Underwater cameras

[squeedunk]

I decided that my new toy for this fishing season is going to be an underwater camera but I do not know which one to get. Does anyone have any input? I know Aqua view has one that is much cheaper $$$, but figured that would be reflected in its performance. I would like to spend between $300-$400 if I can get a decent one for that price. Also, how well do they work in the dirty metro-area waters? Thanks for any info~Squeedunk

[Dave]

A camera will see through dirty water only as far as your eyes can. Not much can be done about that with any camera. I would look at the Marcum VS460. It has the 360° panning motor but not all the bells and whistles of the VS560. It's maybe a little more than your $400 price range but, well worth it. The panning feature is the cat's meow, in my opinion. You can see the Marcum cameras here

Marcum Cameras

[berfish]

I have only used the aqua-vus and they work fine. In low light conditions the lights help a lot but don't expect to see ten feet away, it is more like 2 feet, tops. I imagine the marcums with the "pan" feature would be awesome because I always try to spin by twisting the cord and that can get very frustrating. I have heard from a reliable source that the picture quality is better from the marcums. Good luck with your shopping.

bf

[Dave]

Well, now that you mentioned spinning the camera, I'll add a bit more. When you set up a Marcum camera that has the pan feature, once you know the location of the baits you can pan back and forth quite easily by just hitting the button; to check things out and not disturb the location of the camera. Of course, with the VS560 you can do it faster since it has a camera direction pointer on the screen. I was panning from hole to hole and in somewhat dirty water I was seeing a good six feet with the lights on. Without the lights viewing was about two feet.

[Hookmaster]

I'm on my third Aqua-Vu ZT ($300) since X-mas. The first two fish cameras leaked on their first use. The third one has been used three times and so far so good. If this one craps out, it's strike three. Be sure and look at the model your interested in. Some of the newer Aqua-Vus are only water-resistant. I think the Marcums are too expensive for my use.

[Crappiechaser]

I just got a aqua view and love it during the day. Today was the first day of full use and I saw plenty of fish. I had a school of sheapshead come threw and then a walleye came and looked right at the camera and I thought he was going eat it. It was really fun.

[Hecker]

Dave

UPS is dropping a vs460 off in the a.m. .

Do you have any do's and dont's for me? I never had one or

used one(cam). Or should I have gotten the taxman to get me the VS560?

Thanks for any feedback

[Dave]

Hecker,

There's no real trick to operating the Marcum VS460. You won't have the capability to readily know which direction the camera is pointing, like the VS560, until you find your bait. One thing when lowering the camera, lower it slowly so you don't hit the lake bottom. And this goes for any camera. If you hit the lake bottom and it's full of rocks, the camera could get damaged. If it's a soft bottom, a cloud of silt will form and will take some time to "settle". It's best to lower it reasonably slow and you never know what you'll see on the way down.

Also, experiment in your home with the pan feature. Try and count the seconds it takes to pan maybe halfway around. That might help give an indication which direction you're viewing when your on the lake. Also, since the VS460 doesn't have the depth reading, you could mark the cable using tape of something in increments of maybe two feet so you know how deep the camera is. Mostly, have fun. It's pretty cool.

[Hecker]

Dave

good advice

Thanks!!!

[andy j]

Stick with a Marcum or Aqua-view, I have used a lot of both brands and both are quality products.