Recommendations for an underwater video camera?

[snake95]

Considering getting an underwater camera.

 

My main objective is to use it to learn more about underwater structure and to satisfy my own curiosity.

 

I am not expecting huge things from it - not planning to go out looking for fish with it, per se.

 

Typically stay away from off-brand products, but for playing around, I am fine with it, especially considering some of the poor reviews I have seen from some of the major manufacturers.

 

Basically, I am looking for a "toy" that also works.

 

Any suggestions?

 

[TnRiver46]

Aquavu has been popular for many years 

[Way2slow]

If you are not fishing clear water, don't waste your money.  I've had a couple over the years, and in stained water, they were basically useless.  You will be lucky if you can see five feet in water less than 10 feet deep where's there's still some light.  Get down much deeper and it gets too dark to even see that far.  Drop a large spinner bait in the water and see how deep it gets before you can't see it.  That's about how far you will be able to see with the camera in shallow water and that gets less as it gets deeper and darker.  Don't think that little ring of LED's around it are going to light the world up, they do very little unless really close.

I will say, it has been at least 10 years or more since I wasted money on what was supposed to be a top of the line one, so they might have changed, but I seriously doubt it.  I blamed the first one on trying to go cheap and bought what was supposed to be the best.  That just wasted more money.  

[Bankc]

They're typically not worth the money, even for a toy.  Usually, an underwater camera won't show you much more that you'll see from above the water.  Polarized sunglasses are your best bet here.  

 

I've done a bit of underwater photography.  As noted, the limiting factor is going to be light, and powerful, underwater lights are expensive.  And even then, the water clarity is going to be the main problem.  If you can't see further than three feet down in the water with polarized sunglasses, then you'll probably see less than three feet in front of the lens even with the most powerful lights.  When I was doing some underwater photography in the clear waters off Maui, I noticed that your eyes can see a lot further in the water than the camera.  Which makes sense, because your eyes are much more sensitive to light than even the best camera sensors.  

 

Now if you're wanting to document this type of stuff for later research, then it might be worth it.  A cheap way to get into it might be to look into a used Go Pro in a waterproof housing, or a used waterproof point and shoot camera with video capabilities.  But typically, an underwater camera is best for publishing videos to YouTube and watching how baits run in a swimming pool.  Outside of ice fishing, they're not of much use to the angler on the water.  

[Jig Man]

I paid $600 for an aqua view.  I couldn’t use it for the sun.  I gave it to my daughter so they can look at stuff under their dock.