Underwater Video

[Trent]

Anybody used some of the underwater video cameras for fishing? Wondering how well they work in freshwater? And cheap places to buy the camera and build myself.

 

[DP]

Re: Underwater Video

I have two of the black & white Atlantis units and realy like them. The 4" is great on the bow when bass fishing and I use the 5.5" model off the stern when using the downriggers. I have seen their color model and it is nice.<br />You can check them out at: www.jfainc.com/atlantis.html <br /><br /><br />****

 

[Spur]

Re: Underwater Video

I owned and operated a dive shop in Belton Texas for 10 years. I have shot hundreds of hours of underwater video. I have not done it fishing but have a few tips.<br /><br />Use soft light in water that is not real clear.<br /><br />When possible shot the footage from below looking toward the sun.<br /><br />I used a sony high 8. Get a good housing the camera is expensive and the housing should cost about as much.<br /><br />Good Luck

 

[petryshyn]

Re: Underwater Video

Yo Trent<br /><br />Just built one last year. Works unbelievably well. The camera I used is a B+W surveillance CCD and is incredibly sensitive. About the size of a 9V battery. The camera cost about $40.00 US. I also built a light array but took it off. Found it unnecessary, as the camera is good till close to pitch dark!! With fittings and odds and ends it ran about $70.00 US.<br /><br />By the time I got it in the water, our lake had algae growth that late in the year. I fish in 16' of water. At that depth, visibility was about 6'. You could see walleye come in and hit. If you lowered the camera to 4', you could read a newspaper. I'm sure it would be a lot better earlier in the year when algae is lessened.<br /><br />If you need more light for night use, I believe a combination of red and green lights cut through the silt the best.<br /><br />

 

[SeaDawg]

Re: Underwater Video

Schematic, do you have any of your neat drawings/part numbers/etc. of this one? Did you use a 12V TV or a monitor?<br /><br /><br />I would love to make one up.

 

[Trent]

Re: Underwater Video

Thanks..Schematic<br /><br />I fish for Crappie almost always at night..Im wanting to see if the fish finder is seeing fish or structure? Do the IR cameras do well in 25 feet of water (at night)? If so can you link me up with the camera and cable stuff that I will need? Trentcr@hotmail.com

 

[12Footer]

Re: Underwater Video

Spur has a vaild point when it comes to the enclosure. I use undewater cameras all the time at werk. These cameras were designed to be submerged, and have to be sealed very well. One seal failure, and I have to replace the module (pulnix). So if you plan on building one,(i did ) go with the B&W CCD,as they are much cheaper, are very low lux (operate on low light), and have awesome resoution for thier tiny size. What Spur also eluded to was the lighting. The most sturdy light scource are LEDs,preferably infrared. You wiil want to mount them well behind the camera lens,and preferably outside of the camera's enclosure.This will keep reflection down to a minimum. But as Spur said, it will still relect off anything in the water that isn't water. The camera module puts out "LINE LEVEL" or "COMPOSITE" video signal. This is the same type of signal used by VCRs, DVD players, and Camcorders with "video input" or "line in/line out" jacks on it.I used a handheld color LCD TV with line level input (CASIO model EV-660B). It runs off of 6volts, and goes thru a set of AA bateries in less than 4 hours run time. I have a jack for external power, but it's so tiny, I doubt it could handle the estimated 3AMP load without melting down...So I buy lotsa batteries.<br />I recently squished the homemade "enclosure" under the seat doing some wave-jumpin. I have to find another spice jar with the many-threaded lid, but Warren's Spices now use a plastic jar..Back to the drawin-board for a cheapo enclosure.<br />One other tip..Just before sealing the enclosure for all time, put a samll jell pack in it to absorb any moisture that may get inside the case,and fogging the lens and glass encolsure. It really helps.

 

[petryshyn]

Re: Underwater Video

SeaDawg:<br />> I don't have any pictures of the unit, but I can draw something up from memory. The camera is 150 mile from here at my cabin.<br />> I used a 12" B+W monitor for evening, and a viewfinder eyepiece I salvaged from an old video camcorder, for bright daylight. It’s hard to see anything on a monitor in bright sunlight unless you put a black shade around the screen. A cheap 12V TV will work just as good if it has a NTSC video input.(RCA plug)<br />> The camera I used was a Deltavision S36PCB NA Very good resolution and sensitivity. It actually can see better than you can in dim conditions.<br />>Here's the camera out of the housing.....<br />

