Looking for the best camera for car photography? You’ve parked up in the right place. Whether you're looking to capture aesthetic car portraits, or shoot high-speed races by the side of the track, these are the cameras that will help you achieve it.
Car photography can be quite a challenge. You’ve got strange angles to contend with, reflections, dodgy lighting situations, and that’s before the car even starts to move, where a whole new set of problems emerge. However, if you have the right gear, you’re halfway there. For that reason, we’ve chosen a good variety of different cameras and types, all of which are suitable for car photography in one way or another.
When it comes to picking the best camera for car photography, it isn’t always going to be as straightforward as selecting one of the best mirrorless cameras, the best DSLR or the best compact cameras. We've picked cameras here that are specifically suited to car photography – you can scroll to the bottom of this page to read our full criteria, or just read on to see what we've picked!
Amy Davies
Amy Davies has been writing about photography since 2009, and used to be a colleague on Digital Camera magazine and Techradar.com. She now works as a freelance journalist, having contributed to Amateur Photographer, Stuff, Wired, T3, Digital Photographer, Digital Camera World, TechRadar, Trusted Reviews, ePhotozine and Photography Blog. Here, she turns her expertise to the best cameras for car photography.
The medium format mirrorless Fujifilm GFX 100S II is the best for those who need uncompromising levels of detail. It's also lighter than its big-sensor rivals.
If you want to use a Nikon model for car photography, we'd recommend the high-resolution Nikon Z7 II. It's not the fastest, but its image quality is sublime.
Crop-sensor cameras provide a number of advantages such as getting you closer to the action. The superb Fujifilm X-T5 also delivers pristine image quality.
If you're looking for something lightweight and portable, we can definitely recommend the Lumix G100D. It's highly capable for both video and stills photography.
DJI's stabilized Osmo Pocket 3 provides a platform for run-and-gun footage. It also has useful vertical video modes, making it useful for car-related TikTok content.
For aerial car shots, the DJI Air 3 drone will deliver, thanks to dual 48MP cameras and sophisticated flight features. It's on the big side, but worth the investment.
You can capture great car images on a smartphone – and Apple's iPhone 14 has a meaty camera setup that will make your automotive subjects look their best.
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Image stabilization: Sensor-shift 5-axis, up to 5.5 stops compensation
Video: 4K 30p
Screen: 3-inch 2.36m-dot tilting touchscreen
Weight: 665g (inc. battery and memory card)
Reasons to buy
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Good all-rounder
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High resolution sensor
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Good tracking
Reasons to avoid
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Relatively slow frame rate
If going down the medium-format road isn’t for you - and it won’t be for everybody - then the Sony A7R IVa is an excellent alternative (it's essentially the same camera as the popular A7R IV which we've reviewed, just with a higher-resolution 2.36m-dot screen). It gives you medium format type resolution from a full-frame sensor, and at a much more affordable price.
This is a camera which will make a good all-rounder if car photography isn’t your only avenue. You get that lovely high resolution, but you also get 10fps shooting, which although not blisteringly fast isn’t too bad either.
Image stabilization puts in a good performance, while it’s also well-suited to video shooting. The high-resolution sensor means that there are better options for low-light shooting, but again if you only shoot that relatively infrequently, it should be enough to meet your needs.
Image stabilization: Sensor-shift 5-axis, up to 8 stops compensation
Video: DCI 4K 30p
Screen: 3.2-inch 2.36m-dot three direction tilting touchscreen
Weight: 883g (inc. battery and memory card)
Reasons to buy
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Superb high-res quality
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Improved subject-recognition autofocus
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Enhanced video quality
Reasons to avoid
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Battery life not the best
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Fairly similar to GFX 100S
If you’re looking for the ultimate in high-resolution, this is it. It’s a medium format camera, which means it is relatively big and heavy. However, Fujifilm's GFX series of mirrorless medium format cameras have changed the game by being much smaller and more nimble than traditional medium format cameras, as well as being relatively affordable by medium format standards. The GFX 100S II is one of the newer models in the series, packing a 102MP sensor that'll deliver outstandingly detailed car images.
