SideWinder 360
Common Questions
How do you control the camera? The SideWinder Comes with a handheld remote control which is used to switch the between the downlooking and panning camera. It is also used to pan the camera, turn the LED illuniation on/off, and turn the depth/temp and direction sensors.
Do I need lighting? The SideWinder is very light sensitive and will operate on natural light to a depth of around 100ft (depending on water conditions). If you are going deeper or using the camera at night then you will want to use auxiliary lighting.
Can I troll with the camera? No, the SideWinder is a drop camera only.
What about IR? There are many camera manufactures that would love to sell you a black and white IR camera. Fact is, the frequency of IR light is too high for underwater applcations.
Can I connect the camera to my laptop? Yes, by using a USB video capture device any of our cameras can easily be connected to a laptop for viewing/recording the video image.
Can I take still photos? Video cameras are not the best for taking still photos. Video is 29.97 frames per second. So your effective shutter speed is 1/30 which is not ideal for still frame grabs with motion. The effective pixel array of our standard definition cameras is about 380K which is only about 1/20th of the pixel array of a modern still image camera.
How long is the cable? The cable length is 290ft on the SideWinder
Can I add cable after my purchase? There are 3 different cable lengths available. 100ft, 200ft. and 290ft. You must choose which lenght you would like prior to the purchase of your camera. We cannot add cable to the SideWinder after your purchase.
What are the power requirements? All of our cameras operate on 12 volts DC. All cameras come with a direct to DC connector (cigarette adapter) and an AC/DC power converter. Typical current consumption is about 250mA.
How far can you see? All of our cameras work above and below water. Above water the camera can see as far as you can. Below water the viewing distance is limited only by water clarity. If you can see 10ft with a mask on the camera will see the same distance. However, some divers have reported seeing things on the recorded video that they did not see at while diving with the camera. At certain depths the camera may be able to see up to 5% farther than a human.
What type of monitor will I need to watch the video? Any video device with composite video input will work with the SideWinder. This includes but is not limited to camcorders (with composite video in), Personal Video Recorders, Digital Video Recorders, Laptop Computers (with USB video capture device), LCD monitors and DVD Recorders.