Has anyone seen any legit Black Friday deals for the Canon R5 yet? I am in a bit of a rush since I have a big wildlife gig in early Dec and my current setup is dying on me. I am torn between getting a new R5 body if it drops under 2700, or just grabbing a refurbished one from Canons direct store which is way cheaper but feels risky for such a big job. Also looked at the R6 Mark II as a backup plan but I really need those extra megapixels for heavy cropping. My budget is super tight at $2800 total so I am refreshing pages like crazy. Are there any hidden coupons or bundles I should look for before Friday?
Honestly, you shouldnt be scared of the Canon refurb store. They come with the same 1-year warranty as new units and are inspected by the same techs. For wildlife, that 45MP sensor in the Canon EOS R5 45MP Full-Frame Mirrorless Body is basically mandatory if you are cropping 50-70% of the frame.
- Check Canon Direct Refurbished: The R5 often hits $2,399 or even lower during holiday flash sales.
- Loyalty Program: Call Canon support and mention you have a broken serial number for an older DSLR; they sometimes give 10-20% off refurbished gear.
- Bundle deals: Look for Canon EOS R5 with RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens if you can sell the lens to offset the body cost. If you go Canon EOS R6 Mark II 24.2MP Full-Frame Mirrorless Body, you lose the ability to crop into those distant birds. Stick to the R5. If $2800 is the hard limit, refurbished is your best technical move to save cash for faster CFexpress cards... that 8K video and high res sensor needs serious storage.