With this camera you’ll get blisteringly sharp results, with superb fine detail. You also don’t have to compromise too much on other specs, with very good AF and excellent image stabilization – both of which have been improved from the first GFX 100S. That mega high resolution also gives you the advantage of being able to crop to alter your compositions, which always comes in useful.
Image stabilization: : Sensor-shift 5-axis, up to 5.5 stops compensation
Video: 8K 30p
Screen: 3-inch 1.4m-dot tilting touchscreen
Weight: 737g (inc. battery and memory card)
Reasons to buy
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No compromise on speed/resolution
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Excellent tracking focus
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Up to 8K video
Reasons to avoid
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High price
Quite possibly one of the best cameras ever made, the Sony A1 pretty much offers you everything - at a price.
You get a whopping 50 megapixels and a super fast 30fps, along with superb autofocusing and great image stabilization. It’s an action photographer’s dream, being able to handle pretty much everything you can throw at it.
Whether you're photographing static cars, cars moving, or details, then the A1 will do them all excellently. It’s even got class-leading video specs, with up to 8K available. Naturally, this all comes at a price, though - be prepared to invest heavily for this amount of tech, but you could argue it’s worth it to get the best of the best.
Image stabilization: Sensor-shift, 5-axis, up to 5 stops compensation
Video: 4K 60p
Screen: 3.2-inch, 2.1m-dot tilting touchscreen
Weight: 615g (camera body only)
Reasons to buy
+
Good all-rounder
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High resolution
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Good handling
Reasons to avoid
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Best suited to static shots
This Nikon mirrorless camera is another good all-rounder that has some useful specs particularly well-suited to car photography. The most obvious is the high-resolution full-frame sensor that will show off your car’s details fantastically well, and also gives you scope to crop if necessary.
A relatively slow 10fps frame rate means it’s not hugely well-suited to action, but if you’re mainly photographing static cars and details, that probably won’t be too much of an issue for you. On the plus side the Image stabilization does a good job, while low0light performance is great for such a high resolution sensor.
If you’re keen on low-light and shooting action, you might also want to consider this camera’s sister model, the Z6 II, or that camera's pricier successor the Z6 III – both of which come with the trade off of a lower-resolution sensor.
Image stabilization: Sensor-shift, 5-axis, up to 7 stops compensation
Video: DCI 4K 60p
Screen: 3-inch, 1.62m-dot articulating
Weight: 607g (inc. battery and memory card)
Reasons to buy
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Lightweight design
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Brilliant, vivid image quality
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SLR-style handling
Reasons to avoid
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Smaller sensor than others here
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Unusual 3-way tilting LCD
One of the most advanced and powerful APS-C cameras on the market right now, the Fujifilm X-T5 is a stunning all-rounder, offering pleasing depth of control and producing stunning images at its maximum resolution of 40MP. With Fujifilm's classically cool Film Simulation modes also on board, it's a sublime camera for producing chic, sleek car imagery.
Here you get a super-fast max 30fps shooting speed, alongside fantastic image stabilization. The cropped sensor (smaller than full-frame) can be used to your advantage to get closer to the subject, which can be handy for race track shooting, too.
The lens range for Fujifilm X is brilliant, and this camera has been noted for its excellent dynamic range, too. It's well-suited to video too, with the capacity to shoot 10-bit 4:2:2 video at 6.2K/30P. This means vloggers and video content creators wanting to capture car content should find a lot to like too.
Image stabilization: 5-axis hybrid IS (when paired with compatible lens)
Video: 4K 30p
Screen: 3-inch, 1.8m-dot, articulating screen
Weight: 345g (inc. battery and memory card)
Reasons to buy
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Travel-friendly
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Articulating screen
Reasons to avoid
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Smaller sensor than others here
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No in-body stabilization
If you’re looking for a neat and travel-friendly camera, perhaps for visiting events such as car shows and the like, then the Panasonic Lumix G100D is a good option. It's a minor refresh of the original Lumix G100, changing essentially nothing, save for adding a USB-C port and improving the electronic viewfinder.
