Canon EOS RP EOS RP Camera W/Lens + Sunshine Advanced Bundle 2019

The cheapest path to a gorgeous full-frame image, with killer autofocus and a battery that dies faster than a mayfly. Buy it for the stills, carry a pocket full of spares, and don't you dare shoot 4K.

The autofocus is the real surprise here. With 4779 AF points and Eye AF, it punches way above its price class. In our database, it sits at the absolute top for AF performance, which is wild for a budget body. It locks on fast and sticks to faces like glue, making it a killer tool for portraits and candid moments. On the flip side, that 5fps burst rate is a letdown. It's in the bottom third of cameras we've tracked, and you'll feel it when trying to catch a fleeting expression or a kid running around. The sensor delivers stunning results in low light, but the lack of in-body stabilization means you'll need steady hands or stabilized lenses when the sun goes down.

The Nikon Z5 II is the RP's most direct rival, offering in-body stabilization and better battery life for a bit more cash. If you shoot any video at all, the Z5 II is the smarter buy. The Sony Alpha 6700 is a crop-sensor beast with incredible autofocus and video features that embarrass the RP, but you lose that full-frame look. For pure portrait work on a budget, the RP still wins. The Fujifilm X-H2 is in a different league for resolution and video, but it costs a lot more. If your budget is tight and your heart is set on full-frame, the RP is your camera.

For pure stills photography, the value here is hard to beat. You're getting a full-frame sensor for less than a lot of high-end crop-sensor cameras. But you absolutely need to budget for at least one extra battery, maybe two. The price spread across vendors is wild, from $655 to $1900, so shop around. The body-only deals on the lower end of that range are a steal. Just don't pay anywhere near the top of that spread, or you're wandering into much more capable camera territory.

The Canon EOS RP is the cheapest ticket into full-frame mirrorless, and for a lot of shooters, that's the only sentence that matters. You're getting that big, beautiful 26.2MP sensor in a body that's almost comically small and light. It feels like a Rebel that went to finishing school. The image quality straight out of this thing is gorgeous, with Canon's color science doing its usual magic on skin tones. But that low price comes with some very real trade-offs. The battery life is genuinely rough, the 4K video is crippled, and the burst speed won't impress anyone shooting fast action. If you're a portrait photographer or a hobbyist moving up from an old DSLR, this camera will feel like a revelation. If you're a sports or wildlife shooter, you'll hit its limits fast.

If you shoot any kind of fast action, sports, or wildlife, this isn't your camera. The 5fps burst and tiny buffer will drive you nuts. Go grab a used Sony A9 or a Canon R6 instead. If video is your main thing, the cropped 4K and missing Dual Pixel AF are a headache you don't need. Look at a Panasonic GH7 or a Sony A6700 for serious video work.

The Canon EOS RP is a one-trick pony, but it's a really good trick. It puts a fantastic full-frame sensor in your hands for less money than almost anything else. If you shoot mostly portraits, landscapes, or slow-paced travel stuff, you'll love it. The image quality is stunning, the autofocus is top-tier, and the size is a joy. Just know what you're signing up for: you'll be carrying spare batteries, you won't be shooting fast action, and you should pretend the 4K video mode doesn't exist. For the right person, this is the best deal in photography.