Full frame cameras typically come with a price tag that ends in thousands, not hundreds – but the Canon EOS RP has now dropped below the cost of even some crop sensor cameras.
The RP, which typically lists for $999.99 / £1,049, has now dropped to $799.99 / £705 at some retailers, putting the full-frame camera below the cost of other budget choices for Canon, like the EOS R10. The price drop is a tempting buy for photographers looking for an easy entry into full-frame photography, but is it the best choice?
For some, yes, but for others, no.
The price drop makes the Canon EOS RP the only new-in-box mirrorless camera with a full-frame sensor under the $1,000 price tag at US retailer Adorama currently.
While the camera typically sells for a penny under a grand in the US, the $799 price tag is the camera’s lowest price yet since it launched in 2019. Photographers without a Canon RF lens collection can also pick the camera up with a 24-105mm kit lens for an extra $300.
In the UK, the RP also sees a similar drop to £705 from Amazon, while adding the lens raises the cost to £984.
While finding a full-frame camera that doesn’t breach the four-figure price point is hard to do, the question with any budget camera is typically this: What’s the catch?
The Canon EOS RP launched in six years ago, so some of the price drop likely has to do with the camera’s age. Still, we were always impressed with the RP’s image quality for the price point – and as the camera ages, the image quality remains the same while the price is only getting sweeter.
A full-frame sensor is capable of gathering more light and creating more background blur than cameras with crop sensors. The Canon EOS RP has long been one of the most affordable choices, at a price point that makes the larger full-frame sensor more accessible to even beginners.
The RP is also fairly compact for a full-frame camera – or, at least for a one that still has a viewfinder and a grip. The mix of the full-frame sensor and the low price point means the RP is a very tempting choice for portraits, landscapes and low-light photography.
But while I think the RP can be a smart buy for newbie portrait artists with a limited budget, some photographers will want to avoid this entry-level full-frame camera.
The RP’s burst speed is rather slow at 4 fps, and its autofocus is outperformed by cameras like the Sony A6400, the Nikon Z50 II and the Canon EOS R10 – all of which are crop sensor cameras, but sit at a similar price point to the discounted RP.
For genres like sports and wildlife, getting the shoot timed right and sharply focused matters more than having that larger sensor.
Still, the RP sits on our guide to the best cheap cameras for a reason. Photographers who don’t need the fastest burst rates or the newest AI-detection autofocus can produce lovely 26.2MP full-frame images without a pricey investment, especially when paired with one of the best Canon RF lenses.
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