Regarding what #2 said about "Found out the hard way R6 prices stay stubborn," its totally true. Those R6 bodies hold value like crazy. Honestly, I've tried many setups over the years, and the biggest mistake people make is blowing their whole budget on just the camera body. If you spend your entire $1500 on an R6 body, your sister is gonna have a very expensive paperweight until she buys a lens. Summarizing what others said, you've got the refurbished route or the R8. In my experience, giving a refurbished item as a wedding gift feels a bit risky unless you really trust the source. I'm a bit more conservative with my money and prefer the safety of a full manufacturer warranty. If you want something reliable that fits your budget perfectly, look at the Canon EOS R7 Mirrorless Camera with RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM Lens. It might not be full-frame, but its built like a tank and has dual card slots, which is huge for making sure she doesnt lose photos if a card fails. Another solid path is the Canon EOS RP Mirrorless Camera with RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM Lens. Its older tech, sure, but it gets her into full-frame for way under budget, leaving room for a SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Card and a nice bag. Stick to new gear for a gift, way less headaches...

> i only have $1500 saved up and everything looks so pricey. Finding a brand new Canon EOS R6 Mirrorless Camera 20.1MP Full-Frame for under $1,500 is technically a stretch. Retailers usually want more. However, the refurbished market is a solid bet. I have tracked these for a while and you can sometimes snag them for $1,299 on the official Canon store. The R6 is a decent choice for weddings. It has 5-axis In-Body Image Stabilization. It helps a ton in low light. The 20.1MP sensor also has a great signal-to-noise ratio, meaning cleaner shots when the lights go down. You still need glass tho. To stay under your $1,500 cap, you would likely need to pair it with a Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens. This combo works for portraits but lacks zoom flexibility. Just something to keep in mind...

@Reply #3 - good point! Honestly, I went through this exact stress last year. Trying to find a reliable setup on that budget is brutal. The R6 is awesome but unfortunately the glass is where the real cost hits you. If I were you, I would stop hunting for the R6 body and look into the Canon EOS RP Mirrorless Camera 26.2MP Full-Frame. It is much cheaper, which leaves you enough cash to actually buy a lens. I had issues with battery life when I first started using it, but for a wedding, you can just grab a couple of extra Canon LP-E17 Battery Pack spares and you are set. It is not as good as the higher end stuff, but for a gift, it is way more practical than handing over a body that cant take a photo yet. Dont overthink the specs too much, just get her something she can use right out of the box.

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Found out the hard way R6 prices stay stubborn. Is she experienced? The Canon EOS R8 Mirrorless 24.2MP Full-Frame Camera has the same sensor tech and fits your budget way better.

Re: "." - honestly I think everyone is overcomplicating this for you. Just curious, does your sister already own any lenses or is she starting from absolute scratch? Because honestly if she has nothing, dropping your whole budget on a professional body is just gonna leave her frustrated. If I were you, I would just head over to a reputable site and pick up any decent full-frame setup from Canon or maybe look at what Sony has going on lately. You really cant go wrong with either brand if you just want something that works for weddings. Focus more on grabbing a versatile lens rather than chasing the absolute newest body. Once you know if she has existing gear, it would be way easier to point you in the right direction.