Although it has a relatively staid 10fps shooting, you can also use Panasonic’s innovating 4K Photo modes to extract stills from 30fps video, which gives you a lot more scope when photographing fast-moving action.
It’s also ideal for creating video, with lots of vlogging friendly specs, including an excellent in-built microphone. Having a (relatively) small sensor that is paired with similarly small MFT lenses makes this an excellent choice for when you need to travel light.
ISO range: 50-6400 stills, 50-6400 video (exp. 50-16000)
Image stabilization: 3-axis gimbal
Video: 4K 60p
Screen: 2-inch rotating touchscreen
Weight: 179g
Reasons to buy
+
Great stabilization for a pocketable camera
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Useful 2-inch rotating screen
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Excellent video quality
Reasons to avoid
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Not good for low light
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Small sensor
If capturing video content of your car hobby is your number one priority, something small, pocket-friendly and able to show off your vehicles in all their glory is just the ticket.
The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 is so-named for its pocketable form factor, but the real headline feature is its 3-axis stabilising gimbal. This allows for the capture of smooth, polished video footage even while moving with the camera handheld, and as such, it's an excellent tool for vloggers.
Equipped with a new rotating touchscreen, the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 is able to seamlessly switch to shooting vertical video when needed, making it great for producing TikTok-ready clips.
Despite the Hero 11 Black looking like every other GoPro this side of 2019, with upgraded hardware and software, it's a triumph on all fronts. The new, almost square sensor is supremely versatile, the camera's software has been simplified successfully, and GoPro's companion app, Quik has also been improved. With best-in-class stabilization, great-looking video in all but dimly-lit and dark scenes, and some fun new modes like light painting, the Hero 11 Black is an excellent addition to the line.
The Hero 11 Black's 8:7 aspect ratio is also a standout highlight for content creators. Able to shoot in 5.3K resolution, 8:7 video at up to 30fps, its footage can be losslessly cropped to create new 4K portrait, landscape, and square clips from a single video.
On top of 8:7 video, the Hero 11 Black captures 5.3K resolution video at 60 fps, 4K resolution video at 120 fps, or 2.7K resolution at 240 fps. You can also grab 27MP stills from 5.3K video.
The Hero 11 Black might not have wildly improved the line's lowlight performance. Still, with its new 8:7 sensor, a simplified interface, and enhanced horizon leveling, it's upgraded GoPro's offering in a meaningful way. Particularly appealing to folks who use multiple social platforms, there's very little out there that can do quite what the 11 Black can.
Since then we've seen the release of the GoPro Hero 12 Black. It adds a few useful features, especially for video editing, however with the same sensor as the Hero 11 Black, it's a similar proposition. We'd say stick with the cheaper Hero 11 Black while it's still available.
ISO range: 100-6400 (or 100-1600 in high dynamic range modes), 100-12800 night mode
Image stabilization: 3-axis tilt, roll & pan
Video: 4K 60p (100fps slow-mo mode)
Screen: N/A
Weight: 723g
Reasons to buy
+
Dual 48MP cameras
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Omnidirectional collision sensors
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Powerful AI features
Reasons to avoid
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Fixed aperture
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No 5.4K (as on Air 2S)
Why not take your car photography to the next level - quite literally - by shooting it from above. You can capture some fantastic dynamic angles and show the beauty of a vehicle as it makes its way through some seriously impressive landscapes.
The DJI Air 3 boasts an impressive dual-camera setup, each with a resolution of 48MP. This allows you to crop into images losslessly, making it easy to create detailed images even if you can't get too close to the vehicle. If you want to follow a moving car from the air, then DJI’s FocusTrack systems do a superb job. The battery life is excellent, and one feature we particularly like is the ability to pre-program waypoints – ideal if you know where a car is going to be at a certain moment.
