PowerVision Underwater drone
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Best Underwater Fishing Camera Reviews

Introduction

If you’re looking for the greatest underwater fishing camera, you’ve come to the right place. We’re here to assist you in finding the greatest one for you, as well as pointing you in the right direction for the best pricing…

Fishing is a sport in which talent, knowledge, and luck all play a part. At least, such was the case. We can now employ technology to assist with the final two of them, increasing our chances of catching something. Enter the underwater fishing camera, which gives the discerning angler a visual picture of what’s going beneath the surface that would otherwise be unseen. In short, these incredible instruments can assist in revealing information that would otherwise be difficult, if not impossible, to obtain from the riverside.

Underwater fishing cameras can be attached to the line to function alongside the angler’s bait, and are generally designed to seem like conventional floats. Because they’ll be dealing with murky and often dark waters, you might want to look for a device that promises low-light capability, possibly with infrared vision, while making your choice. Yes, you could use a regular underwater camera(opens in new tab) or action camera(opens in new tab) instead of one specifically designed for fishing, but you won’t be able to monitor what’s going on beneath the water’s surface in real-time unless the camera has a dedicated app that allows you to use your smartphone as a remote. Some may argue that this is the whole point of having a dedicated underwater camera.

Such systems, at their most basic, consist of an underwater camera and a monitoring screen connected by a wire that can be extended or retracted using a spool, much like a fishing line. This entails raising and lowering the camera using your hands.

Best Underwater Fishing Cameras of 2023

PowerVision Powerray Wizard Underwater Drone
  • Can dive to 98 feet underwater
  • 230ft long waterproof tether cable
  • A fully integrated 4K UHD camera shoots 12MP photos
  • 64GB SD Card
  • Magnetic bait drop
  • Built-in fish finder sonar
  • VR Goggles
MarCum VS485C Underwater Viewing System
  • Battery: enclosed 12 volts, 7.2 amp-hour battery
  • Est. battery life: 6-8 hours
  • Cable length: 50’
  • Monitor resolution: 800 x 480
  • Screen Size: 7” 16:9 aspect ratio LCD monitor
  • Camera viewing angle: 90-degree Sony Super HAD II ultra-low lux CCD
Eyoyo Original Professional Underwater Video Camera S1322MG
  • Battery: standard 12 volts (4500 mAh)
  • Est. battery life: 4-7 hours
  • Cable length: 30m (98’)
  • Monitor resolution: N/A
  • Screen Size: 7”
  • Camera viewing angle: 1000TVLwith unspecified viewing angle and both LED and IR lights
MarCum Recon 5+ Underwater Camera Viewing System
  • Battery: internal lithium-ion battery pack
  • Est. battery life: 5-6 hours
  • Cable length: 50’
  • Monitor resolution: 800 x 480 Hi-Res Color
  • Screen Size: 5” LCD monitor
  • Camera viewing angle: 110 degrees
RICANK Underwater Fishing Camera
  • Great Quality
  • Really Long cable
  • Mounting Bracket
  • Great Ice Fishing Camera

PowerVision Powerray Wizard Underwater Drone

When you’re out fishing, have you ever wondered what’s under your boat? A fish finder can only show you so much, but an underwater fishing drone can! These units are fantastic, and they’re ideal for everything from fishing to underwater surveys. Find out where the fish are hiding on the reefs or in the rivers. Find new fishing spots where the huge fish are congregating.

The recording quality is excellent because of the inbuilt 4k Ultra High Definition camera, and the 64GB SD card allows you to shoot hours of underwater footage. Don’t be concerned about losing the device! It comes with a 230-foot tether rope linked to the unit, allowing you to quickly retrieve it if necessary.

The PowerRay can dive to a depth of 98 feet and has a magnetic bait drop feature, which is ideal for putting your bait just where the fish are! This unit also comes with VR Goggles, which allow you to immerse yourself in the underwater environment from the safety of dry ground – a very cool feature!

Pros

  • Dive depth of 98 feet
  • VR Goggles
  • Strong construction
  • Includes carry case

Cons

  • Tricky to pair with the iPhone app
  • The controller is not waterproof
  • Can be tricky to control at first

MarCum VS485C Underwater Viewing System

You’ve probably seen (and worn) MarCum red if you fish hard water. Generations of ice fishermen have put their trust in this brand to have a good time in the winter. In the flasher industry, it has a constant fight with Vexilar, but on the ice camera front, we’re calling it decisively for Big Red.

The VS485C from MarCum is the Recon 5’s big brother, with a larger screen and a style inspired by pop-ups and shanties. The VS485C is an easy choice for our top slot, thanks to its robust battery and excellent monitor and camera.

MarCum is no stranger to the ice, and you can anticipate all-weather toughness and a case built to cushion harsh hits, just like Vexilar. The image quality is where MarCum differs from Vexilar, and you’ll notice it right immediately.

MarCum’s full-size 7-inch screen gives amazing resolution, likely exceeding the camera’s analog capability, and is powered by a Sony camera with impressive low-light skills and an extremely fine resolution. Furthermore, the VS485C will automatically transition to sharper B/W imaging if the light is too low or the water is too unclear for full-color resolution. That’s a thoughtful touch.

