Good starter camera?
 

Ive come to the realization that underwater cameras are game changers soooo, Does anyone know where I could find myself a decent camera for a reasonable price? Using it for ice fishing so don't need a pile of depth. Sorry if I posted this in the wrong place I'm fairly new to the forums, Thanks!

I have the Marcum VS485C and bought it at Canadian tire for about $450. Love it and easy to use. It is definitely a game changer.

I have the Marcum 825SD and I love it. I use it in the summer time too when jigging. Fun to watch.

There are a few options for cameras. You can get units that use your phone or tablet as the display via Bluetooth, which are cheaper in general because of less expensive parts. My issue with them has been battery life (Bluetooth sucks power off your phone) and I always worry that my phone or tablet will fall in a hole while I'm messing with things. Cold slippery wet hands and all.

A second option are the micro camera units, which are good to fit in you pocket and use to check out the bottom quickly. I don't think these are the best for a "set it up and use all day" type of fishing because the screen is small and you either need to hold it or prop it up on something. Again, they are small enough to fit down the hole too.

The final option is a self contained unit, which is the most common. These have their own 12v battery, screen, and camera (typically with 50' of cable). Screen sizes vary but most are around 7". The Aqua-Vu 715C is probably the cheapest option here, around $320 on sale often. The Marcum 485SC is the lowest Marcum model and is what I have. I like it. The battery lasts more than one day and it has a good underwater "camera" (really a sensor, not a camera per se). The Marcum is about $450 now and sometimes goes on sale to the $420 range.

Hope that helps.

SS


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I have the Aqua-Vu 715C and I quite enjoy it. I'm aware that the Marcum is generally a higher quality camera, but I would suggest that you take your typical water clarity into account. If it's generally pretty good, the 715 would likely be a good choice. If it's not, then you may get better value buying a more expensive Marcum.

I have the same Marcum as Sam Steele. I am very happy with it. Go into The Fishin Hole and turn them all on side by side. You will see the difference in picture quality of the various units right away. I would also have been happy with the Aqua Vu I am sure.

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U/C camera
 

I'm still using my original Aqua-Vu I purchased in 2001. Check Kijiji or FB in buy and sell. Sorry I cannot help with the latest out there, mine seems fine. I see my hook and I see fish. Also a great help with learning what you are actually looking at with your sonar.

I own a Marcum VS825 SD. Got it on sale for $800. Regularly retails for around $900. Cabelas or Whole Sale sports might still have it on sale. The unit down, the Marcum VS485C is a good unit too but with a few less features. 50 ft cable vs 100 ft on the 800, and it doesn't show camera depth, water temp or relative direction. It also doesn't come with a camera panner I don't believe and trust me you'll want one. It's ridiculous that you have to pay an additional $400 for these features but it is what it is.

This is my second unit from Marcum. I owned an LX-9 prior but returned it. Felt overpriced for what it did and also had some issues (screen freezing, shutting down, battery getting zapped after full charge). I could have tried to troubleshoot but for $1,600 I shouldn't have to. The Marcum VS825 SD is much better but I still had issues. Water somehow got in between the screen and the plastic. Had to disassemble to dry it off. Again, stuff like this shouldn't happen to goods at this price point within the first few weeks of use.

The Marcum units have good visual quality for a fishing camera (but crap quality if you compare it to today's cameras on cell phones). Low light performance is excellent and the larger screen size is nice. These units aren't as mobile as the Aqua Vu Micros which work better as scouting units but can still be used for sitting and watching from a stable location but you'll need to shell out extra for a panner and a base to set them up on. The Aqua Vu's do seem to have a wider FOV than the Marcum. Something to consider. Visually quality isn't quite as good, but definitely acceptable.

I dislike the Marcum's size and weight, especially if I'm also bringing my sonar. But I do like the screen size, ease of use, battery life and the fact that it comes with its own base (just unzip the unit, flip up the screen and drop the camera down; set up the panner if you plan to stay for awhile). Knowing the temp of the water at different depths is also useful.

There really isn't an ideal solution for camera/sonar/GPS combo yet. At least not for a price that makes sense. You can purchase the Marcum LX-9 but it doesn't have GPS. Marcum did launch a new unit, the RT-9, that incorporates all these features but it'll cost you around $3,000 or so and the kinks are still being worked out. Marcum customer service is better than most other brands, but it's still pretty terrible given the price tag on their goods. And the GPS/Mapping feature on the RT-9 doesn't use Insight Genesis, which is what you'll really want for accuracy and because other mapping services don't have a large number of the lakes in Alberta.

Marcum recon 5 bud[emoji106][emoji106][emoji106][emoji106]


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Or go with the ol tried and true and affordable marcum vs380


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X2 I see the fish and the bottom, can watch the fish react to my offering. Not expensive and does the job of entertaining me though out the day for not a lot of money. Kijiji and you should be able to get started for under $200

My vs380 crapped out after 1 year of use, I now find it much easier to buy a used camera fo half the price rather than spending new for it not to last very long in my op

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I bought a Boblov off of Amazon last year. Cost me $152 delivered. Color and 7 inch screen is clear. Has 100 ft cable, nice little metal carrying case and battery life is excellent as it hasnt gone dead on a full day of ice fishing.Delivery was less than two weeks. I picked up a second battery for $30 as a back up. Two of my fishing buddies had marcums and when they saw mine they were very impressed. Figured I can get three of these for cost of one marcum but so far its been a great purchase. I used it quite a bit last winter. Fired it up other day to show my dad who was visiting and still working perfectly.