Just looking for some advice on underwater camera’s I’m thinking about buying one this year. Right now I’m looking at the cabela’s advanced angler series for 200.00. I read the reviews and it looks like a good buy but was wondering what everyone else thought. 
Where’s BK when ya need him. He’s got all the inside scoop on underwater cameras. Matter of fact he’s famous, maybe if you ask nice and bring cookies, he’d give a demo and an autograph 
jerr
Hey Kevin,
I’ll be back in a few minutes. Jerr fell off the wagon again.
What do you normally fish for. I’m guessing the lakes around New Richmond?
I was at Cabela’s last year looking to upgrade my Aqua Vu. I talked with the salesman about dusk/night time viewing and he told me the advanced anglers are the same as aqua vu’s. They don’t work well in low light conditions. All you see is the snow storm of the light reflecting off the particulates in the water. I don’t have a Marcum but from what I’ve read here on IDO if you’re looking to use it in low light conditions you may want to look at Marcum’s line. I am pretty sure BK will agree with that after seeing some of the footage he has recorded with his.
MarCum has a big phrase for a simple concept. They call it Darkwater Technology. The camera housing has its lights positioned above the camera lense projecting the light down upon the object you’re viewing instead of having the lights around the lense which gives you the “driving in a snowstorm with your highbeams on” effect. Combine that feature to an automatically adjusting iris and you will view things much better, although it is still not the same as viewing in the daylight.
If this is the camera I’m thinking of it has a 7″ monitor and a sony camera?
There’s been some complaints about them not working out of the box, so if you do get one take it completely out of the box and check it out. Heck do that with any camera. Nothing worse than getting home with your new toy and it doesn’t work.
I would like to recommend the Marcum VS 380. Link To VS 380<<
Here’s why. Marcum uses the Darkwater system to eliminate particle reflection. Days are short in the winter and darkness comes early. With out the Darkwater Technology the screen turns into a snow storm with the lights reflecting off of the particles in the water. The camera becomes useless at dusk and when the camera is lowered past the depth the sunlight penetrates.
The golden hour is at sunset for most fishing. This is the time I want a camera, not the time to be putting it away.
In fact, with the Sony Super HAD CCD low lux camera, I find I don’t need the lights turned on as early as with other cameras.
Check them out at the Ice Show as the Marcum booth! 
What they said!
Quote:
What they said!
slowing down eh?
No…talking on the phone, typing and using a calculator with my toes.
octawitter 
Quote:
No…talking on the phone, typing and using a calculator with my toes.
AND wishing I was fishing.
Yea i normally fish around New Richmond and the occasional trip up to the big pond. I never thought about after dark fishing it makes sense. So you think the extra 100.00 for the marcum is worth it? I’ll prob end up going with one but 300.00 is startin to get up there. Thanks everyone for the advice i love this website it’s so informational!!
Worth the extra $100….um I think so!
Watch for the bottom of the boat, then the cameras lowered down. Without lights, you’ll see the sand/sediment plume and then the light come on.
Quote:
Hey Kevin,
I’ll be back in a few minutes. Jerr fell off the wagon again.
________
Whaddya expect, wifey went home to mother (again) Isn’t that BK the nicest little guy you ever met? Kinda cute toojerr
Quote:
Yea i normally fish around New Richmond and the occasional trip up to the big pond. I never thought about after dark fishing it makes sense. So you think the extra 100.00 for the marcum is worth it? I’ll prob end up going with one but 300.00 is startin to get up there. Thanks everyone for the advice i love this website it’s so informational!!
Definately worth it
I started with an AV and now have a Marcum. There is no comparison!
The only good thing about a Cabela’s underwater camera is that they will give you a full refund if you save your receipt. Mine lasted about 6 trips and the cable going down to the camera developed a bad connection right where it goes into the camera housing. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that you need a strain releif on a wire when it enters a rigid housing.
After getting my money back I bought a Marcum VS380, it does have a strain releif and works far better than a Cabela’s camera.
BK were you drifting and how deep was the water ?
Quote:
BK were you drifting and how deep was the water ?
yes drifting,and some footage is in the 40 foot range.Most however I believe was 20 ft and less depending location.
Sorry I missed this..I was in the Rock and Roll thread.
If the lights are on it was deeper than 30 feet. If I recall that one was in 33 fow.
In daylight, we can see pretty darn good in 26 fow light penetration with the river conditions we had dropped off quickly after that.
Bk or Dean was that shot with the Marcum 380 ?
It was an 825c color. Once there isn’t any light the image pretty much shows up as B&W.
Are the 825c and VS820 pretty much identical feature/quality wise except one is color and the other is B&W? How long does the battery last? Does the color monitor eat battery faster? I’m thinking the B&W model is the better deal? What benefits do color provide?
We have the av scout and it looks like it should have led lights in the nose of the camera (bluegill) if you turn it on in a dark room in the house, you can see pretty good but no lights in the led bulbs ????
Quote:
Are the 825c and VS820 pretty much identical feature/quality wise except one is color and the other is B&W? How long does the battery last? Does the color monitor eat battery faster? I’m thinking the B&W model is the better deal? What benefits do color provide?
The difference is B&W.
It really depends on the type of fishing your doing.
I can pick out the color of a bright jig faster with color, same with a fish. If your fishing deep or at night, everything is pretty much black and white anyway.
I’ve used my color Marcum for 8 hours without a recharge. It’s never let me down so far, but would have a back up battery if I were fishing for a couple days in a sleeper.
Feature wise they are the same.
There is a heater in both the color and B&W monitors. It turns on and off automatically depending on the temp. Indoors, the battery will last longer than outdoors…but again, mine has lasted 8 hours outside and still have battery life.
WarrenMN
I wouldn’t waste my time fishing that spot!
The bass didn’t show up till I got five feet deeper but I only used the first part of the recording do to bad wifi here. I saw two bass and one beat up drum. That area is usually out of water but the lake was 25 above normal high pool. One tree top was just out of the water there. Thats where the stuff in the video came from, live brush.
WarrenMN
Nuts Warren! I though you would come back with more 820 video..this time with fish!
But either way, it’s good to know the structure you’re fishing!
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