The MarCum fishing camera, in our opinion, is the best of the group, providing crisper, sharper images than its competitors. It’s a winner for ice fishing when paired with this fantastic screen.
However, the manufacturer offers a sun cover with this item, and the instructions recommend that the screen be shaded from direct sunlight for optimal viewing. For best results, we’d keep this bad guy indoors or limit its outside use to overcast days.

The gadget is connected to MarCum’s superb underwater fishing camera by a 50-foot cable, a reference to the industry standard shared by Vexilar. Expect a video-out port, but no SD card, just like its Vexilar rival.

Pros

  • Robust and durable
  • Good battery life
  • Excellent monitor
  • Excellent fishing camera

Cons

  • Short cable
  • No SD card/recording

Eyoyo Original Professional Underwater Video Camera S1322MG

Eyoyo is a relative newcomer to ice fishing, but this Chinese monitor firm has already made a name for itself as a master of customer service. Eyoyo engineers have even gone so far as to ask for feedback on ice-fishing forums—a bold step!

Are Eyoyo’s systems viable replacements for the tried-and-true MarCum and Vexilar?

That is the most important question.

This item comes with a cushioned metal casing for enhanced durability. Nothing you take on the ice will survive if you can get past all that security! In terms of electronic durability, users do experience troubles from time to time, but the manufacturer is fast to address them.

Eyoyo features a 7-inch monitor with bright, vivid colors. There are no complaints, and the few people who have experienced issues say the maker was fast to reply and generous with replacements.

The camera is where we’re most concerned. Eyoyo describes an unidentified unit as having 1000TVL resolution. As previously stated, this is an analog specification, and experts claim that it is frequently misleading.

According to them, neither the cable nor the DVR can support a resolution of 1000TVL and are limited to 720TVL at most. Many Chinese companies, on the other hand, misinterpret good 1080p resolution cameras as 1000TVL, combining digital and analog designations.

Users report good video quality and are impressed by the performance of the infrared lights in low light, regardless of the camera resolution. In the real world, we have no issues, however, we would give MarCum’s great Sony camera the edge in terms of quality and range.

The Eyoyo, on the other hand, has a long cable. That’s a big positive in our book, and we’re impressed.
This device also has an SD card port, albeit it converts video to.AVI files. This makes editing or viewing them on a PC or Mac difficult, so it’s generally better to revisit them on this system. Nonetheless, it’s a welcome addition.

Pros

  • Awesome customer service
  • Big, high-quality screen
  • Infrared lights for night fishing
  • Long cable

Cons

  • Poor battery life
  • Durability issues

MarCum Recon 5+ Underwater Camera Viewing System

Everyone on the ice knows the MarCum name, and they’ve been delivering winter fishing adventures for years, from flashers to bibs. MarCum is a well-known brand whose goods can be relied on to perform season after season, and the Recon 5+ is no exception.

The Recon 5+ is an update over the earlier Recon 5, with SD card compatibility and video recording capabilities. That’s a valuable feature in our opinion, and it’s probably worth paying a little more to get it.

The Recon 5+ is otherwise identical to the Recon 5.

MarCum’s decades of knowledge translate into real-world robustness, so expect bomb-proof durability. The integrated lithium-ion battery pack, according to MarCum, has a temperature range of 14F to 104F and can hold a charge in single digits. In typical circumstances, that pack should last up to 6 hours before requiring recharging.

The Recon 5+, as its name suggests, has a 5-inch screen with excellent resolution and an undisclosed camera. That camera isn’t a true competitor to the excellent Sony of the MarCum VS485C, but it gets the job done and has a 110-degree viewing angle. It also has three angle settings: down, up, and horizontal, which is a nice bonus (normal).

If light levels or turbidity impede clear color video, the camera will automatically transition to B/W, just as the other MarCum underwater fishing camera we evaluated. That’s a lovely touch, and you can count on this fishing camera to deliver good clarity, clear images, and plenty of range.

The Recon 5+ is a tiny device that can be quickly packed and moved, but it does suffer from a small screen, and like most similar cameras, it’s probably best kept out of direct sunlight while in operation.

This is an excellent alternative if you want a conveniently stored, readily stowed underwater fishing camera system with an SD card slot. However, keep in mind that it saves video files in the.AVI format and reduces the resolution to 720 x 240. This means that re-watching these files on the Recon 5+ is preferable to exporting them to a PC or Mac.

Pros

  • Robust and durable
  • OK battery life
  • Excellent monitor
  • Good camera
  • Easily stored and transported
  • SD card slot

Cons

  • Short cable
  • .AVI file format and altered resolution on recordings

RICANK Underwater Fishing Camera

The RICANK Fish Finder is an excellent choice for fishermen who don’t want to carry a lot of gear and want to travel light while still having a great underwater fishing camera.

Ricank takes care of everything, even if they ask for too much.
It has a 4.3-inch backlit LCD display and a 100-foot sturdy wire that gives a high-resolution video stream. It comes with a sun visor and a mounting bracket to connect it to your rod on bright days. With all of that stated, it gives us the go-ahead in terms of portability.

