Aqua-Vu Scout vs Atlantis Sports Cam (AUW-502)

[hooksetter]

I was looking to pick up a Scout and someone told me to check out the Atlantis Sports Cam first. Has anybody done a feature comparison between these? And if anyone has any first hand experience with the Scout for either soft or hard water I would love to hear it!

[Deitz Dittrich]

I got to use the prototype of the scout this summer for a weekend on Mille Lacs. Worked as well if not better than my Aqua-Vu MC2X. For the price I am sure they are going to sell a ton of them.

[danny berg]

I have the Atlantis and have no compliants. Well I lied, it doesn't work worth a darn after dark, but during the day I have no issues.

[Lost]

So Danny, does that mean it needs lights on the camera?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Lost- If you want to use it at night, then the answer is probably yes. Unless you are going to use it in ultra clear water. IR lights dont work all that well underwater, its just a fact, however IR lights are much cheeper than the LED that the more expensive cameras are using. I dont use mine much at night, I have not had the best luck catching fish with the lights on. But I have used them when first getting to a spot to see what the bottom content is.

[Jigging Bob]

I have a 2 or 3 year old sportsman and it is pretty good during the daytime as long as it is in clear water. As soon as night time nears you might as well pull it out and use your Vexilars. In the sportsmans defense I have yet to see a camera that works well at night. It also struggles when there isen't any snow on the ice. To much light shining through the ice causes a almost glare like effect on mine. Battery life is not very good either on my sportsman. I only get about 4 hours out of mine. Its better than nothing and it is fun but I sure wouldn't mind a newer Aqua view with the crank up spool, 4 screen display and a camera that actually looks like a fish so it doesn't scare the fish away as bad. Just a bit out of my price range right now. My sportsman will do just fine for a couple more years. Hopefully they will have all the kinks out of them by then and it won't take my arm and leg to get one. Good luck on your decision.

[Dan Wood]

hooksetter,

To be honest with you, none of these cameras are worth a darn at night unless you have near perfect conditions. I haven't tried the MarCum VS560 or the new Aqua-vu's yet, but that is one area that MarCum has really been working on improving over the past couple years. The VS560 has the lights above the line of sight of the camera lense. The major problem with cameras at night is that they illuminate every little particle in the water column directly in line of your target, which severely limits the ability to see at night. If you really want to see at night, I'd suggest looking into the VS560 or VS460 from MarCum. The reports I've heard have been very positive. I will be trying the 560 this year for the first time. I'd really suggest saving your money on lights if you don't plan to go with newer technology. The multi-colored lights on the MC2x aren't much better (I currently have the MC2X).

[danny berg]

Lost,

The camers has IR lights but it just doesn't work good at night. If you ever get down to Waconia, you're more than welcome to stop in and see the camera and how it works.

[hooksetter]

Thanks for all of the comments. I would like to see some video of each - side by side would be ideal - in the same light and clarity conditions. Maybe Pete R knows of a web site or something...