Gear · Cameras · Updated September 2026
Which Camera Should You Have on the Bank?
Seven cameras I have used or handled for carp fishing, from a pocket compact to a full-frame DSLR, judged on the things that matter at 5am with wet hands and a fish on the mat: the flip screen, the sensor, the lens, and whether you will actually carry it.
The product photos on this page are mine. Where I have only handled a camera rather than fished with it for a season, I say so in the review.
The short answer
If you want the decision made for you: buy the Canon G7 X Mark II. It is the camera that does everything a carp angler needs and nothing they do not, and it is the one I reach for on most sessions. The other two are for a tighter budget and for anyone who wants the very best fish portraits.
Best overall
Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II
A one-inch sensor, an f/1.8 lens, a flip-up touchscreen and a phone app that fires the shutter. The complete bankside camera at 319g.
Best value
Sony DSC-WX500
Flip screen, Wi-Fi and a 30x zoom for the birds and the far bank, at a price that makes it an easy first camera. The sensor is smaller; the results are still far better than a phone.
Best image quality
Canon EOS 6D Mark II
Full frame, weather sealed, with a fully articulating screen. Magazine-quality fish shots if you are prepared to carry it and learn it.
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Why your phone is not enough, and when it is
The best carp photographs happen in the worst light: first thing in the morning, last thing at night, under trees, in rain. A phone camera has a sensor the size of a fingernail and it handles that light by smoothing everything into mush. It also has no optical zoom worth the name, and it is the most expensive object you own, about to be held in hands covered in slime and mud while a twenty-pound fish thrashes on the mat.
A proper camera fixes all three things. A bigger sensor and a faster lens see in the dark and give you the soft, blurred background that makes a fish look like a fish and not like a fish in front of a bivvy. A real zoom reaches the far bank. And it does not matter if it gets wet.
When is the phone enough? Daylight, a friend to take the photo, and a picture that is going on a group chat. If that is all your fishing photos are ever for, save the money and spend it on bait. If you fish alone, fish at night, or want a photograph you would print, read on.
What a real camera gives you
What actually matters on the bank
Camera reviews obsess over things that make no difference to a fish photograph. These six do, in this order.
A flip or tilt screen
If you fish alone this is not optional. You need to see the frame from in front of the camera while you hold the fish. Fixed-screen cameras are for anglers who always have company.
Sensor size
One inch is the floor for serious results; APS-C and full frame are better again. Sensor size decides how the camera copes with dawn, dusk and shade, and how much background blur you get. Megapixels barely matter.
Lens speed
The f-number. f/1.8 to f/2.8 on a compact lets in enough light for a hand-held shot at first light and throws the bivvy behind you out of focus.
Wi-Fi and a phone app
Live view on your phone and a remote shutter is how a self-take happens without a ten-second timer and a sprint. Canon and Sony both do it well.
Weight and size
A 200 to 320g compact lives in the tackle bag and comes out every session. A DSLR with a lens weighs a kilo and needs its own case, and it is the camera you leave in the car.
Weather resistance
Few compacts are sealed, but the good ones shrug off damp hands and light rain. A dry bag in the rucksack covers the rest. Only the DSLRs here are properly sealed.
The seven cameras, reviewed
In the order I would recommend them. Each card says how I know the camera: fished with it, or handled and photographed it. The ratings are for carp fishing, not for photography in general.
1. Best overall
Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II
Fished with, several seasons
This is the camera I would tell any carp angler to buy, and the one that has spent more sessions in my bag than any other. The one-inch sensor and f/1.8 lens mean a fish held up at first light comes out sharp and clean rather than grainy, with the background softened away. The screen flips a full 180 degrees to face you, so a self-take is a case of setting it on the tripod, opening the Canon app on your phone, checking the frame and pressing the button. Full HD video at 60 frames is good enough for anything you would put online. It is 319 grams and fits a jacket pocket.
Pros
- Excellent in low light
- Flip screen and app make solo self-takes easy
- Pocketable
- Shoots RAW
Cons
- Discontinued: used prices vary
- Not weather sealed
- Battery around 265 shots; carry a spare
Verdict: The best bankside camera I have used. If you can find a good used one, buy it; if not, the Mark III does the same job with better video.
Check price on Amazon2. Best value
Sony DSC-WX500
Handled and photographed; fished with briefly
The WX500 is the camera to buy if the G7 X is more than you want to spend and you still want a flip screen and Wi-Fi. The sensor is the smaller 1/2.3-inch type, so it is not in the same league in poor light, but in daylight and at dusk it produces a clean, colourful fish shot, and the 30x zoom, from 24mm to a genuine 720mm, is something none of the premium compacts can offer. It reaches the kingfisher on the far bank and the carp showing over the bar. At 236 grams it disappears into a pocket, and the battery is good for around 400 shots.
