Best cameras for carp fishing

With the up-rise of social media and sharing platforms, fishing photos have become increasingly popular over the last few years and therefore the demand for cameras has increased.

To many anglers having a good photo is just for capturing those precious moments of achievement, for others it’s for sharing on social media and for some it’s a job or a profession.

Whatever the reason, purchasing a camera can be difficult and confusing, so we’ve put together a shortlist of our recommendations that we’ve seen excel when photographing fish. The cameras we’ve listed aren’t all super expensive, top-of-the-range models

In this article, we will talk about a few different pieces of equipment, as well as discuss pricing and where to find the products. This way hopefully you can find what’s right for you and make the correct purchasing decision.

Cameras

Unless you’re taking photos for professional reasons, one of the best cameras you can use is actually your smartphone. Most modern smartphone cameras are very reasonable and more than enough to capture clear, crisp photos of your catches, however, if you won’t get the best performance from your smartphone camera, you can enhance with a small lens add on which will take your photos just that little bit further.

You can find the lens here iPhone lens add-on (Check the current price on Amazon)

There are many different cameras on the market so finding the perfect one can be somewhat of a challenge. The price ranges vary so we have chosen some of the best rated and reviewed cameras at different price points showing their advantages, disadvantages as well as key features. When taking pictures on fishing trips its important to remember the environment you’re in as well as what you’re taking the picture and videos of. 

Our general recommendation: Nikon D3500 (Check current price on Amazon)

Put simply, the Nikon D3500 is the best DSLR camera you can get for under 500 quid.

It’s a great overall camera regardless of experience and offers a lot of features while remaining very user-friendly and simple. The menu is clear of clutter and the user interface of the camera is absolutely brilliant, it’s a brilliant camera for amateur photographers and professionals will also appreciate versatility the camera has to offer at such as price point.

The Nikon D3500 is also quite a robust and hardy camera compared to some of the other DSLR cameras in its price range. It can withstand minor bumps and drops and the odd splash of rain which is really handy since you’ll be using the camera outdoors to photograph fish and with England’s unpredictable weather, you’ll be sure to encounter some showers when carp fishing.

The Nikon’s greatest feature, however, is the crystal-clear photographs it produces, with a 24-megapixel camera, it captures the most intricate details resulting in nothing short of beautiful photographs. Make no mistake the Nikon D3500 will do justice to your catches even in low light situations thanks to the 24.2-megapixel DX-format sensor.

Another great option: Canon Powershot G7 X Mark II Digital Camera (Check current price on Amazon)

​

The Canon G7 X mark II is a vastly popular point and shoot camera we’ve been lucky enough to take some beautiful photos with. The camera has a reputation of being highly accurate and easy to use hence why many youtube filmmakers of this generation are finding it such a big hit. 

The G7X is a perfect option if you want to take stunning crisp pictures of your prizes carp, the camera comes equip with a 3 inch touchscreen LCD display that allows you capture the best image possible.The extensive range of features on the camera mean it can be used by advanced photographers hoverer also is simple enough to be used by novices, connecting to your devises is also simple and easy meaning you can move your images without any hassle.

Another great practical feature of the G7X is the weight which is just shy of 300 grams, making this the ideal camera to throw in to your tackle bag, its small and lightweight design ensures for easy transportation which is especially important if your already carrying lots of heavy carp gear.

All in all a fantastic well round camera which takes great photos and videos, has plenty of smart features and simple and easy to use. The G7X is definably a camera worth considering if you want the best pictures to remember you’re angling trips.

Underwater cameras

The underwater cameras we recommend are:

DJI Osmo Pocket – 3 Axis Gimbal Stabilizer with Integrated Camera

GoPro Hero 8 (check price on Amazon)

As with regular fish photos, underwater filming and photography have also become incredibly popular over recent years and with the advances in technology, we’re now able to capture truly spectacular images and videos in a lake with crystal clear resolution thanks to 4K/UHD photography.

After researching the current products on the market in a reasonable budget, two names kept cropping up, the DJI Osmo Pocket and the GoPro Hero 8 Black. The Osmo Pocket’s main feature is the new 3 axis gimbal stabilization system which allows the footage to remain focused during rough use, this is great if you want to use it as an action cam but for general underwater filming in a lake where there is little movement, this feature isn’t really necessary. 

However, where the DJI Osmo pocket really excels is the depth you can go with the camera with the waterproof case (up to 60 meters!) this is astonishing compared to the GoPro Hero 7’s mere 10m.

Similarly, to the DJI Osmo Pocket, the GoPro’s Hero 8 black’s main feature is its new ultra-smooth stabilisation, however as we mentioned before, this isn’t really necessary for still shots underwater.

It also comes packed with all sorts of cool features like voice control etc, but if you’re going to be buying an action cam for the single purpose of underwater filming we think the DJI Osmo pocket exceeds due to its capability underwater.

DSLR camera accessories

To get the most versatility out of your DSLR Camera, you’ll need a few bits and pieces to get started. All these accessories are reasonably priced and although they aren’t strictly required to use your DSLR, they do make a big help and open many more doors in your photo and videography.

Tripod

Like a lot of anglers, we don’t like hauling around a ton of gear. We like to keep things minimal and use products that are easy to set up and move around on the bank, which is why we love the Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB 100.

Its perfect for shooting videos and makes photographing fish that much easier, as well as this the Vanguard is also ridiculously lightweight weighing in at 2.44 kilograms.

Microphone

Having a good mic is essential if you’ll be shooting videos, its inexpensive and will make all the difference to your videography. However, if you’re just going to be shooting photos with your DSLR a mic isn’t necessary and you can just skip over it. The mic we recommend is the RODE VideoMic Go (check current price on Amazon), it’s inexpensive and gets the job done. For higher quality microphones, you do have to pay a large extra fee for the premium which don’t find worth the extra cash as novice videographers.

So there you have it, our top picks on cameras for carp fishing, if you found this article useful then feel free to check out some of our others @carpreviews.co.uk