Capture the Leonids meteor shower with our favorite astro camera — now under $2,000

Black Friday is only a month away and we’re keeping an eye out for early discounts. This deal on the Sony A7 IV camera is the lowest price we’ve seen since last year’s event – and it’s one of our favorite astrophotography cameras. It offers excellent ISO performance and a hidden Bright Monitoring feature (which we praised in our full Sony A7 IV review), and it’s on sale now for $1,998 at Amazon.

Save 26% and get the Sony A7 IV for $1,998 now at Amazon.

Now is the perfect time to take advantage of this deal, not only for the lower price, but also because incredible celestial views are ahead. Over the next few months, you can try out the camera with your favorite astro lens as two meteor showers peak near a new moon: the Leonids on November 17 and the Geminids on December 13. You’ll also have two stunning supermoons to capture: the full Beaver Moon on November 5 and the full Cold Moon on December 4.

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We tested the A7 IV in astronomical conditions and challenging indoor lighting to push its 33-megapixel sensor to the limit. Its high ISO performance is among the best we’ve seen, with noise only noticeable from ISO 6,400.

The hidden Bright Monitoring feature is particularly useful for composing astronomical photos. When enabled, it brightens the screen, making it easier to view subjects such as the Milky Way on the LCD screen, eliminating guesswork.

While it doesn’t have the burst speed to rank among the best cameras for wildlife photography, Sony’s autofocus is the best in the business, so the A7 IV will happily lend itself to many other styles of photography if astrophotography isn’t your primary interest.

Main features: Main features: 33 MP resolution, 10 fps burst rate, ISO range 100 – 51200 (expandable to 50 – 204800), 5.5-stop image stabilization, two card slots (one SD CFexpress Type A/UHS-II, one SD UHS-II).

Product launched: October 2021.

Price history: We saw the Sony A7 IV at the same price in April; otherwise, it was only cheaper than last Black Friday.

Price comparison: Amazon: $1,998 | Walmart: $1,998 | BHPhoto: $1,998

Consensus of opinions: One of the best cameras we’ve used for astrophotography, producing stunning 33MP images with excellent noise management for crisp, sharp photos. The autofocus is impressive and a pleasure to use in the field.

Science Live: ★★★★½ | TechRadar: ★★★★½ | Toms Guide: ★★★★ | The world of digital cameras: ★★★★½

Featured in the guides: Best astrophotography cameras, Best cameras

✅ Buy it if: You’re past the beginner level and ready to take astrophotography seriously with a more powerful camera, while still wanting the freedom to experiment with other photographic styles.

❌ Do not buy it if: You mainly want to shoot fast action like sports or wildlife and need a fast burst rate.

Check out our other guides on best telescopes, binoculars, cameras, star projectors and much more.