Pros
- Flip screen at a low price
- 30x zoom for wildlife and the far bank
- Very light
- Long battery life
Cons
- Small sensor struggles at dawn and dusk
- No RAW
- Slower lens
Verdict: The sensible first camera for a carp angler. Not the last camera you will buy, but the one that shows you why a phone was never enough.
Check price on Amazon
3. Most portable premium compact
Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II
Handled and photographed
The G9 X Mark II has the same one-inch sensor and processor as the G7 X in a body that weighs 206 grams and is barely thicker than a phone. The trade is the lens, a shorter 28-84mm zoom that is slower at the long end, and the screen, which does not flip. That last point decides it: if you always fish with someone who can take the photo, this is the best small camera on the page; if you fish alone, it is the wrong one.
Pros
- Same sensor quality as the G7 X
- Genuinely pocket sized
- Touchscreen and app
Cons
- No flip screen
- Shorter, slower zoom
- Discontinued
Verdict: For anglers who fish in company and want one-inch quality in the smallest possible box.
Check price on Amazon4. Best image quality
Canon EOS 6D Mark II
Fished with; my choice when the picture matters
When I want a photograph rather than a record, this is the camera. A full-frame sensor pulls detail and colour out of a carp’s flank that a compact cannot, and with a 50mm f/1.8 lens the fish stands out from a completely blurred background. The screen is fully articulated and the app works, so self-takes are possible, and the body is weather sealed for the days the compacts stay in the bag. The cost is weight, 765 grams before you add a lens, and the need to learn it. It comes out for the fish I have waited a season for.
Pros
- Full-frame image quality
- Weather sealed
- Articulating screen and Wi-Fi
- Battery lasts a whole session
Cons
- Heavy, and needs a case
- Lens is a separate purchase
- More to learn than a compact
Verdict: The best fish portraits on this page, for the angler who will carry it and use it.
Check price on Amazon
5. Best budget DSLR
Canon EOS 4000D
Handled and photographed
The 4000D is the cheapest route to a big sensor and interchangeable lenses. The 18-megapixel APS-C sensor is a real step up from any compact in daylight and a decent one at dusk, and the guided modes hold a beginner’s hand. What it lacks is a flip screen, a touchscreen and much of a build; the 2.7-inch fixed screen makes solo self-takes a matter of the timer and a fast walk. Add a 50mm f/1.8 lens later and it takes a lovely fish shot.
Pros
- Big sensor for the money
- Lenses can grow with you
- Simple guided modes
Cons
- No flip screen
- Basic build and viewfinder
- Slow, dated autofocus
Verdict: A first DSLR for the angler who fishes in company and wants to learn photography properly without spending much.
Check price on Amazon
6. Best for fish portraits
Nikon D750
Handled and photographed
Nikon’s full-frame D750 is the alternative to the 6D Mark II, and for fish it has one thing going for it that I keep hearing from anglers who own one: the colours. The golds, bronzes and olives of a carp come out of a D750 looking the way they did on the mat. The screen tilts up and down rather than swinging out, which is less convenient for self-takes, and the body is heavier again at 840 grams, but the autofocus is better than the Canon’s and the battery is enormous.
Pros
- Superb colour rendering
- Fast, accurate autofocus
- Weather sealed
- Good value used
Cons
- Heavy
- Tilt screen, not a flip
- Discontinued
Verdict: For anglers who already own Nikon glass, or who want the best colour on a fish and do not mind the weight.
Check price on Amazon
7. Best budget compact
Sony DSC-HX60
Handled and photographed
The cheapest dedicated camera I would put on this list. The HX60 shares the WX500’s 30x zoom and small sensor, adds stabilisation that makes the long end usable, and takes a respectable daytime fish shot for very little money. It has a fixed screen and shoots only JPEG, so it is for daylight and for company. If you can stretch to the WX500 the flip screen is worth every penny of the difference; if you cannot, this is still a real camera, and it is not your phone.
Pros
- Very cheap for a 30x zoom
- Good stabilisation
- Light
Cons
- Fixed screen
- JPEG only
- Poor in low light
Verdict: A budget daylight camera with a big zoom. Fine for a season; you will want a flip screen after it.
Check price on AmazonSide by side
| Camera | Sensor | Lens | Screen | Wi-Fi | RAW | Weight | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon G7 X Mark II | 1-inch | 24-100mm f/1.8-2.8 | Flip 180° | Yes | Yes | 319g | 10 |
| Sony WX500 | 1/2.3-inch | 24-720mm (30x) | Tilt 180° | Yes | No | 236g | 9 |
| Canon G9 X Mark II | 1-inch | 28-84mm f/2.0-4.9 | Fixed | Yes | Yes | 206g | 8 |
| Canon EOS 6D Mark II | Full frame | Interchangeable | Vari-angle | Yes | Yes | 765g | 9.5 |
| Canon EOS 4000D | APS-C | Interchangeable | Fixed | Yes | Yes | 436g | 7.5 |
| Nikon D750 | Full frame | Interchangeable | Tilt | Yes | Yes | 840g | 9 |
| Sony HX60 | 1/2.3-inch | 24-720mm (30x) | Fixed | Yes | No | 272g | 7 |
Weights are body only for the DSLRs. Ratings are for carp fishing use, weighted towards low light, the screen and portability.
