With the best cameras with GPS, you can record the exact location of where your images were taken. This information gets baked into the EXIF data, giving you a precise record of your movements, which can be invaluable for all sorts of applications. It can be a way to monitor promising wildlife locations, or just to provide a fun record of your travels.
Not all cameras have built-in GPS units – some rely on a smartphone connection using specific apps, while others don't have the functionality at all. For this guide, we've kept it simple and included only cameras that have their own GPS units built-in, to ensure you get the most accurate location data possible. While this is a common feature of the best professional cameras, you'll also find it in some more affordable waterproof cameras that are ideal for holidays.
We've tested all the cameras on this list, and have used our findings to inform their placements in this guide. We've made sure to include options for a range of budgets, as well as different types of GPS-enabled cameras to suit every user.
James Artaius
The Editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014. As one of DCW's principal testers, he has a thorough and detailed knowledge of the cameras selected for this guide.
This waterproof compact features GPS as part of a Field Sensor system. Excellent for travel and holidays, its price and usability make it the best option for most people.
A full-frame workhorse that has stood the test of time, the EOS 5D Mark IV delivers sublime image quality and benefits from one of the most extensive lens systems in the business.
GoPro's most recent Hero to still feature GPS, this TikTok-ready action camera facilitates shooting in vertical orientation, making for readily shareable clips.
Though it's a few years old, the full-frame EOS 6D Mark II still delivers impressive horsepower – and offers great value for money, particularly if you buy second-hand.
Though speed isn't its forte, the Hasselblad X1D II 50C has got quality where it counts, and produces simply jaw-dropping images – which can be tagged with location data.
The pro-level (and pro-priced) Nikon Z9 certainly won't be for everyone, but it's one of the best photo/video hybrid cameras ever made. That's just a fact.
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The OM System Tough TG-7 is one of the hardiest cameras around. Waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof and crushproof, it's designed to be able to take a pounding and keep on shooting. The seventh iteration in the TG series (formerly under the stewardship of Olympus, now OM System), it offers GPS as part of its full Field Sensor System, which also record things like temperature, altitude, water depth and filming direction. In terms of GPS tracking and logging functionality, it's pretty much unparalleled in the camera world.
In our review, the TG-7 impressed. It's not much of an improvement over the TG-6 – in fact, cynics might say it's not much of a change at all (it does add vertical video, at least). But the TG-6 was the best tough waterproof compact on the market, and the TG-7 retains that crown. With an optical zoom and an array of shooting modes, it's hugely versatile, and that waterproofing is second to none. Our reviewer kept his TG-7 immersed in a glass of water while writing his review, just to make the point, and it came up absolutely fine. For geotagging adventures, this hardy compact is realistically going to suit the majority of users, and that's why it's our top pick for this guide.
This camera has been trusted by enthusiasts and pros alike for years, and is still one of the most popular cameras on the market. Its 30.4MP sensor delivers crisp image quality with good noise control and dynamic range performance. The build, handling and ergonomics are great, bolstered by the weather sealing that makes this a camera that's instinctive to use even in challenging conditions. The 4K video is subject to a 1.64x crop, however, which can make it tough to get suitably wide-angle shots. It's also worth noting that the rear screen is fixed – not fully articulating nor even tilting, which can be annoying for those who prefer shooting in Live View.
Overall, though, the 5D Mark IV packs all the power of the mirrorless Canon EOS R but with the benefit of dual memory card slots – and, of course, a built-in GPS. It's also a more realistic option for most than the cutting-edge Canon EOS R3 – a mirrorless camera that does have GPS, but is priced to the point where it's realistically only an option for full-time photo pros. The EOS 5D Mark IV is a camera that's going to suit a broader range of users, and as such, it makes our list as one of the best interchangeable-lens cameras with GPS you can buy.
LCD: Rear 2.27-inch touchscreen; front 1.14-inch screen
Max video resolution: 5.3K 30p
Reasons to buy
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Captures versatile 8:7 content
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Excellent image stabilization
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Horizon locking at up to 5.3K
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Simplified interface for beginners
Reasons to avoid
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Low light video isn't great
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Front display isn't touch-sensitive
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GoPro membership required to unlock features
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Fixed non-zoom l
Want the most portable and wearable GPS camera? Despite the Hero11 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 was an excellent addition to the line (and global positioning fans should note that the more recent Hero 12 Black has done away with GPS).
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.
In our review, we noted that the Hero 11 Black has not exactly wildly improved the line's lowlight performance. Still, with its new 8:7 sensor, a simplified interface, and enhanced horizon leveling, we reckon it's upgraded GoPro's offering in a meaningful way. Particularly appealing to folks who use multiple social platforms, nothing else can do quite what the 11 Black can.
