Marcum VS 560 Review
I’ve been testing the Marcum VS 560 underwater viewing system for approximately two months. I’ve used it once on a boat and the rest of the testing has been done on the ice.
Features
The VS 560 is a self contained unit. It’s compact and comes complete … there’s no need to buy accessaries.
This system has on screen displays which show the viewing direction, depth, temperature, auto pan speeds, battery charge remaining and a low battery warning icon.
This unit features a new underwater lighting system called Dark Water Technology.
It’s comes with 60’ of Kevlar reinforced cable and is stored on a cable reel.
The camera has a built in motor that can rotate 360 degrees. The motor can be controlled from the main key pad or from a supplied wireless remote control.
The camera comes with a weight for open water use and a down viewing strap.
The 5.5 inch black and white CRT monitor has controls for vertical hold, contrast and brightness.
The padded soft pack carrying case has a built in, collapsible viewing shroud for bright light conditions.
The battery supplied is a 12 volt, 7 amp hour sealed lead acid battery. It will supply approximately 9 hrs of viewing time. When LED lighting is in use 8 hours.
Test Conditions
I had originally started testing the Marcum VS 560 under ideal conditions. The conditions were clear water and no current flow in the area. The unit obviously did very well. After thinking about the testing I thought every test was probably done in the same manner.
I re-thought how I would test and decided the true test would be under
adverse conditions.
I chose a reservoir that has cloudy , tannic or “tea stained” water and I set up the equipment 70 feet from the main creek channel. This was to ensure limited visibility and to ensure debris in the water. At the time of testing there was 10” of ice plus 3” of snow on top. The test day was overcast with limited light.
I don’t like making a review a “comparison” but I felt I needed something to be able to compare the results against. I used another brand name unit with the same features as the VS 560. I’ll just call it Brand X.
I would have liked to have been able to shoot actual video footage but my camera did not have the proper connections and I couldn’t locate one to borrow. To make up for this I tried substituting the footage with screen pictures.
Hole with ice/snow
Testing
Before the actual testing I confirmed all features were working using a flasher to check the depth reading, a thermometer for temp reading and visual for direction.
To do the test I wanted a stationary “visual” for the cameras to be focused on. I chose a submerged tree and marked out two foot incriments …. 2, 4, 6 and 8 feet.
In daylight I placed the VS 560 camera in each hole and took the pic. I then placed Brand X’s camera in each hole and again took pics.
VS560 in daylight :
2 feet
4 feet
6 feet
8 feet
Brand X in daylight:
2 feet
4 feet
6 feet
8 feet
When it was dark I again placed the VS 560 camera in each hole and took a pic with lights off. I then took a pic with lights on.. I did the same with Brand X.
VS560 in darkness :
2 feet w/lights off
2 feet w/lights on
4 feet w/lights on
6 feet wlights on
8 feet w/lights on
Brand X in darkness :
2 feet w/lights off
2 feet w/lights on
4 feet w/lights on
6 feet w/lights on
8 feet w/lights on
Conclusion
This was done under the most adverse conditions I could find. I found the VS 560 had a better all around image compared to Brand X. I’m not sure if it’s due to the camera, monitor or both.
At the two feet distance in daylight both units did well. At 4, 6 and 8 feet the Marcum was much better.
Under darkness and with the lights on the Marcum was better hands down .. it's hard to see in the pics. The lighting on Brand X created the blizzard affect and washed out most viewing. The VS 560 lighting had a subtle affect on the water debris and allowed for better viewing. Instead of washing out in light it allowed a "shadow" viewing.
I found it easy to charge the system via a jack in the front of the unit.
The panning feature is one of this units biggest features. The camera has an enclosed motor which allowed me to pan left or right 360 degrees without the need for tripods and the twisting of cables. It also has Auto Pan with 3 speeds. Just hit the button and choose a speed .. slow, medium or fast. The motor will keep panning to allow you a 360 degree view. I found this feature nice while drifting in the boat along a weedline as well as ice fishing.
I had experienced only one problem with VS 560 and that is when I first charged it. It was 60 % charged and I went to top it off. After roughly 6 hours the light on the charger wasn’t turning off. I gave it another hour and it was still on. I turned the unit on and checked the on board battery status and it was 100 %. I contacted Marcum customer service and they stated it will do that the first time and to check the on board monitor. I’ve since charged the unit many times and it has worked fine.
