Best underwater camera?? Color on not??

[Pappy24]

Howdy, Need some opinions on the underwater camera users ? Any info or experience would be appreciated. What brand works best for you?  Thanks.

[duke14]

I have the Vexilar Fishphone,works awesome,

[Anomaly]

I’ve got a Marcum VS825SD Underwater Camera with 8 inch screen. Kinda big money though. I use it on open water too.
The color is perfect!

I bought it mostly to view the bottom in my aquaculture site areas. You can drive around with it and look at what is in the water as you go. Gotta go SLOW!

I really like it, but I move around a lot and it takes tome to set up. Also cameras are tough to use when fish are suspended. If you’re targeting species that are bottom oriented and you stay put most of the time, a camera is a good tool!,

For run-and-gun ice fishing, sonar is the answer. I have a Showdown 5.6 and an LX7. for chasin, em down. 

[the Wizard]

I don't think color is that important.      I bought a refurbished Aqua-view for 199.00 seams to work fine but I catch more fish with just a flasher.   When I put the camera down , many times the fish get spooked or just swim away completely.
   My woman loves it though , kids would too...

[Cusefan78]

Marcum pancam. I have been using it for two months. Love it

[shawner]

     Last year I bought a C-Fish unit online. I searched, like you, for quality/affordability and it wasn't hard to choose. The unit is a black/white but, has a Sony camera and the picture is great. 60ft. cable and a Marcum/Vex like carrying case. $150.00 brand new, not a refurb. Has direction indicator as well. You can use it in open water too, comes with a tail fin attachment so you can drive and view. Best deal out there for the money.

     www. cfish.com

[OBIce]

Exactly go for a c-fish.  I bought a model R-1 this time last year and have loved it.  200$ but it has all the features of an expensive Marcum or Vex.  I beat the hell out of it using it nonstop in all conditions, rain, snow doesn't matter.  http://cfish.com/underwater_fishing_camera_viewer_R1.html

[fishinjohn]

Save your money and put it towards a flasher!! My buddy has a camera, he puts it in a hole right beside where he jigs.. Can't ever use jigging raps cause they make to big a circle and gets tangled in his camera cord.. all the time he drinks with that camera and cord he misses a lot of fishing time!!

[hardwater diehard]

I would suggest getting   a flasher first ...you will ice more fish .  That being said a camera is a great scouting tool .I just got the Aqua Vu Micro 5 w/DVR ...I love the size ...the contained battery ...and I can record . I had an older AV DT ..too bulky and just cumbersome to deal with ... and could not find a way to record . So the Micro is awesome for scouting ...small and always makes it out on all my trips ...for instance last out my buddy noted a depth of 8 foot in an area that was 12 fow ...shoot the camera down ...he drilled atop a stump ...marked on my GPS ... I was having a heck of a time setting my tip down..bait was getting hung up ...down with the camera ..another stump...GPS marked for future . Also we set up about 6 -12 feet from each stump and landed crappie throughout the day ...most color cameras will go to BW with heavy snow cover or bad light conditions ...but with limited snow cover sunny to partly cloudy day ...can locate green weeds ...amazingly .

[mike304]

I have an Aqua-Vu micro ll. I you look on the last couple pages of the Lake George perchin thread i posted a few pics of the screen the other day. I used it quite a bit this year. All the Aqua vu's are marked down pretty good at Cabelas right now:

http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/search.cmd?form_state=searchForm&N=0&fsch=true&Ntk=AllProducts&Ntt=aqua+vu&x=0&y=0&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

Don't be discouraged by those who say just buy a sonar. I have both and each has its pros and cons. sonar tells you there are fish there, camera tells you what they are. My camera helped me catch a number of fish the other day when they wouldn't bite, yet I could see them on my Vexilar. You can see on the camera how they are reacting to your presentation and adjust it. Sonar doesn't help as much with that.  Contrary to one post, mine doesn't seem to spook fish at all, in fact many come up and look right in it. See one of my pics. http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=285171.1020.
Once I figured out the best way to use it, I had a lot of fun with it and I learned a little about perch behavior.

[numbtoes]

I use both a tv and sonar at different times. One thing about the tv you don't hear much is it also can show you what you may NOT want to catch. For example if a few dinks and a keeper are around you can often avoid wasting time with the small ones and get a shot at the keeper. Or I avoid any bass or pickerel (my choice) that I would just throw back. It also shows the fish reaction when it is close to the bait which my sonar doesn't. My camera is an old black and white from way back when I got it new for $99 and it has worked well for me. It is entertaining and at times frustrating when they race up, look, then swim away. One thing to keep in mind is my tv has to be in low light situations even with the tube-like sun screen on the open ice. In a shelter no problem. I got the tv one year and the sonar a few years later and wouldn't do without either now. Good luck with your choice.

[xxxbeer247]

My question is how do I keep the camera from doing a full 360 spin when I want to just move it a little to the left or right ? Very aggravating when there is fish all around!

[2muchleft]

My question is how do I keep the camera from doing a full 360 spin when I want to just move it a little to the left or right ? Very aggravating when there is fish all around!

I bring a one foot piece of 2x4 lumber with a saw blade cut half way to the center.  The cord goes into the cut and stays tight to the wood.  I just spin the wood over the hole to move the camera as needed.

[hardwater diehard]

My question is how do I keep the camera from doing a full 360 spin when I want to just move it a little to the left or right ? Very aggravating when there is fish all around!

Add a weight ...helps a lot .

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=309081.0

[OBIce]

My question is how do I keep the camera from doing a full 360 spin when I want to just move it a little to the left or right ? Very aggravating when there is fish all around!

The c-fish R-1 has a housed in camera that comes with a remote and you use the remote to move the camera 360.   I use a rod with a mouse trap nailed to it to hold the line and keep the camera at the perfect depth.  Its pretty awesome and A LOT cheaper than any other brand.  I agree with the flasher notes if you are looking for walleye or pike or crappie... suspended fish, but I usually use both technologies in unison and it works amazing.  As for the problem with your camera and a jigging rap, drill the camera hole 2 feet away from your fishing hole... 90% of the water I fish allows me to see that distance and beyond.  I fish multiple holes so I usually make a big triangle, each hole 2 feet apart with the far out hole being the camera hole.  Fish this way a lot and it works amazing... obviously with the fighting slobs they can get wrapped up but its not common and happens when you fish multiple lines anyways.  good luck in your search!

[mike304]

My question is how do I keep the camera from doing a full 360 spin when I want to just move it a little to the left or right ? Very aggravating when there is fish all around!

The thing I found accidentally with mine is, when you unwrap the cable and lower the camera down, the cable on mine is coiled. I found that I can actually use the coils to my advantage. I lower the camera to the depth I want, set it on the floor of my shanty and move the unit back and forth letting the coil in the cable slowly spin the camera around. works like a charm.

[Blue Mago]

Great question and answers , I am looking as well as my Atlantis seems to have gotten moisture in to the unit and I'm unsure as how to open it up to have it tested to see if it's worth fixing .......my only problem is do the newer units give a clearer picture ? Mine is a infrared unit and some units I've looked at say LED lighting ? not sure if that is what they truly have ? And the clarity which I know is affected by the water mostly isn't that good ? I saw one guys a few years ago and he had a awesome picture where mine was very dim and not clear unless I was almost directly above my jig / lure ..... 

[Pappy24]

Thanks to all for the input, went with a Aqua Vu 5c.  Be careful out there.