ANY suggestions on underwater camera's for ice fishing???

[unclewhoo]

My friend is legally blind and last year we set up an underwater camera (borrowed)and it help him catch fish.

Are the old camera's as good as the new ones?

Couple of my concerns are murky water and low light conditions. If I would buy a camera I would want one that operates in almost any condition.

Cloudy water conditions is my top concern.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[JSK76]

New cameras are better then then the old ones. Lights are positioned above or to the sides to help in lighting rather then encompassing the lens. The size of the lens has grown to let more light in. Flat screens help with battery life. Screen size has gone up and are brighter and much easier to see if using outside in direct sunlight. Most of the newer cameras have a directional compass to aid in finding your bait.

With all the advancements in cameras they're still limited in what they can do with a camera. I like to think of it this way, if you dove to the depth of your camera with a mask and can only see 3' out because its murky water the camera will never be better then what you can see with your own eyes and could even be less.

As far as night use, I walleye fish and my camera gets pulled up around 4pm. I feel the walleye tend to stay away from the lights on the lakes I fish. No matter what camera you use night use is not that great.

If your looking for a new camera that you can share with your buddy I would look at the B&W VS385 from Marcum (349.99) if not having color is ok with you. If its just for your buddy and like you said he's legally blind I don't know if he will be able to tell a differance from a used 10 year old unit over the newest technology and you could save a bunch buying a older unit from someone that is trying to upgrade. I don't know anything about blindness but I'm just guessing a black and white unit might be be better for contrast for him then color.

Camera fishing is a lot of fun and if it can help someone with a disability get out and and enjoy a day on the lake, I think it's money well spent!

[dogs]

Bought a c-fish for the kid at the end of last year and like it a lot. For the price it is tough to beat.

[DLD24]

I bought the vs385 last year and I like it, the flat screen makes it a little easier to see outside...One thing you should definately get if you buy one is a camera panner, by the far the best $50 I've spent..It's very nice being able to use a remote to move the cam...

[walleye44]

My friend is legally blind and last year we set up an underwater camera (borrowed)and it help him catch fish.

Are the old camera's as good as the new ones?

Couple of my concerns are murky water and low light conditions. If I would buy a camera I would want one that operates in almost any condition.

Cloudy water conditions is my top concern.

Thanks in advance for your help.

The Aqua-Vu Micro Plus. For ice fisher or on the boat. It has two invisible infrared lights with on and off depending on light conditions. Works great. Last all day even in cold weather.

[Hawg]

JSK gave a nice post. In this case you get what you pay for. In lowlight they are so close it's a coin flip, why argue over 5-10 minutes. Don't go with the micro for a person with poor vision.