Capture 2026's space and astronomy highlights with one of our favorite astrophotography cameras — the Sony Alpha 7 IV has 20% off at Amazon

Sony A7 IV on a green background — (Image credit: Sony)

It's lining up to be an exciting year for stargazers, with a host of celestial events for you to point your lens at. Over the next couple of months our solar system neighbors Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus sit in alignment across the night sky in a rare parade of planets (Feb. 28), while on March 3 skywatchers across North America will seen an even rarer 'blood moon' eclipse.

If you’re looking for one of the best astrophotography cameras to capture these incredible sights, then our top pick for an all-rounder is the Sony Alpha 7 IV. It comes highly recommended by our photography experts, and now, even better, it's currently available with $500 off the usual price.

Save 20% on the Sony Alpha 7 IV Mirrorless Camera — now just $1,998 at Amazon.

Kimberley Lane

Kimberley Lane has tested a wide range of optical equipment for Live Science, reviewing camera gear from Sony, Canon, OM System and more. With over 6 years of photography experience, her skills span across astrophotography, landscape and seascape photography, wildlife, and portrait work. She has also contributed to our sister site Space.com and Tech Radar, and she regularly uses binoculars and telescopes to stargaze in the dark skies of South Wales.

Our experts have reviewed and rated the best telescopes, binoculars, star projectors, cameras, fitness trackers, running shoes, rowing machines and more.

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Sony A7 IV on a tripod against a hedge — (Image credit: Kimberley Lane)

Photography expert Kimberley Lane was full of praise for this powerhouse full-frame Sony mirrorless camera, and she awarded it with an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars in her Sony Alpha 7 IV review.

Kimberley noted its high ISO performance and bright monitoring make it not only an ideal choice for stunning astrophotos, but it is also a fantastic all-rounder hybrid camera that performs incredibly well for both images and video.

The A7 IV will happily lend itself to many other styles of photography if astrophotography isn't your main interest, and Kimberley highlighted the A7's autofocus as one of the best around, making the Sony a good choice as one of the best cameras for wildlife and sports photography.

Key features: 33MP resolution, 10FPS burst rate, ISO range 100 — 51,200 (expands to 50 - 204,800), 5.5 stops image stabilization, dual card slots (one CFexpress Type A/UHS-II SD, one UHS-II SD).

Product launched: October 2021.

Price history: The previous best price we've seen on the Sony A7 IV was the same as this current Amazon deal price of $1,998. That was back in November for Black Friday, before it then climbed back up to $2,498 in January and now dropping to this current price.

Price comparison: Amazon: $1,998 | Adorama: $1,998 | B&H Photography $1,998

Reviews consensus: Rated as one of the best astrophotography cameras, the Sony A7 IV is a fantastic all-rounder capable of producing stunning images and video. It's still a very well-loved camera more than three years after its release, but there's better tech available in some of the newer models. Still, we think it's worth the money, especially at this price.

Live Science: ★★★★½ | Tom's Guide: ★★★★ | Tech Radar: ★★★★½

Featured in guides: Best astrophotography cameras

✅ Buy it if: You want to shoot various photographic styles and subjects and need a camera that can keep up and be easily customized for different purposes.

❌ Don't buy it if: You want this Sony camera with a lens, you'll need to buy one with this deal. The Sony Alpha 7 IV is also discounted with a 28-70mm lens on Amazon, reduced by 11% to $2,398.

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

Paul is a deals writer for Live Science and writes across the stable of Sports and Knowledge brands at Future. He has previously worked in cycling media and authored numerous articles on Bike Perfect, Cycling News and Cycling Weekly. Paul is an award-winning photographer having won Mountain Photographer of the Year with Trail Magazine and has a passionate interest in all things photography. A keen hiker and mountaineer he has written and published his own book – Mountaineering in the Scottish Highlands and founded Proper Adventure magazine. Paul will be found most weekends with his camera in hand either at cycling events or on a mountain summit.

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