<br /><br />> I have some used monitors for sale if needed...<br /><br />Trent:<br />> Your comment rings a bell... The whole motivation for me building one of these things was to prove my Finder right or wrong!! I have a Z-9000 with a huge LCD screen. My wife is always teasing me, saying that the fish on screen are just a endless rotating paper behind the glass......LOL. Unfortunately, I finished it too late in the season when the water was too murky and the fish were biting so hard, there was little time to play. So the jury is still out on the accuracy. My son had a blast watching walleye coming in, for the time we did use it.<br />> You mentioned an "IR" camera. The camera I used is not a true IR camera. It is sensitive to IR, but not true IR like you see on TV. IR LED's will supply the appropriate light for these cameras in pitch dark and totally illuminate the room (kinda neat), but the heat from a human body is not enough to get an image in total darkness. Using this camera in total darkness, with IR LED's works great. Using a camera underwater with IR illumination in total darkness is very limited in distance (IR is heat, water is cold) 2'-3' is about it for anything I can afford. Using this camera underwater in total darkness, with the aid of a visible light source is a different story. It will work well providing the water is clear, and you chose the proper color of lights. Unfortunately, visible light scares walleye away (tried it ice fishing) and I don't know what it does to Crappie. If I were to view at night, I would (as spur says) use soft light like a vehicle headlight with a green plexi-glass covering the front, and a headlight with blue plexi as well. One at the bow and one at the stern, two or three feet down. Yes, a headlight can be run underwater without a sealed fixture, and no the leads won't conduct enough to short the circuit out. If you go this route, get a piece of red, blue and green plexi to lens the headlights with. I can't remember which 2 were the best together. Best to try. White light is poor, as it really shows up all the microscopic pieces suspended in the water. As I said, I built a light kit for the camera, but found it un-needed till dusk.<br /><br />Good luck!!

 

[petryshyn]

Re: Underwater Video

Sorry 12'er<br /><br />I was typin' while you were postin'<br /><br />I'll have to show you my enclosure. A gravel truck could run over it and not hurt it...<br />cost about $10 and a little work....

 

[Rex]

Re: Underwater Video

LET ME KNOW ABOUT ALL THE INFO.<br />REX A. HUBBLE

 

[Trent]

Re: Underwater Video

Thanks for all the tips! I believe in the near future I will be giving it a try.<br /><br />Down here I fish with shop lights hanging over the side of my pontoon boat and use drop lights in the water also..Brings in the minnows and that brings in the Crappie. Even the generator running dont seem to bother the Crappie... On a good night I will catch 100-150 fish.

 

[SeaDawg]

Re: Underwater Video

Yea, thanks guys. I'll probably make one up this winter, I'll post and let everyone know how it works.

 

[DJ]

Re: Underwater Video

Be careful folks. In some states, you cannot fish with an underwater camera. Don't let the fish Five "O" catch you.

 

[petryshyn]

Re: Underwater Video

 

[DJ]

Re: Underwater Video

Gee whiz. I am now convinced that Schematic could make a nuclear reactor from two coffee cans, some duct tape and a needle and seat from a '58' Evinrude.<br /><br />WOW!<br /><br />Great Job. on the illustration.

 

[petryshyn]

Re: Underwater Video

Trent:<br />I don't know what the heck a Crappie is, but with those kinda numbers, someday 'we' gotta go fishin'!!<br /><br />

 

[Trent]

Re: Underwater Video

Come on down...Its like a spotted bream. Their mouths are just like paper..Good eating. Throw a grill on the boat and fish and eat and tells lies all night.. <br /><br />But you have to be right on top of them! Thats why I want to be able to drop the camera and know if its fish or structure or both.

 

[petryshyn]

Re: Underwater Video

djohns19:<br />Actually, the needle and seat from the 58 ev. was too small. Used one off the 1 ton grain truck!!! If you look to the north at dark, you can probably see my garage lit up!!....LOL<br /><br />Trent:<br /><br />Might take you up on that someday! Is a Crappie something like a perch? Would they eat leeches?

 

[DJ]

Re: Underwater Video

Schematic,<br /><br />Gotta use minnows on crappie or jigs with a waxworm. Think-small bait and a very slow take.<br /><br />Are you working on "cold fusion" in your laboratory?<br /><br />My printers running low on ink with all these "how bout that" diagrams I've been printing off.<br /><br />Keep em' coming-Thanks!

 

[Trent]

Re: Underwater Video

Down here they call them Crappie..Some old timers do call them Speckled Perch. Or White Perch.