camera

Trying to decide on a camera for ice fishing. Never owned one, seen buddies use them. Also not sure about spending lots of money. Aqua vu or marcum? Ideas and experiences?

I researched the tar out of this last winter. I’m a Vexilar guy! However, the Marcum cameras are a better bang for the buck. I ended up buying the 485 C. Used it all winter. My dad bought one too. Love the camera.

I am pretty new to ice fishing and also use an FL 20, which I like. But just looking to up the game some. How was your unit in stained water? My main local lakes are in the 20 ft range and can be rather cloudy.

I have the Aqua View Micro II and it’s a nice unit for popping down a hole to see what’s the bottom look like. I use it for dialing in on transitions. I fish a lot of stained water and while they are a lot better then they used to be, they still aren’t the best in stained water. I can’t speak on the Marcums. I heard they are really nice units. I just happened to find this as a store return in Cabelas bargain cave for a good price.

That is where I am at as well. I can get an aqua vu for $160 or spend the $350 or more on the Marcum. Is it worth the double cost? Hard to know until you really use them, but that is what I was hoping to hear from users. Thanks for your reply.

I’ve used the three major brands and Marcum comes out on top for the clearest in anytype of water whether it’s the Recons or the VS series.
I have not used the newest Marcum models, but I was assume they are still using the “darkwater technology”.

Just keep in mind if you put a white jig in the water and can’t see it after 6″ of water no video camera will give you any better viewing.

BK is right, Marcum cameras are the clearest. Aqua-Vu cameras are pretty good also. I would seriously consider them.

My Marcum Recon 5+ has been back to Marcum twice in one year for the blue screen of death…they can’t seem to figure it out…worst part is I got it from a member here who KNEW about the units problem but failed to tell me…

I have the vexilar,in the shack ,it’s fine, outside ,not so much.l also have the Marcum recon 5, clear pic, but for me I still have to shield from sunlight. But the pic is real clear.

catmando wrote:

I have the vexilar,in the shack ,it’s fine, outside ,not so much.l also have the Marcum recon 5, clear pic, but for me I still have to shield from sunlight. But the pic is real clear.

There isn’t a camera made that works well outdoors in sunlight.

The micro cameras seem to have more issues I think. Many have complained about the Recon problems and I have an Aqua View Micro that after the 2nd season more or less pooped out after the warranty expired. The display had all kinds of lines running across.

Last year I bought the Marcum 485C and so far really like it. Time will tell how long it goes without problems. I do less hole hopping and spend most all my time in a fish house so the size, weight, and sunlight are rarely an issue.

I have been looking into the same thing. I used a Vexilar Fish SCout last winter and really liked it. I would love to try the Aqua Vu Micro to see how it compares, but otherwsie I’m leaning towards the newer Aqu Vu 715C. it has IR lighting, which from what I have seen on youtube videos would be a nice feature. i also want something with video out, so that if I get an Ice Castle next year, I can run it to the larger TV. It would be really nice to be able to see them all setup next to each other to make the decision easier.

Find someone that has the IR feature and try it on the water preferably with a Marcum side by side.

Just trying to keep a smile on your face.

Brian,

if you were going to spend $250-300 on a camera, would you go with the Marcum Recon 5 then over the Aqu Vu 715C or Vexilar fish Scout then? Do you know if you can still use the video out put if the screen goes out on a Marcum?

The Recon seems a lot better for being portable, and both the 715c and recon have the IR and LED.

I have an AquaVu Micro Revolution Pro (with internal DVR) and it is awesome. Fits in my pocket. Will run over 8 hours on the internal battery. The “spool”feature on the cable makes deploying/storing it very simple. It has a magnetic connection to power cable so it is VERY waterproof. I loved the DVR feature and posted many videos on Youtube ice fishing Lake trout in the BWCA last year to share with friends, which was fun.
Youtube of actual fishing
I think that the compass direction indicator that shows which direction it is pointing is very helpful if you intend to point it at your bait to see the bite.

I just found out something interesting yesterday. They sell reconditioned units with the 1 year warranty at a great price. Here is the link.

