Vision & illumination
ROV cameras and underwater lighting
Depth-rated cameras and LED lighting for underwater inspection, navigation and survey. The two are a single design decision: below a few metres, a camera sees only what you light.
What these are for
Camera and light are one decision.
Water absorbs light quickly and unevenly — red first, then orange and yellow — so by ten metres an unlit scene is monochrome blue regardless of how good the sensor is. Specifying a camera without specifying illumination alongside it is the most common mistake on a first inspection build.
Backscatter is the other half of the problem. A light mounted next to the camera illuminates every particle between lens and subject, and in the turbid water typical of ports, dams and estuaries that returns a wall of white. Separating the lights from the camera axis, ideally on outriggers, cuts backscatter far more effectively than adding lumens.
How to choose
Field of view, output and mounting.
Field of view against working distance. A wide field is easier to fly and better for general navigation; a narrower field gives more pixels on target for close inspection work. Remember that water and a flat viewport both narrow the effective field relative to the in-air figure, so a camera quoted at a given angle will read tighter underwater.
Colour temperature and CRI for inspection. If the footage is going to be assessed for corrosion, marine growth or coating condition rather than just navigated by, colour rendering matters. A high-CRI light returns usable colour information; a cheap cool-white one flattens everything toward blue-grey.
Match the depth rating to the housing. An optical payload is only as deep as the shallowest part of the assembly it sits in — camera, viewport, cap and housing together.
Budget the power and the buoyancy. Lighting is usually the largest continuous electrical load on a small ROV, and lights mounted outboard on arms sit far from the centre of mass. Both belong in the power budget and the trim calculation before the frame is finalised.
Compare the range
What we supply.
| Product | Depth Rating | Field of View | Voltage | Brightness | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blu-Vision Binocular Video Camera | 300 m / 984 ft | 70 degrees per lens (no distortion) | 5 V | — | 395 g |
| Blu-Vision Fish-Eye Binocular Video Camera | 300 m / 984 ft | 220 degrees (air), ultra-wide fisheye | 5 V / 200 mA | — | 192 g |
| Blu-Vision 8MP USB Video Camera | 300 m / 984 ft | 90 degrees (air) | USB DC +5V | — | 188 g |
| Subsea Dimmable LED Light (1500 Lumens / 6000K) | 1,000 m / 3,281 ft (recommended under 800 m for continuous use) | — | 10-28 V | 1,500 lumens | 168 g |
Applications
Where this is used.
- Hull, port and dam structural inspection
- ROV pilot navigation and situational awareness
- Scientific and survey video capture
- Photogrammetry and documentation of submerged structures
- Aquaculture and net inspection
Further reading
Engineering guides on this subject.
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