Ddgx Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 Got a promo email this morning and saw these; http://www.gearbest.com/microscopes-endoscope/pp_235112.html An endoscope that plugs into your smart phone with a 10m cable..."water resistant" so not entirely sure how it would feel about being completely submerged but I wonder about this as a very very low budget DIY underwater camera for margin use. £13.35 delivered.Anyone else made their own DIY underwater cams and what did you use, how well do they work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzbomb Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 I like the look of that, not as strong as the inspection cams for sewer line or automotive but far cheaper. Saskcarp lowered a waterproof gopro camera into the lake to see what his rig was doing and it worked very well. My ice fishing cam is very bulky in comparison since I'm hauling a small tv around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayvid Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 It does say water resistance ,not water proof so maybe ok in damp wet conditions but submerge it who knows , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouchthathurt Posted December 15, 2015 Report Share Posted December 15, 2015 After watching the underwater videos sometimes I find it better not to know! Lol! johnplumb, welder, salokcinnodrog and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saskcarp Posted December 16, 2015 Report Share Posted December 16, 2015 I like it to see how the rig sits and getting some cool carp footage but that's about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ddgx Posted December 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 I've decided for the price I'm going to get one to try. Others on the site are apparently ip67 rated, and this one looks similar so might also be? That said, I will most likely fit it inside a diy housing and add some weight so I can 'cast it'. Will take a while to arrive but will let you know how I get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayvid Posted December 19, 2015 Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 For the price I don't see you have much to lose, it will be very interesting to see your results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalthegooner Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 The link states that the focal distance is 30-80mm. I think (Although I may be woefully wrong ) that this means the subject you're filming has to be between 30mm and 80mm of the lens to be in focus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ddgx Posted December 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 I did not spot that, and thinks you might be right! Boo hoo. It might still make a nice way of seeing what the conditions are like on the bottom but unless I'm getting rigs sat pretty much in front of it I shan't be getting takes on camera! To be honest I had imagined the angle was going to be fairly narrow too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmboy Posted December 28, 2015 Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 I got one of them bike/stunt cameras the come with waterproof case and you can stick it on a stick or bait boat☺ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wamps Posted December 28, 2015 Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 focal length is in fact the distance between lens and sensor so nothing to do with how far it can actually focus. as an example with a dslr camera the lense lenghts actually mean focal lenght i.e. standard 50mm lens = 50mm focal lenght. also anything under 50mm is classed as wide angle so the camera you mention goes from 30mm wide angle up to 80mm zoom, hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marker Posted December 28, 2015 Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 you can get a cheap version of a go pro for around £65-70 quid, its called as sj-cam sj4000, you'll find them on amazon or ebay, they seem to work quite well and they are a lot cheaper than a go-pro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spr1985 Posted December 28, 2015 Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 You can get the sj4000 for under 25 quid these days, my brother has one and seems good for the money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gagnaccarp Posted December 28, 2015 Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 I have thought of getting a snorkel mask and flippers and just getting in there, that might not be acceptable on most syndicates though ! dalthegooner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianain Posted December 28, 2015 Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 Sorry wamps focal length is in fact the distance between lens and sensor so nothing to do with how far it can actually focus. as an example with a dslr camera the lense lenghts actually mean focal lenght i.e. standard 50mm lens = 50mm focal lenght. also anything under 50mm is classed as wide angle so the camera you mention goes from 30mm wide angle up to 80mm zoom, hope this helps. As Dal pointed out, The link states that the focal distance is 30-80mm. I think (Although I may be woefully wrong ) that this means the subject you're filming has to be between 30mm and 80mm of the lens to be in focus. the advert states 30 - 80mm focal distance, it doesn't mention focal length, normally I would think it was a typo / mis-informed writer, but considering what it is used for (sticking down throats, up bums and such like), I would say the advert is correct with focal distance. As to being wide angle, this depends on the size of the sensor / film not the focal length of the lens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carpbell_ll Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 I have thought of getting a snorkel mask and flippers and just getting in there, that might not be acceptable on most syndicates though ! One of the regular guys on Pine pool used his diving kit to have a look at the bottom of the lake, he is an ex Royal Marine though, all that thick weed and silt is just another day in the office to him, he did look like he was a bit stuck at one point, so i would be careful if you do get the snorkel out. That was in winter time last January, wouldn't want to try and snorkel Pine pool in the summer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wamps Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 sorry , yep my bad, i read it wrong and it does only focus up to 80mm sort of no good whatsoever for chucking in a lake then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ddgx Posted January 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2016 It got dispatched the other day, so when it arrives I'll be back to confirm for sure. It is a Chinese description after all and I have had good and bad surprises in the past because of slightly dodgy translations. We shall see! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ddgx Posted January 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 Well the endoscope arrived today. I had trouble downloading the app that you are 'supposed' to use with it but within about 5 minutes quickly found a different app on the Android market place that worked first time. For the money, I am pleasantly surprised. For starters, it actually worked with the phone which was the first hurdle. I have only spent a few minutes messing about with it, but it does appear that the focus is sharper the nearer you get to the lense. i.e. If I hold it close to something the image is sharper - but you can still make out an entire room OK. I think the low quality is exacerbated somewhat by the low light conditions in the room I tried it in tonight. I think it would likely perform better in strong daylight (like all cameras!). After getting it working for a minute or two, intrigue got the better of me and I had to plunge it into my fish tank to see how 'waterproof' it was Recorded some video for about 3-4 minutes at a depth of 6inches or so. Took it out and dried it off and it still appears to be working just fine. How it fairs in a few feet of water, there will be only one way to find out! However, I am probably going to fit it inside a DIY housing anyway, because I want to be able to weight it so that when I chuck it in somewhere it lands the correct way up. So quick summary, it works, the quality is so so and as expected, but then it did cost £12. Further testing will be needed to see if it is actually usable in cloudy lake water and/or exposed to a bit more psi I'll see if I can upload a quick video of it in the fish tank in a bit. Questions welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ddgx Posted January 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 (edited) <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v={SIMPLETEXT}"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRZln194OFI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> Couldn't edit my previous post... You'll see when I get close in on the back of the battery packet before it goes in the tank it is actually quite clear Edited January 12, 2016 by Ddgx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ddgx Posted January 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 OK, I ran out of 'edits' and I didn't manage to get the video to embed. If admin wouldn't mind sorting out my mess that would be appreciated! lol For simplicity this is the video link https://youtu.be/vRZln194OFI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayvid Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 When the picture focused the quality was quite good , but doubt it would work well enough to be usable in a lake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusian Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Looking forward to your next post Dan . I am keen to go to either the Brentwood Carp Show , or Carpin' On at 5 Lakes where Fishspy will have a stand . So if you can come up with a much , much cheaper alternative Dan . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ddgx Posted January 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Will see how we get on. Might be a while before I get round to tinkering with it as times are busy. I might see you at carp show too crusian as I'll probably be going too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newmarket Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Will see how we get on. Might be a while before I get round to tinkering with it as times are busy. I might see you at carp show too crusian as I'll probably be going too!When is the Brentwood show Danny ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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