Best Camera for Carp Fishing (Updated for 2021)

Many carp anglers spend days, weeks and even years attempting to catch a new PB, maybe a 30lb carp or even a specific infamous carp.

If, or should I say when, you do land this carp of a lifetime or any fish you land, you want to ensure you capture this moment. 

Years down the line you can tell the tale of how you caught this monstrous carp and proudly show off your beautiful picture, displaying your prize.

Well, in order to make sure you get that stunning picture or proof of your catch, you need to make sure you use the best camera for carp fishing.

In the camera world, there are a lot of options and these can be very confusing.

In this, best camera for carp fishing article, I am going to explain the types of camera you can use, the benefits of each and recommend some fantastic cameras across different price ranges and types to ensure you end up with one of the best cameras for fishing photography.

Types of Camera

In today’s market, there are a huge number of cameras available from smart-phones right through to full-frame professional DSLR’s.

Let’s talk a little bit about these different types

Best Camera for Carp Fishing - Smart-phones

The smart-phones available today are packed full of features and many come complete with one, or in many cases, multiple cameras. 

These high-end smart-phone cameras actually produce some amazing quality pictures with very little effort. 

Not everyone understands or wants to understand how to use a DSLR camera, with all of the different settings and options.

Many of us, just want a simple point and press camera that will take very reasonable pictures and a smart-phone could be a good option. 

Best Camera for Carp Fishing - Compact Camera

A compact camera, as the name suggests, is much smaller than a typical DSLR and offers a similar point and press method of taking pictures.

This type of camera is perfect for someone who wants good quality pictures without any complicated steps to achieve this. 

Perhaps you don’t own a top-end smart-phone or would like something dedicated to taking pictures.

Best Camera for Carp Fishing - DSLR’s 

These types of cameras will take much better quality pictures and would be used by someone who is more serious about their photography.

As you guessed, the DSLR’s are also more expensive but like with everything in life, you get what you pay for!

You can also upgrade the lenses on a DSLR’s, with different lenses aimed at specific types of photo. For example, you would probably want a lens aimed at taking portraits rather than landscapes when taking photos of the big carp you just landed.

I will recommend some upgraded lenses where applicable. If you were the go down the route of a DSLR, I would highly recommend upgrading the standard lens kit (provided with the camera). I recently purchased a dedicated lens for my Nikon and the difference is incredible.

I will not recommend any professional equipment, there is no point and you certainly do not need it. 

Tripods and Remote Controls

Whenever you take a photograph, a tripod will always be more steady than your hand. 

You don’t need to purchase a tripod but if you do go down the route of a good quality compact or a DSLR, a tripod would be a sensible purchase.

I would recommend the Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB 100, just read the reviews as they speak for themselves! 

A remote control is a very handy device if you are fishing alone and don’t have someone to take your photo. 

Many anglers set up their camera on a tripod and use the remote to trigger the photo capture.

Remote controls can be a bit fiddly in my opinion and would be a last resort. 

If you can get someone to take a few photos, this will save a lot of messing about! If not, a remote control could be a solution for you.

Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III

★★★★★

The Canon Powershot is a compact camera that is jam-packed in terms of versatility and offers superb picture quality, whilst remaining compact enough to fit into your tackle bag.

This camera has a reputation for being very simple to operate whilst capturing wonderfully detailed photos.

If you are like me, then you don’t have a huge amount of spare room in your tackle bag, the size of this camera will be very appealing.

I already have a lot of carp equipment I carry around the lake and if I can avoid another bag, then I will.

I think this camera has to be considered one of the best cameras for carp fishing for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the Canon PowerShot gives you all the image quality, adjustability and control you could ever want, whilst remaining small enough to easily fit into your tackle bag.

The LCD display can rotate forwards to ensure you capture yourself should you need to take your own pictures, making this Canon an ideal candidate for the best camera for self taken carp fishing.

The versatility and ease-of-use of this Canon allow you to take shots of your latest catch but also the majority of other situations as well.

This camera also has a weather-sealed body making it perfect for carp fishing. You can even go one step further with a full weather-proof casing should you wish.

