Vexilar Fishphone

[bakwardbob]

Not sure I see the negative either?

There is some good discussion here though. This is not a perfect device, there are better cameras. But the price and the tech is really cool and fun.

Funny thing is, I wish the base was actually bigger... I get nervous that I am going to kick it down my 10" hole.

My recommendation is to buy an arm strap for your cell phone and a power pack from amazon for the cell as well. With mine attached I can leave my screen on for 24 hours straight on my Galaxy S4.

[chris_gillespie]

Is it possible to use a different camera on this unit? The image quality is OK, but was wondering if could be improved with a different camera.

[bakwardbob]

There is a disconnect for the camera. So, it could be possible.

[DTro]

Huh, I just reread everything and I guess I didn’t see that.  If anything I thought I was defending the product.   The only negative thing I mentioned was a few things I noticed while at the show, and I explained how the app wasn’t even released yet and it was just a brief demo.  Someone else made mention of a couple second lag, and I still believe if that was true then this version wouldn’t succeed.  Obviously it isn’t true and whatever lag there is minimal.

 

And…on the contrary I’m actually hoping to buy one of these for myself in the near future and as far as passing on the technology, the fact that Vexilar is willing to put their name on it makes me feel better about buying one

[Chad Holst]

Chris, according to Ice Ice, this is the "same camera" in the inventories of all the camera companies.

I have not heard that this camera is poor, i did hear people conserned it might be, since its 1/3 the price of the other companies. I have not heard the quailty was actually poor though. I think it looks good myself. But i have not used the newest Marcum or aqua view's that came out this year. I know the Marcum unit is supposed to have a nice camera on it though.

DTRo, your good man. I read it again too and i dont think you were down on tech, just being open minded and questioning on how this would/could/should work.

[GrizzlyAdams]

I bought one of these a week or so ago and really like it so far. But have only used it at home. One trick I found is that instead of using my current phone I am using my old samsung galaxy s. WIFI works great on it and you don't need a cel signal. Plus if by some chance it falls down the hole it is no big deal. Have the galaxy tablet for a more stationary screen also. Also I put the camera system in a soft sided cooler to hopefully protect it from the elements when out by a tip up.

Hoping to get out and use it in the next week or so. Been too busy with Christmas and work.

Also have noticed very little to no lag time.

[Skymech]

The fish phone has peaked my interest! I've watched the couple of videos posted here, but can't find any other reviews on it yet. Just wondering if anyone has been able to use it more than a few times and what your impressions are. Curious how it works in low light conditions? Does it automatically switch from color to black and white in low light conditions? How is the quality of the picture that is send to the portable device? Thanks

[amateurfishing]

definitely has peaked my interest as well, would love to hear bout some side by side testing with other comparable on the market like aqua vu micro etc.

I already have a great fishfinder (HB 597) that works great but would like to see this in use in personal to truly see if it is any kind of difference maker.

p.s. - the use of an older model phone is genius as most ppl do have these laying around if not traded in and would not kill your good phone battery time as well. im curious, does each device work on difft wii fi code or are they all made the same. what if 3 separate ppl using this fish within range of each others receiving devices then how would you know whose signal is whos?

[Ice_Ice_Baby]

Dtro, I think Vex should give you a fishphone for the amount of time you spend defending the product on this thread. I was simply recommending caution on this product from what information we have and things I've heard. I also threw in a healthy dose of my humble opinion on many of my observations. We all know you can't go wrong with Vex sonar units, always been the most dependable going. That said this is technology that vex didn't develop but was sold after being passed on. Good for them snapping it up especially since they are a sonar company and not a camera company. Also the fact that they have it on the market when when the other players don't is a real plus for Vex. But.. I've become a huge fan of the new Aqua-vu products since the new owners bought the company a few years back and love the micro cameras. I also waited one year to get a micro and opted for the plus model and all the additional features it has over the first black one was well worth the wait. So when a company that seems to be putting out a line of outstanding products like the micros and the LCD flat screen full size units develops something for I'm sure a lot of dough, then won't release it...I'm sorry but that really concerns me. JMHO

[DTro]

Tough to argue with that. First year products are a cr4p shoot at best.

