Underwater vision Video camera

[Ray Jazzman]

I am relativelly new to boating and this is my first thread on this forum.

Does anyone know if there is such a thing as an underwater digital video camera with appropriate lighting that would be in some type of waterproof underwater pod and could be lowered on a shaft at the bow of a boat to see what is ahead underwater at a slow speed.

Would obviously not have to be portrait quality, even low quality that can be reproduced on a raymarine e120 would be great.

I have been looking at the interphase Forward looking Sonar, but they seem to not offer much if you are in shallow waters less than 10 feet.

I have a Bluewater with a 36 inch draft and operate on the great lakes with my home base being on lake St. Clair which is quite shallow for 60 to 70% of its area.

Would appreciate any input from experienced boaters out there.

[Poida]

Hi Ray welcome

From my experience with video, you would have to look at water proof casings. When I was keen on video production, no camreas were waterproof, you purchased a video camera that someone made a waterproof casing for. I am sure if you did a search for under water video, you would come up with something.

A video camera doesn't produce the light, it only records from the light that bounces of objects from another source, ie the sun or video lights.

Now, for shallow water all you would need is a waterproof box with a window and an underwater torch attached to the side. In it you mount your camera.

You didn't say what it was for, if it is to navigate in shallow water, when you've wiped out your waterproof box and smashed your light, stop.

Poida

[Ray Jazzman]

Thanks for the input..

I guess I need an indestructible water proof casing as well.

hopefully, at slow speed I will see it coming before it hits the camera, as long as water is not too murky, such as mud bottom after a rain etc...

Just a thought at this point, but would seem so much better than interphase sonar that so far all I have found only seems to work in depths higher than ten feet. If I have ten feet of water, I dont need sonar.

[Ray Jazzman]

I have had some messages and contacted a few people in the video industry by phone and I guess the idea will simply not work for navigation purposes, may be ok for inspection of bottom of boat or prop area but not for navigation. Could only see a few feet ahead if conditions are clear and see through.

thanks again for the help.

[TerryKing]

Ray, how about a slightly different idea.. The traditional approach is to put a crew member out on the bow, with good visibility. When I get out there with polarized glasses I can see the bottom ahead pretty well, and wave at the helmsman.

What if you used a conventional video camera with a polarizing filter, and played with the contrast settings? Having that out-forward view from the helm would be nice.

Anyone tried something like this??

[Ray Jazzman]

Sounds like a great Idea!

I'd like to see the response to this post and if anyone has ever done anything like this before.

Thanks

[Poida]

The reason why humans have the perception of depth is because they have two eyes. A video camera has not.

Poida

[TerryKing]

Originally Posted by Poida

The reason why humans have the perception of depth is because they have two eyes. A video camera has not. Poida

True, but I bet a system can be developed that uses two cameras, possibly with different polarization filter angles. Cameras are pretty cheap. There are some very good 3-D human displays, used in Virtual Reality headsets etc.

Software from Robotic applications that finds distance by analyzing the two images might work well here..

For larger motoryachts which are still often run single-handed this may be a reasonable application.

But: These are thought-stuff, not Hardware or Software.

But: That's where stuff starts.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by Poida

The reason why humans have the perception of depth is because they have two eyes. A video camera has not. Poida

One eyed people seem to manage ,driving, playing darts etc, or is that coupled with experience?

I often have to shut one eye, driving home, reaching for my beer etc.

Granted it is more difficult, but better-- far better than 4 eyes.

However 2 eyes are better than one but there is some pretty nifty software needed between the ears.

[Poida]

Heay Frosty you're not claiming to have anything between your ears??

Terry, of course a system has been developed, and 3D images are at the movies. As yet however to my knowledge, placing the images from two cameras onto one screen has not yet been, let's say practical. 3D still involves studio editing to and of course requires glasses with two coloured lens.

Frosty, strange as it may seem, the loss of one eye only reduces the peripheral vision by 10%. Close one eye and try it. Then close the other and go to sleep.

Driving with one eye is permitted but the driver would have to realise that they can not judge distances by depth of field but by perspective.

Darts are not a problem, people can play darts blind drunk. And add up the numbers and take them away from 301 in a nano second.

Ray can't you get a chart of the waters you are navigating?

Poida

[ondarvr]

You can get an under water video camera fairly cheap, $250 to $450 and that's with lighting. It comes with a sealed camera and a cable, plus a B/W monitor. I have one and it works well, but I don't think you could navigate with it and like what's already been said, depth perception is almost none existent. The kids love it, you can watch fish, look for treasure, inspect the hull and prop, it was a good purchase.

[StianM]

http://www.seenite.com/index2.html Night vision, infrared, remote control and ip65.

You can get moust things or you could just place a webcam inside a waterprofe casing and conect it with USB