"BOTTOM LINE: Excellent, high-quality camera that we can strongly recommend.
We own a small dive resort on the island of Utila in the Caribbean. We investigated underwater cameras for more than a year to install at the end of our 175ft dock shown in the 1st picture. The initial options we found were really expensive (thousands of dollars). We then researched cheaper options, but the other Chinese cameras we tried were of lower quality. Finally we found Barlus. We tried the 304L model but ultimately settled on the 316L. We now have 4 of them and plan to buy more. The bottom line is this a GREAT CAMERA from the price, and we have loved what we have seen on it around our dock (see photos attached). The top 5 reasons we like this camera:
(1) Solid, high quality stainless material and construction - it does not feel flimsy like some of the other cameras we tried. It has a sturdy stainless steel mounting bracket and the actual camera shell is heavy and feels really solid/durable. For us the is critical as it is mounted at the front of a dock, 10 ft under water, in an ocean that can be calm as a lake but can also have 3-4 ft waves crashing into and over the dock.
(2) Good to excellent support - when we had some questions on configuring the camera we got quick responses, and when we had a deeper technical question about the wiring inside the POE Splitter Box, we got an answer within one day, with a technical drawing answering our question. The same was true when we asked a sales related question. Our experience with other manufacturers varied a lot.
(3) Reasonable price - We bought the 316L camera. It was cheaper than other options but the quality was (much) better.
(4) The camera has super wide angle 2mm lens which is perfect for our use where we want to have a wide view of the underwater landscape. The image quality is reasonable/good (not great). But at full 1080P, 25 fps and the highest encoding settings it keeps up well. It works reasonably well in low light conditions, and also has infrared and LED lights that you can toggle from software (we don't use them often as we have underwater lights). Also easy to access the video stream with RTSP
(5) It can be powered by POE (over the ethernet wire) - this is essential for us as it allows us to power it over the same wire carrying the data from a Ubiquity switch almost 300 ft away from the camera.
There are some things we are not so crazy about / that could be better
(1) The software/firmware on the camera is not great (You need Windows and IE with ActiveX to log into the camera and configure it). Nor is the informal manual that comes with it. But is still better than any of the other cameras we tried. You can configure a ton of stuff on the camera including flipping/rotating the image, various encoding options, text/title overlays etc. but it feels like software from the early 2000's
(2) The Auto White Balance/Image quality could be better, but having said that the ocean is a tricky to handle, especially in lowlight situations
(3) We liked the short/stockier frame of the 304L camera and it mounting bracket. the 316L has a longer mounting bracket and lens tube. They are VERY solid, but for us they present a larger surface area for the ocean to pummel, and when it is very rough you get some camera movement with the 316L that you don't get with the 304L stockier frame
(4) We wish the camera could automatically check if it has the latest firmware, and give you the option to then download and install it (like all modern devices). On this one you must find the firmware on the internet and then manually install it.
P.s the photos are screenshots from the video feed and not snapshots saved from the camera directly."