We are all winners when the companies are competing for our business. I'm sure the major companies will follow suit with their own version and will be worth a look for sure. Just wish there would be some more solid info on a timeline...

[sethooknreel]

The fishphone is exactly what I've been waiting for - a low-priced way to get a decent color camera signal to the surface and wireless. Beyond that u can get creative if you need longer battery life, or a mounted screen, etc. An old half-shot flasher battery will run any phone or tablet for days.

I have refused to buy a fishcam due to the price vs. technology available - either spend too much money, or have something that's too heavy to carry and 70's technology. I would use a camera primarily for scouting and not during actual fishing much.

My only concern here is that tablets and most smart phones are touch-screen and can't be used with gloves, wet fingers, or a stylus, or can't be sealed in a ziplock and still be operable due to touchscreen. That leaves laptops or TV screens, not sure what's available. May need to get creative. If using a smartphone, maybe a car/motorcycle mount would hang it nicely in a portable shack?

The app is required only for phones right? A laptop or tablet would just need some drivers loaded or what? Anyone know?

[sethooknreel]

PS I don't mean to insert myself into any pi$$ing match, just want to offer up my 2c and have some discussion. I can appreciate constructive arguments like some of the posts in this thread, but other posts are just meaningless banter that clutters up the forum. Thanks, no hard feelings.

[CAMAN]

Quote:

or can't be sealed in a ziplock and still be operable due to touchscreen. 

You most certainly can use a touchscreen in a ziplock. It works great and can even talk on the phone with it on.

[V-12 Merlin]

Looks like a really cool idea.

[bakwardbob]

I have a couple of complaints after this weekend.

The power button is in a terrible place. It gets turned on by accident during transport. After fishing I was sitting in the bar and connected to my camera...

There is lag sometimes... Rare, but it seems to happen in black and white mode more often. Not sure why.

Southern MN lakes and cameras do not play well together. Some lakes I can get to 25 feet and see. Others not that well...

On the pro side. It is built like a tank. Have seen quite a few fish with it and I get more excited about videoing the caught more then catching the fish...

[DTro]

I shouldn’t be, but I’m always surprised that it only takes one guy a few trips out on the ice to discover small improvements that should have been caught during field testing.    Is the power button a simple push button?   If so that could easily be remedied by a slider or a dial I would think, or locate it somewhere it won’t get bumped.

 

The visibility/clarity thing from lake to lake is going to be a problem no matter what camera you buy or how much you spend, tough to get around that one, just the nature of the available technology

[Chad Holst]

What kind of range are you getting, before it starts to loose the signal? I dont usually, if ever, use a camera outside, but this was a concern of other posters and i wonder how that worked out.

Where lag i think is going to play into things more is when people link the camera to the NON smart TV in the ice house. Unless there is a cable to hook to the tv from the system, like on the old cameras, it may be more lag. There is a way to do it though. for $35. Cromecast plugs into any TV with an HDMI port. it then picks up a wi-fi signal. However im thinking it would first have to go from the camera to a smart phone/tablet/laptop... and then to the tv, as the chromecast runs on an app of sorts, i believe.

[DTro]

Why would a wired connection have more lag? It should be better actually.

[CJH]

There is a way to do it though. for $35. Cromecast plugs into any TV with an HDMI port. it then picks up a wi-fi signal. However im thinking it would first have to go from the camera to a smart phone/tablet/laptop... and then to the tv, as the chromecast runs on an app of sorts, i believe.

I don't think Chromecast will work in this situation. 1) Because the fishphone WiFi won't work like a standard router supporting Chromecast (I am assuming), however if you set your phone up as a hotspot, that may work (if you have a stable Cell signal, although you may get some lag). 2) As of right now Google is limiting Chromecast to supported apps - which are very limited. Supposedly there are about hundreds of apps ready to go for Chromecast, but Google hasn't released them yet. Lots of speculation as to why. I have a Chromecast and am waiting for the rollout, pretty cool device - just limited right now.