The video camera will work even in frigid weather and under ice or deep water thanks to the eight-strong LEDs. Despite the fact that these are not infrared LED lights, they operate admirably at night.

In terms of battery life, it comes with a 5000mA battery that lasts for 8 hours, which is more than enough for a whole fishing day.

Despite the fact that it lacks infrared lighting like the others on the list, it performs admirably in all other areas. Essentially, you get what you paid for; a simple and inexpensive underwater fishing camera that can also be used for ice fishing. There aren’t many underwater cameras that can handle ice fishing, so this is a huge benefit!

Pros

  • Great Quality
  • Really Long cable
  • Mounting Bracket
  • Great Ice Fishing Camera

Cons

  • Small Display
  • No infrared LEDs

Choosing the best underwater cameras for fishing – Buying Guide

Durability

Low temperatures take a toll on equipment for hard-water fishermen. Even the best ice fishing shelters and heaters can only go so far in terms of producing a technologically pleasant environment.

Whether you’re dealing with ponds of water on the ice, freezing temperatures, or the occasional bump and knock as you drag your sled, you’ll need a camera system that can take a beating and still perform admirably.

Cable length

The length of the cable is a major consideration.

The greatest fishing camera on an underwater system, unlike the transducers on your flasher, can only see what’s right in front of it (there are exceptions, like the three-position camera on MarCum’s Recon 5+). To use a camera in practice, you must be able to suspend it close to the bottom. Your camera must also be able to reach weed beds in order to see the fish that live and hunt in them.

Screen Resolution and Camera Quality

This is likely the most difficult technical specification of these systems, and it’s worth remembering that these fishing systems are essentially just security cameras dressed up. What applies to one also applies to the other.

Pixel count and TVL are two distinct ways of measuring resolution (television lines).

Pixel count is a digital measure of resolution that combines two numbers to indicate the horizontal and vertical (mega)pixel count. Simply speaking, the higher the megapixel count, the higher the resolution.

However, these values also serve as a ratio—for example, 480 x 234–that further specifies the shape of the picture.’ It’s 16:9, or ‘widescreen,’ in this situation. The picture will be quite flat if the horizontal number (first) is more than double the vertical pairing (second), and in.AVI file format, it may be difficult to view on a regular monitor.

TVL, on the other hand, is an analog video quality measurement that describes how many horizontal “television lines” a video camera can capture. “A resolution of 400 TVL means that 200 distinct dark vertical lines and 200 distinct white vertical lines can be counted over a horizontal span equal to the height of the picture…. [a] resolution of 400 TVL means that 200 distinct dark vertical lines and 200 distinct white vertical lines can be counted over a horizontal span equal to the height of the picture.”

As can be seen, the higher the TVL number, the higher the image quality:

However, the wire connecting the camera to the monitor must not exceed 750TVL, therefore a camera with a higher resolution is a waste of money!
It’s also worth mentioning that the VS485C’s great Sony camera is actually a CCD/analog-type measured in TVL—which implies MarCum is translating TVL measures into digital megapixels in the product description.

None of the systems we looked at utilized a digital camera, as far as we could tell from the technical specs.

Camera Viewing Angle

With your underwater fishing camera, you don’t want to see microscopic details, therefore you’ll want a broad field of view.

As mentioned, the models we looked at have either 90 or 110-degree viewing angles. Both work admirably, and we don’t see how one has a competitive advantage over the other.

Screen Size

The average screen size appears to be around seven inches. As you’d imagine, more portable units, such as the Recon 5+, are smaller.

We like the seven-inch rule for ice fishing because the room in a pop-up is usually limited when there are multiple anglers.

SD Card/Recording

Many fishermen want to use their underwater fishing cameras – and hooks – to record the fish they encounter and then share the videos with their friends and family.

If that’s important to you, look for a device with an SD card slot. But don’t be fooled: these videos will be saved in the.AVI file format, which isn’t the most user-friendly alternative.

Because Windows Media Player won’t open.AVI files, you’ll need to download some software to edit and view them.

That may sound like a lot of work, and it is. So, unless this is a feature you absolutely need, you might want to skip it.

Battery Life

One of these systems’ defining qualities is battery life, and more is definitely preferable. We want to see estimated numbers that allow for all-day fishing rather than a wonderful underwater fishing camera with a short window for use.

Water Resistance

This is the portion that stands out the most. When it comes to underwater fishing cameras, they need to be able to withstand a lot of water. No, I’m not referring to water resistance. Some cameras can withstand water sprays and the like, but if they plunge deep, the water’s weight completely swallows them. As a result, double-check the depth to which your camera can be submerged.

Conclusion

Outside of expert and exorbitantly priced equipment, underwater fishing cameras are still in their infancy. Because of its youth, many features need to be fine-tuned and improved before tackle corporations contemplate branding their own versions. But, as with all new technology, this is to be expected.

Long before their utility for angling was established, drones were thought to be nothing more than toys, and today every carp fishing film will incorporate a lot of drone footage. Underwater cameras are a future technology that is now available, so seize the opportunity to be a trailblazer and learn how they can benefit your angling today before everyone else does!

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