How I take a self-take on the bank
Most of my fish are photographed with nobody else on the lake. This is the routine, and it takes less time than the fish spends in the sling.
Step one
Set up before the fish arrives
The tripod goes up when the rods go out, at about chest height, a couple of paces back from where the mat will be, with the lake behind it. The camera sits on it with the flip screen turned to face the mat. I frame it once, with my rucksack standing in for me, and leave it. When a fish comes, the camera is already looking at the right place.
Step two
Fish on the mat, phone in hand
Fish unhooked, treated and weighed, then the phone comes out of my pocket with the camera app already open. The live view shows exactly what the camera sees. I kneel behind the mat, lift the fish, check the frame on the screen or the phone, and press the shutter on the phone three or four times, changing the angle of the fish slightly each time. The whole thing takes under a minute.
The result
A photograph, not a snapshot
Low, level with the fish, background soft, colours as they were on the mat. This is a G7 X on a tripod and a phone in my left hand, nobody else on the bank. Then the fish goes straight back, and the sling is wet for the next one. For the handling side, from the net to the release, see the carp care guide; for framing, light and the shots worth taking, the carp fishing photography guide.
Which one, for the way you fish
You fish alone most of the time
You need the flip screen, which means the G7 X Mark II, the WX500, the 6D Mark II or, at a push, the D750. The G7 X is the best balance of the four.
You are on a tight budget
The HX60 is the cheapest real camera here and the zoom is a bonus. Stretch to the WX500 if you possibly can; the flip screen changes what you can do.
You want the best possible fish shots
The 6D Mark II with a 50mm f/1.8 lens, or the D750 if you prefer Nikon colours or already own the glass. Accept the weight.
Portability is everything
The G9 X Mark II. One-inch quality in 206 grams, on the understanding that someone else takes the photo.
You are new to photography
The G7 X is as simple as a phone in auto and grows with you. The 4000D has guided modes if you want to learn a DSLR from scratch.
You film your sessions
The G7 X for compact video, or the 6D Mark II with a proper microphone if you are serious. The WX500 is fine for clips.
Questions I get asked
Will my phone do?
In daylight with a friend, yes. Alone, at dawn, or for a picture you would print, no. The sensor is too small for the light and the screen faces the wrong way.
What is the single most important feature?
The flip screen, if you fish alone. Sensor size second, lens speed third. Megapixels are near the bottom of the list; a 20MP one-inch sensor beats a 20MP phone sensor every time.
Is a DSLR worth it for carp fishing?
If you will carry it, yes: nothing else produces the same fish portrait. Most anglers find a premium compact gives them ninety per cent of the result for a third of the weight, and that the compact is the one that actually comes out of the bag.
Which lens for fish photos on a DSLR?
A 50mm f/1.8. Cheap, sharp, and it gives the soft background that makes a fish stand out. A 24-105mm zoom is the versatile second lens for swims and scenery.
Are these cameras waterproof?
No. The 6D Mark II and D750 are weather sealed against rain and spray; the compacts tolerate damp hands and drizzle. None of them go in the lake. Keep a dry bag in the rucksack.
Do I need a tripod?
For self-takes, yes. A small tabletop tripod or a GorillaPod is enough; it needs to hold the camera at chest height on uneven ground and nothing more.
What about a bank stick camera mount?
They work and they save carrying a tripod, but they put the camera at rod height, which is too low for a self-take unless you are lying down. A cheap tripod is better.
Which of these have you actually fished with?
The G7 X Mark II and the 6D Mark II, over several seasons. The others I have bought, handled and photographed but not fished with for long; the reviews say so.
The verdict
Buy the Canon G7 X Mark II if you can find one, or the Mark III if you cannot. It is the camera that has taken most of the fish photographs on this site, it fits in a pocket, and it makes fishing alone no barrier to a proper picture. The WX500 is the budget answer, the 6D Mark II the answer when only the best will do.
Last Updated on September 10, 2026 by Shane Stanford
Shane Stanford has fished for carp for over twenty years, in the UK and in France, and currently fishes a private syndicate water in West Sussex. He writes Fishing Again to put the things he learned the hard way into plain language: location and watercraft first, then bait, rigs and gear. He is straight about which kit he has actually fished and which he has assessed on specification, and says so on the page.