There are going to be things to improve on the 1st Gen of any new/innovative product to come out, doesn't matter what it is. Its does not change the fact that its a good avancement for the market. It will force other manufacturers to jump in - and ultimately will lead to even an even better product. I say Good on Vex for being the first and not being scared to release it.

[Chad Holst]

Quote:

Why would a wired connection have more lag? It should be better actually.

DTro,

You are correct. I was saying UNLESS there is a hard wire, from Fishcam to TV(non smart TV), then there will potentially be a lag issue, as you will have to use some sort of a device, like a chrome cast, to get signal from the camera Wi-fi to a device then to the TV. However i am not very familiar with Chromecast as we have used ours only to mess around one night on youtube. There are other ways to still do it. You could pull the signal to a laptop, then plug the laptop into the TV for viewing. (almost all LED TV's can be used as a screen from a computer)

[bakwardbob]

Yeah, I would just hook it straight up with the video out cable. The resolution is not very high. I think it is only 240 lines. So it might look really bad on the big screen.

Distance is okay. I left it in my tent and walked over to another guys house about 120 feet away. Held connection when I held my phone still. Then I saw a sunfish come up to my bait and ran back... My Jeep was in between the fishphone any my phone, so that is not too bad.

[Kyle]

Ice_Ice_Baby,

A lot goes into deciding if a company is going to proceed with a product or not. From your previous statement, you sound like you are concerned with quality issues or assume that the decision was based on quality. What ever company created the product and decided to sell it to vexilar, or however it was passed on, most likely chose to do so due to product revenue margins or some other business function related decision rather than product quality issues. There is a lot of risk a company takes on when introducing a new product as well, which could also be a viable reason for this scenario. Many times a company will create a product that others are also creating and wait to bring it to market as to reduce some risk involved with consumer response or other kinks.

I wouldn't simply assume the negative just because vexilar didn't create the product.

[Chad Holst]

To add to kyle... Ice-Ice, if you are convinced that aqua view designed this, then why would they pass on it, and if they did, why would they sell it to Vex? I am really confused by your whole point about being concerned that a major company passed on it. I do understand what your trying to say, but the logic doesnt add up. you say we shouldnt trust it because a large, reputable company "passed on it" because that somehow equates to a poor product, then logically wouldnt we all need to trust this product, since an even larger and more reputable company "picked it up"? I dont agree with that.

I think its best to stick to the original ideas of the forum here and ask questions and then get 1st hand reviews from people that actually used it and can report what they experience.

The potential is great for this product and the reviews have been pretty good so far.

[huntnfish]

This is definitely a very intriguing product. I've got a camera now but fish out of portables most of the time and don't mess with the camera at all. If I had a hard sided house I'd certainly be looking into something like this. I've even thought about taking my camera to the deer stand and having it pointed behind my back so I wouldn't have to try turn around at every sound I hear but never wanted to haul the monitor and everything around. This would make it easier to at least try.

[sckoolman]

I bought one a week or so ago and have used it once so far. Not a complete review by any means, but here is what I found:

Pros: Pretty easy to set up. I use a first gen (old) iPad and really liked being able to use the larger screen. Picture was good, I even was able to pick up my jig in 30' of water using the led lighting option (right from the app on the screen). I also like the simple option of recording a video at a moments notice or taking a "snapshot". I would guess we'll start to see huge increase in you tube vids. Mobility was great. I could sit in my shanty jigging and also watch my minnow 30" away.

Cons: This my first camera system, but there has to be a better way to deal with a 50' cord! Somebody else mentioned it, but I agree the on/off button is in a bad spot where it could easily be turned on during transport. My biggest issue was that after moving from one hole to another, the unit stopped working - no power. I tried charging it ( even though I was pretty sure it still had plenty of charge left) with no luck. The led indicator even showed full charge! As soon as I took the charger off, I could not turn the unit on. So I decided to unscrew the top (4 screws for the wifi transmitter, the six screws for the top). I quickly discovered that one of the battery connectors had come off. They are standard connectors and one of mine fit loosely on the battery and must have dislodged when moving the unit. I crimped the connector a little for a tight connection and good to go - but what a pain!

Overall, I am still happy overall and am looking forward to an uninterrupted day of using it. I'll report back.