Marcum Camera Difference?

Looking at picking up a Marcum Camera and trying to decide what model… Camera will mainly be used in the big house on Mille Lacs and plugged into the big TV quite ofter but will also be used to scout structure with the ATV. Not really looking to use it to go fish with in a portable.

What is really the difference in the 385C versus the 625SD and 825SD?

Best I can tell from there site is all 3 use the same underwater camera technology and the 625 and 825 looks to be just different screen sizes with differnt resolution.

What about the 385C? How does this one compare in image quality and night viewing? Again this will mainly be hooked up to another TV while in the house and also be used to scout structure.

Thanks!

I have a 625SD, I beleive the SD models are the only cameras to offer Temp/Voltage/Depth/Camera Direction info on screen. They also offer Color kill, but i don’t beleive that’s an exclusive feature anymore for the SD’s. You will not find abetter underwater camera than the Marcum line, they are pricey, but you get what you pay for…

I think Skeeter covered most of it but it is also my understanding that the SD models are easier to read under brighter ambient light conditions. Not an issue if your inside a house but they may read easier in brighter light (when your scouting) but I have never had the chance to compare them in outside light conditions.

I do like the 385C screen demensions
Bob

I also have the 625sd and it works great. You can get an awesome picture in clearer water. “Night-time” viewing is surprisingly good, but once the sun is almost down you are SOL, and I am sure that is universal with all camera models (the lights on the marcum camera buy you an extra 10 minutes of viewing when the sun is setting imo). My guess is you are going to get the same night-time performance from both models as they use the same manta camera.

As far as the differences between the 625sd and 385c, it looks like they upped the resolution a bit with the newest model (800×480 vs 640×480) but other than that, I am not finding much of a difference. Perhaps like skeeter mentioned, they may have done away with some of the on-screen display features. I have found the camera direction reading to be invaluable; it shows which way your camera is facing in relation to your camera screen, so you can find your jig easily/quickly.

Quote:

---

I think Skeeter covered most of it but it is also my understanding that the SD models are easier to read under brighter ambient light conditions. Not an issue if your inside a house but they may read easier in brighter light (when your scouting) but I have never had the chance to compare them in outside light conditions.

I do like the 385C screen demensions
Bob

---

Bob brought up another point here. The 625 is difficult to hole hop with during the daytime in that the screen is hard to view with the sunlight glare. You have to tilt the screen at the right angle and cup the screen with your hands to block out the sun light, and doing that all the while finessing the camera cord to pan around the bottom structure takes some skill/patience/and practice. Don’t get me wrong, you can still accomplish looking at structure during the daylight, but its difficult and this camera is best suited to be viewed inside a shack/flipover/ etc. where the ambient light is minimal.

A year or 2 ago we did a shoot with Dwight from Sheels and had 3 different cameras and recorded the difference between….if BK was around today he might know where the footage is. My personal opinion is if you got the $$$ go with the 825 definitly a great camera that BK and I have done a lot of underwater footage with seen HERE

From my experiance, the sunlight viewing enhancement is pretty much bogus vs other cameras, if viewing outside you’ll absolutely need the sunshade from marcum (or make your own) I went with the 6″ screen vs the 8″ because I figured you would get better battery performance with the smaller screen. In terms of night viewing, Marcum cameras don’t have the snow blizzard effect other cameras do, that’s really what you pay for with Marcum.

How do these cameras work in stained waters like Castle Rock, WI? I usually fish in 12 – 25 feet of water.

it all depends, but i’m confident in saying the Marcum will always show the best picture vs other cameras…

Quote:

---

it all depends, but i’m confident in saying the Marcum will always show the best picture vs other cameras…

---

I can agree with that…upon further review I noticed that the 325 had a squished panoramic or stretched looking picture though it was crisp and clear, the 825 definitly had the best looking picture that I could tell. Looks like they are selling them at blow out prices at the sportsman show in St.Paul