Features

• 24.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor
• 24-72mm f/2.8-5.6 lens
• Full HD video up to 60p
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF system
• Touch and Drag AF
• 9fps
• 2.36million-dot EVF with Organic EL panel
• Wi-Fi, Dynamic NFC and Bluetooth
• Weather-sealed body - perfect for carp angling
• Approx. 200-shot battery life
• Re-chargeable via USB
• 115 x 77.9 x 51.4mm
• Around 400g (including battery and memory card)

Amazon Customer Review:

Good quality and feel. This supplements my DSLR Canon kit for when I don't want to lug the weight. I've tried other options over the years and this impresses me most.

. Check Price on Amazon

Nikon D3500

★★★★★

Winner

The Nikon D3500 is often described as the best DSLR under £500 which is why this has to be on the list of the best cameras for carp fishing.

I am a big fan of Nikon and own an older Nikon DSLR myself.

The Nikon D3500 is a great introduction into the DSLR world and can be used in automatic mode which allows for point and press photos, which are of fantastic quality.

This type of camera also has a vast range of different settings and option to alter the style of photos you take.

So when you become more confident with the camera, I encourage you to play with the different settings.

The Nikon D3500 is highly versatile and can be upgraded with a wide range of available lenses, something I recommend doing having recently purchased a dedicated 35mm lens, and what a difference. I think this 35mm lens has to be considered amongst one of the best lenses for carp fishing photos.

The photos look far more professional and really capture every detail. This type of lens is perfect for carp fishing.

Another factor that fits well around carp fishing is the build quality and robustness of Nikon cameras. If you look after this type of camera it will last you years and is upgradeable should you wish to do so.

Features

• Best Entry-Level DSLR
• 24.2MP APS-C CMOS 4 sensor
• 1920 x 1080 at 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p
• SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS I storage
• 3.0-inch fixed LCD, 921K dots
• Bluetooth
• 124 x 97 x 69.5mm (body only)
• 415g (body only, with battery and memory card)

Amazon Customer Review:

I bought this as an entry level DSLR camera and I have not been disappointed. I have just been to North Norway and the camera performed excellent given the extreme cold conditions. The kit lens performed admirably taking landscapes and low-light, long exposure images of the Northern Lights. An excellent camera to start with.

. Check Price on Amazon

Sony A6100

★★★★★

The Sony A6100 is a great all-rounder that takes excellent photos and videos.

Perfect for the novice photographer with its superb autofocus and ease-of-use controls.

The battery life is also very strong so you won’t worry about running out of juice when you are fishing longer sessions. In fact, battery life is more than double that of some of the other recommended cameras.

This camera inherits lots of technology from Sony’s more expensive kit so you are in good company with the A6100 and get a lot of camera for the money.

Features

• 24.2MP APS-C sensor
• 4K video at 30fps, 100Mbps
• Full HD videos
• Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth
• USB charging
• Tilt screen
• 420 shot battery life
• Small and compact body

. Check Price on Amazon

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

★★★★★

The camera quality on the iPhone 12 Pro Max is fantastic and is the best camera offering to date from any iPhone.

I find with all iPhone photos is that they capture colour very accurately, unlike some Android devices that have very vivid, and in my opinion, over the top colours.

For many carp anglers, having a top-end iPhone will suffice and take pretty decent photos.

Perfect for social media but maybe not the ideal choice if you want to enlarge or print out any photos.

The beauty of an iPhone is it will fit into your pocket and also offers a huge array of other features, so this is definitely an option to consider.

But, if you are like me, and you want to really capture the best quality of your latest big carp catch, then you need to be looking at a DSLR.

Features

• Pro camera system with 12MP Ultra Wide, Wide and Telephoto cameras
• 5x optical zoom range
• Night mode, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 3, Apple ProRAW, 4K Dolby Vision HDR recording
• LiDAR Scanner for improved AR experiences, Night mode portraits

Amazon Customer Review:

I’m a professional photographer that shoots with Leica and Carl Zeiss glass and I have to say that there are things that I can do with this camera that I can’t do with my Sony A7 cameras

. Check Price on Amazon

Summary

In 2021, any camera you buy is going to take excellent photos.

The recommendations I have made are all superb bits of kit and really it’s down to your budget and perhaps level of interest in photography. 

I hope this best camera for carp fishing article has provided some useful information.

See you next time.