AquaVu Revolution – Reconditioned

I picked up the Recon 5 last season and had trouble with 2 units before getting the 3 one that has worked great since. Marcum was very good to work with on the issues however. With that said. I didn’t really use it as much as I thought I would. It is is putsy to aim the camera in the water. When it’s on it is great. I don’t think I would ever buy a high priced camera though.

The Marcum 485 has a very clear screen. That’s why I bought it over the other brands. The case is very nice. I have a power panner for it, with the remote control. No wires. That’s a must have. It does ok in murky water, but you just can’t see very far. The light helps, but not sure I want that on all the time. I bet they are all like that. Other folks are correct about using it outside. Very difficult to see the screen in bright sunlight. Cloudy days are pretty good. Check out Marcums website. Unless I looked at in wrong, it looks like they have a new camera out for 2019 that you can use outside in the sunlight. Not sure though. One way to look at the spend, is how soon are you going to buy another one? Buy the one you really want now, and take great care of it. Will last a long time if you do that. Just my 2 cents.

I apologize if I’m repeating some others, I tried to read through posts so I didn’t double up the information.

I bought a Recon 5+ last year. The main thing that sold me on that unit was the directional feature, meaning that it tells you what direction the camera is looking. I wanted this so that if I found fish or structure on camera I’d know which direction it was so I could adjust accordingly. I had quite a few issues with that, and sometimes I know the direction it gave me was dead off. I’ve been told there’s some sort of reset I can do to recalibrate so I sitll need to do that. Otherwise I’d say it’s a good unit, and definitely what I’d call a supplement. It’ll never take the place of a flasher.

The recalibrating instructions are in your manual otherwise you can find them on their support site: marcumtech.com/support

FT is right on. I had the same problem and it was a quick google search (because I couldn’t find the instructions)

Calibrating the camera will provide accurate camera direction readings. To calibrate, first enter the “setting” menu, press “menu/enter” and enter the “system setting” sub-menu. Using the up/down arrows cycle to “calibrate” and press “menu/enter”. An on-screen instructional message will appear on the screen: press the up arrow and rotate the camera clockwise two full revolutions.

Once complete press the down arrow to save. Once you press the up arrow button to start the calibration the screen will display “calibrating”. After two full revolutions have been achieved press the down arrow and the screen will display “calibrated” and the process is complete.

The camera direction is based on where the camera is faced relative to the earth and not the unit itself.

The posts have been very helpful. I think I am leaning towards the Marcum Recon 5. I don’t think I need the added features of the “Plus” and I did find a reconditioned Aqua Vu Micro 5 fro $239, but for $290 I can get a new Marcum.
Appreciate all the wisdom and experience shared. Heres to a fun season of ice fishing!

screen size is everything, get the biggest you can afford…I’ve purchased several used VS825SD’s over the years for 1/2 retail…

I love my vexilar fish scout but since I bought it, Marcum has come out with higher resolution cameras. I’m going marcum next.

Gunflint Trail wrote:

I have an AquaVu Micro Revolution Pro (with internal DVR) and it is awesome. Fits in my pocket. Will run over 8 hours on the internal battery. The “spool”feature on the cable makes deploying/storing it very simple. It has a magnetic connection to power cable so it is VERY waterproof. I loved the DVR feature and posted many videos on Youtube <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>ice fishing Lake trout in the BWCA last year to share with friends, which was fun.
Youtube of actual fishing
I think that the compass direction indicator that shows which direction it is pointing is very helpful if you intend to point it at your bait to see the bite.

I just found out something interesting yesterday. They sell reconditioned units with the 1 year warranty at a great price. Here is the link.

AquaVu Revolution – Reconditioned

GT, thank you for posting that video. Why did the direction indicator only start to show up half way through (4:42) the video? Is there a setting you turn on and off? Also, was the “E” flashing because it was just on the edge of being SE or…?

Do both the AquaVu Micro Revolution Pro and the Marcum Recon 5 + have the direction indicator?

BHM swing by the boat next weekend. I have a few cameras hanging over the side.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

BHM swing by the boat next weekend. I have a few cameras hanging over the side.

Will Do! I’ll shoot you a text before hand.