stabilization.
Astrophotographers will find the A7R IV's high ISO noise handling very good indeed and it has a base ISO sensitivity range of 100-32,000 (expanded to 50-102,400). We didn't struggle to capture the Milky Way when shooting with it at the coast.
This Amazon Prime Day camera deal is for the Sony A7R IV body itself. It ships with a neckstrap, manual, body cap and viewfinder cover so all you have to do is pair it with one of the best lenses to get going straight away. We'd recommend the Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master which is a fast, sharp ultra-wide-angle lens that is perfect for astrophotography as well as landscapes and other low light scenes.
Thanks to the BIONZ X image processing engine and the Exmor-R back-illuminated CMOS image sensor inside this jaw-droppingly detailed camera, users can capture up to 15 stops of dynamic range — ideal for teasing out hidden detail shadows of astrophotographs.
Don't forget, if you want to make the most of Amazon Prime Day 2023, check out our Amazon Prime Day hub for a roundup of the best discounts and deals on telescopes, binoculars, cameras, star projectors, drones, lego and much more.
Key Specs: 61MP stills, 4K 30p video recording, 15 stops of dynamic range and an ISO range that boosts up to 102,400 means this Sony mirrorless is the business! Full-frame quality, shooting up to 10FPS continuously at 61MP with autoexposure and autofocus tracking, plus 567 phase-detection / 425 contrast AF points makes this the camera to beat.
Consensus: We think this is the best camera we've ever tested and now it's over $200 off during Amazon Prime Day, we wouldn't think twice about throwing this in our shopping cart.
Buy if: You want premium quality photographs and video to match, need that ultra-fine detail of 61MP and require the 5.5 stops of 5-axis in-body image stabilization paired with a blistering fast hybrid autofocusing system.
Don't buy if: Your budget is tight. You can get nearly as good quality out of some cheaper models and there are other cameras that will perform just as well for generalist shooters.
Alternative models: For our money, the Canon EOS R5 which is currently $500 off on Amazon Prime Day is a strong contender. 45MP stills, though not quite as high as the Sony's 61MP is still massively impressed us when reviewing, plus it can shoot 8K video as well.
Beginners will likely benefit from the Sony A7 III's lower price and though it has slightly less impressive specs it is a bit of a cult classic. We gave it four and a half out of five stars in our review.
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