A popular go-to for photographers seeking their first full-frame camera, the Canon EOS 6D Mark II is a great all-round performer – and has a big benefit over rivals, as it has GPS built-in. Quite a bit cheaper than the EOS 5D Mark IV featured above, it similarly boasts a full-frame sensor, albeit with a lower resolution of 26.2MP and no 4K video to speak of. It adds in stabilisation for movies too – though it's only digital, rather than being a full physical sensor-shift system.
When we reviewed the EOS 6D Mark II, it was one of the best all-rounder cameras available. Time has certainly marched on since then, however, the EOS 6D Mark II still puts in a solid performance. Image quality is great, the autofocus works well, and 6.5fps burst shooting isn't too shabby. For someone looking to make the jump to a larger sensor, the 6D Mark II delivers impressive horsepower for the money, especially if you look for a second-hand or refurbished model. Committed enthusiasts will be able to squeeze serious mileage out of it, and take advantage of its built-in GPS module to log their exploits.
Where the original Hasselblad X1D 50C required a GPS module to be mounted to the hotshoe, the X1D II now has the technology integrated into the body – which, for the price, you would expect! It employs dual GPS and GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System, the widely adopted GPS alternative) satellite systems for improved accuracy, befitting the medium format standard of this camera. It also has other connectivity options like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, as well as a USB-C connection that can be used to top up power in the event of a battery emergency.
As we said in our full review, if you are looking for the best camera with GPS for sheer image quality, the Hasselblad X1D II 50C has to be it. The image quality here is simply stellar – particularly the dynamic range. The richness of the color rendition, and the uncanny clarity of every detail – it is quite simply breathtaking. For precision, tripod-based shooting and fingertip focus, this is an extraordinary machine. Sadly some of the other tech here isn't so impressive, such as the glacial autofocus and 2.7K video. If you can live with a slower pace of shooting, the X1D II 50C offers a sublime image-making experience.
Nikon arguably missed a trick by not including GPS on its outdoorsy, wildlife-friendly Nikon Z8, which in many other respects is a slimmed-down version of the flagship Z9. (Yes, you can do it if you pair the camera with SnapBridge, but that's fiddly to do when you're out in the wild.) We suppose the cuts had to come somewhere, but ultimately, if you want built-in GPS on a Nikon Z camera, your only option is the beautiful, outrageously-fast Nikon Z9.
This pro-spec mirrorless camera is designed to do just about everything. Its maximum burst rate is an incredible 120fps – albeit at a dropped resolution of 11MP. At full-res 45.7MP RAW, however, the camera still manages a pretty snappy 20fps. All this is aided by a preternaturally good Deep Learning autofocus system that gets better as you use it.
When we first reviewed the Nikon Z9 we said it had a real case for itself as quite simply the best all-purpose hybrid camera on the market. Even now, with a few releases having arrived since, that's still arguably true. Professional photographers and videographers alike (let's not forget the fact that the Nikon Z9 can shoot 8K 30p video for hours on end) can use this camera for just about anything. And, thanks to its built-in GPS, they can also embed their images with pin-point accurate location data.
How to choose the best cameras with GPS
GPS, when you get down to it, is a fairly simple feature – generally, cameras either have it or they don't. That means, rather than thinking about the specifics of the GPS itself, the best thing to do is to think about what type of camera it is you want. Do you want to be able to change lenses, or will a fixed prime or zoom lens suffice? Think about whether you need waterproofing – this is a common requirement for those looking for GPS-enabled cameras, as they tend to be looking to log their holidays or other travels. If that's you, a tough compact or an action camera will fit the bill.
However, if you're looking for GPS from more of a professional perspective – perhaps you're a journalist or documentarian who needs a precise log of where each image was taken – then you're best off with one of the more sophisticated interchangeable-lens cameras on this list.
How we test cameras with GPS
At DCW, we put every camera that comes through our doors through the same battery of testing and analysis. Our team of expert photographers, videographers and writers use a series of scientific lab tests to measure how a camera performs. For mirrorless and DSLR cameras, we focus on resolution, dynamic range and noise performance. For things like action cameras, such as the GoPro Hero11 featured in this guide, it's more practical (and more relevant to the userbase) to focus more heavily on real-world performance.
This means doing something all our reviewers love getting to do – taking a camera out into the world and testing how it feels to use. This includes looking at features like GPS – if a camera advertises itself as having GPS, how well does it work? Is the signal consistently reliable? Is the option easy to find, and does the data embed itself reliably in images/videos?
GPS, which stands for Global Positioning System, is a means of determining the location of a specific point on Earth, within a reasonable degree of accuracy. It works via a system of more than 30 satellites owned and operated by the United States government – though you don't need to be affiliated with said government in order to use it. You just need a GPS receiver.
If a GPS receiver is within line of sight of at least four of those satellites, the system is able to accurately determine its geolocation. Some receivers are more accurate than others – the ones in commercially available smartphones are quite a bit less sophisticated than those used by the US military.
Do you need the internet for GPS to work?
No. GPS works completely independently and does not require an internet connection in order to function.
The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera Magazine, PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine, Digital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show. He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.
