underwater camera

BASSINBOB,
Sea-Drop is the model made by Seaviewer who was making underwater cameras before some of the guys now making them were born. Okay, I don't know if that's true for sure, but back in the 70s, I remember Seaviewer advertising color cameras for the saltwater market, loooonggg before Atlantis and Aqua came along.

I have an older Aqua-Vu Jr that I bought at a great price back when I couldn't afford more. It's worked pretty good. I had friends who had problems with the cables shorting and the lens getting water in it, so I've been careful to not bang the lens around and I taped the cable up for some support. They've improved some of this and I like their newer models, but I usually prefer to really get what I need to do the job best and the most dependable model.

I'm sponsored by Combat Fishing who is a dealer for Seaviewer which got me looking again at their products. Now that I've compared them to Atlantis, Aqua-Vu and some of the others, I will buy a color SeaViewer when I buy my next model.

I've used the color model with Wayne Carpenter and it shows things a black and white camera won't such as dying weeds over still green. Other advantages of Seaviewer are a video cable you never have to worry about snagging (it happens) since it has kevlar reinforced 1000 lb pull cable. The cameras are pressure tested to 1,000 feet so you don't have to worry about water in the camera and this seal along with the lens being filled with inert gas will prevent condensation which does happen with some cameras.

They have a special Great Lakes model that has all the features and quality of their deep, saltwater models, but comes with a 50' cable. It can be bought with a black & white lens with infrared emitters or the color camera.

Of course, I'm not saying you have to buy a Sea-Drop, but I think we all spend a lot of money on our sport and should make buying decisions with intelligence. I'm sure you've seen guys buy something cheaper to save money and later regret it, and guys who've got a great deal and it turned out to be superior. I think at least, the information about SeaViewer will help you compare the various brands more thoroughly than just by price so you make a decision that you end up happy with.

Maybe post what you bought and why later and then follow up with how happy you are with it at the end of the season. It would help all of us to compare for later purchases. I surely don't want to put down other brands. I've heard some things from friends about other brands, but I only have firsthand knowledge about two products.