If I didn't already own a camera, this is the one I'd buy on Cyber Monday

As someone who reviews cameras for a living, I constantly get asked "What camera should I get?" by friends and family – especially with the Cyber Monday camera deals offering some irresistible offers. 

However, something that people rarely ask me is, "James, what camera would you get?" And that's a really interesting question. Recommending a camera for somebody else is like recommending a car for somebody else; what do you want to use it for, where do you want to take it, what would you like it to do… these are all personal questions, and your answers are going to be different to mine. 

So it's interesting to consider, if I didn't already own a camera (full disclosure: I currently own fourteen cameras, six of which are in constant use for different purposes), which one would I actually buy for myself? 

The answer, right now, is the Canon EOS RP. This is a camera that I've used on and off since its launch in 2019, and in my opinion it is one of the absolute jewels of the EOS R system. 

Right now, the best price on the camera body is AU$1,427 over on Amazon, and that's official Canon Australia stock. While that in itself is a small discount over it original RRP of AU$1,699, it's nothing to write home about. However, Canon is currently offering AU$100 cashback, which definitely makes this an intriguing offer.

A punchy 26.2MP image sensor, crisp 4K video capability (albeit with a moderate crop factor), fully articulating touchscreen, brilliant Dual Pixel AF phase detect autofocus, a great app to quickly transfer files to your phone… and it boasts a light, compact chassis that's a million miles from some of the chunkier mirrorless bodies on the market. 

Crucially, it not only supports the best Canon RF lenses (which are some of the best lenses on the market right now), but also the best Canon lenses for DSLRs – so you can pick up older, more affordable EF-mount glass as well as cutting-edge RF optics. 

And here's another crucial thing: not only is the RP itself an affordable purchase, but the new generation of RF lenses are both cheap and compact as well. This stands in stark contrast to when the EOS R ecosystem first launched in 2018, with lenses that were huge and expensive. 

Now, though, we've got truly pocket-sized and pocket-friendly primes like the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8, Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 and Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro, along with brilliant zooms like the Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 – all of which are perfectly proportioned to sit on the smaller EOS RP. 

For the original cost of the body alone, you can have an RP with a nifty fifty – one of the best all-purpose shooting setups on the market, which anyone would be lucky to shoot with... provided you take advantage of the current sale. 

And if I was buying a camera for the first time, right now, that's exactly what I would get. And especially with the current Black Friday / Cyber Monday discounts, there's never been a better time.

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