The only potential downside for this drone is that it will need to be registered due to its size and weight, but if you’re dedicated to capturing this kind of content, it’s unlikely to be a deal breaker.
From a photography point of view, the iPhone 14 is a great piece of kit, especially if you just want to point, shoot and share great-looking shots via social media without doing much post-processing. However, the more serious photographer will miss the ability to shoot in RAW (.dng) format so that they can enjoy fine-tuning the look of their images in a digital darkroom such as Adobe Camera Raw.
Images on the iPhone 14’s Super Retina XDR display look great, but you may need to view them on a larger display if you want to discover and remove noise artefacts or retouch a portrait more effectively. In this instance, you might consider paying an extra £100 for the iPhone 14 Plus, which has the same camera specs but boasts a larger 6.7” display (and it provides an extra 6 hours of video playback). The iPhone 14 should be more attractive to those who want to upgrade from an iPhone 12 or older as they will notice a bigger difference in performance and features than those upgrading from an iPhone13.
The iPhone 14’s new Action mode produces amazingly smooth handheld footage which alleviates the need to stabilize it in a non-linear editing app, but serious filmmakers may also want the option to shoot in HDR Dolby Vision, which will lead them in the direction of the iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max. The iPhone 14’s lack of a Telephoto camera and Macro mode will also cause many photographers to cough up the extra cash for a Pro model iPhone.
We've since of course seen the addition of the iPhone 15. It does offer a better experience and quality for photographers – though it comes at a higher cost.
To help you choose the best camera for car photography, think about the following attributes:
Resolution
For showing off a car's fine detail, a high-resolution camera is an excellent choice. If you’re mainly going to be photographing static cars, you can afford to go super high on the resolution for the highest possible quality.
Fast frame rates
If you want to photograph a car doing what it does best - moving - then you’ll need to be on the lookout for a car with fast frame rates to capture those split-second moments. This will usually (but not always) come with the trade-off of a lower resolution.
Well-performing autofocus
This is another specification tied to photographing action sports. You’ll need to look for models which offer high-performing tracking focus that can keep up when you’re trying techniques such as panning.
Shutter speeds
For freezing fast action, the fastest shutter speeds will be required. Keep an eye out for models which offer fast shutter speeds. Cameras that use an electronic shutter often offer the fastest available.
Screen
When photographing from unusual angles to highlight the different angles of your car, a tilting or articulating screen can be incredibly useful. A touch-sensitive screen is also helpful, but almost all modern cameras include this feature.
Image stabilization
If you’re photographing a moving car handheld, having good image stabilization will help to keep your shots sharp and in focus.
Good video specs
Perhaps you want also to create videos of your car - in which case, look out for models which offer decent video specifications, including 4K video recording, a variety of frame rates, and the ability to create slow-motion movies.
ISO range
If you’re photographing your car in low light, such as at night, then you’ll want a camera which offers a good ISO range and a good ISO performance.
How we test cameras
When we test cameras, we think carefully about the different scenarios they will likely be used for. We assess all cameras that cross our desk along all the criteria listed in our 'How to choose' section above, meaning we have a good idea how each one will perform for car photography. We also look at how a camera performs in the context of its asking price, in order to assess whether it offers real value for money.
We put cameras through their paces in real-world shooting scenarios. As well as these practical tests, we also employ carefully controlled lab tests to measure resolution, dynamic range, and signal-to-noise ratio. We use ISO resolution charts to measure resolution, and DxO Analyzer test equipment for dynamic range and noise analysis. With these extensive testing procedures, we build up a clear, objective picture of how the camera performs.
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Amy Davies has been writing about photography since 2009, and used to be a colleague on Digital Camera magazine and Techradar.com. She now works as a freelance journalist writing for nclude Amateur Photographer, Stuff, Wired, T3, Digital Photographer, Digital Camera World, TechRadar, Trusted Reviews, ePhotozine and Photography Blog. She has an undergraduate degree in journalism and a postgraduate diploma in magazine journalism, both from Cardiff Journalism School.
