Underwater inspection camera - should I buy one??

tudorsailor

tudorsailor

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Can I ask for peoples' experience with USB powered underwater inspection cameras? Do they work? Are they useful?

Yesterday I think that I had some rope around the prop which the cutter may have dealt with. It would be nice to pop a camera in the water to have a look. We are moored in Dubrovnik marina where the river water is icy cold and I do not have a wet suit to dive in

Thanks

TS
 
I took this with a waterproof camera on video setting

Drive_zpsc0ec7372.jpg


which obviously saves you getting into the water, but I had pre-measured/marked a pole so that I could find the prop.

I have now bought one of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/XCSOURCE-In..._sbs_ce_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=00NGXC5XF8EGW6S8C6XW



You can either view, record or take a snapshot using the programme from the cd.

Not used it yet but a forumite posted a video of his prop. which was good enough to convince me to buy the same.
 
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tudorsailor said:
.... We are moored in Dubrovnik marina where the river water is icy cold and I do not have a wet suit to dive in
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Dubrovnik might have been one of the marinas where, when returning a charter yacht, some poor chap puts on a wetsuit and checks the hull/keel for signs of mistreatment. If so, and you can get the attention of such a chap, he might be persuaded to help?

Mike.
 
If you're lucky, they don't leak in normal use, provided they're allowed to dry out properly before being stored. If you're unlucky, they leak regardless, and suddenly stop working, forever.
 
I have one like the link Bav34 - and it was probably my posting of a video taken to check our folding prop working.
Very much worth the very little money.

We used an old fibreglass curtain opening rod, duck taped at 90 degrees to the end of the scrubbing brush - and this worked well. We wanted something with a bit of give - to avoid breaking a wrist or something if we got it too close to the spinning prop. In fact the great thing about a USB endoscope is that you can watch real time on the laptop, so direct the camera to exactly the right place - something not possible using a conventional waterproof camera on a stick.
 
Lazy Kipper said:
Can you link to an android device you you think? We don't have a laptop on board and that looks great.
Click to expand...

This is a comment from Amazon, "Q: Can it be used used on Android devices trough an OTG USB Cable?
A:
hi Very sorry for that, it's can't be used on Android devices trough an OTG USB Cable."
 
dunedin said:
I have one like the link Bav34 - and it was probably my posting of a video taken to check our folding prop working.
Very much worth the very little money.

We used an old fibreglass curtain opening rod, duck taped at 90 degrees to the end of the scrubbing brush - and this worked well. We wanted something with a bit of give - to avoid breaking a wrist or something if we got it too close to the spinning prop. In fact the great thing about a USB endoscope is that you can watch real time on the laptop, so direct the camera to exactly the right place - something not possible using a conventional waterproof camera on a stick.
Click to expand...

I have one too and would second the above - but I would point out the main limitation, which is the inbuilt LED lighting. It's great for close quarters, and I have used it successfully for the inaccessible areas in an engine bay. It's also great underwater if you have good ambient light, as can be seen in the underwater shot of the prop. But if you need to use it in murky East Coast water you will also need to attach a waterproof torch to your stick...
 
Lodesman77 said:
But if you need to use it in murky East Coast water you will also need to attach a waterproof torch to your stick...
Click to expand...

I'm not sure how one compares murky water to total darkness. I have a suspicion that murky water may actually be worse as it can possibly reflect the led lights but daylight may help overcome this. When we go over to our boat I shall film some comparisons but for the meantime I have just shot this:



Taken in a room in total darkness with the distances ranging from approx. 1 foot to 3 inches. It's shaky as I didn't want the light from my computer screen to affect the outcome so I was at full stretch and viewing a dim screen at the same time.

I chose something bronzy and something black to replicate props. Oh, and the flowers just 'cos they looked nice :)
 
I suspect you're right, the murky water is worse than just plain darkness, and the light gets scattered. Using it in a dark engine bay over the same 3" to 1' range that you tested I thought it was excellent.
Using it under the boat I wish I had captured some pictures at the time, but the range needed was about 1' - 2' in murky water on a dull day and it didn't really work until I added a waterproof LED torch alongside, at which point it was fine.
You can also use it to get some good footage if you tape it to the toerail on the lee side...
Overall, I'd say it was one of the best bits of kit going, great value for money. A bit like a dremel - you don't often need it, but when you do there's no substitute.
 
Lazy Kipper said:
Can you link to an android device you you think? We don't have a laptop on board and that looks great.
Click to expand...

Mine came with a CD which needed to be inserted into the drive for the camera to work, so I had to use a laptop. It won't work on my Nexus 7 because there is no CD drive unless, you could copy the programme over from your computer.
 
SAMYL said:
Mine came with a CD which needed to be inserted into the drive for the camera to work, so I had to use a laptop. It won't work on my Nexus 7 because there is no CD drive unless, you could copy the programme over from your computer.
Click to expand...

I doubt very much if a Windows program would work on any other device. After all, Windows programs don't all work under all editions of Windows!

(If the "program" included a "driver", that would be true in spades!)

Mike.
 
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I think I may have bought the same Endoscope as a number of other posters. I haven't used it underwater yet (nor have I performed any surgical operations). The field of view doesn't appear brilliant. That said, I've used it for scouting out routes for running cables and it was brilliant. Saved me loadsa effort.
 
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