Heres my question for all you ice fishing guys. I just got back into ice fishing and on my trips out i see guys with cameras and other guys with the vexilars. What i would like to know is what you guys prefer, brand, and why. Thanks
Any flasher marcum or vex, will beat out a camera. Cameras cannot mark fish in low light conditions or in cloudy, stained water. A flasher will work in any condition. If you solely relied on a camera you would be in line for a flasher pretty quick.
Marcum vx-1P here. Love it. Had a camera, never really used it. Went yesterday, thought to myself I wish I had a camera.. but I would never go without my flasher. IMO they are both tools and both have their place, but the flasher is #1 purchase for sure.
I have both. When I fish, lets say 4 feet or less I like to use my camera and when I go deeper I like to use the marcum lx-5. I do believe if you are going to start out I would buy a flasher first. You can see more up and down the colum of water. I our area here we have alot of shallow water. good luck on your decision.
Can’t fish w/o a flasher:)
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Cameras cannot mark fish in low light conditions
With all due respect, you Sir do not own a Marcum.
Although I do totally agree with the rest of your post and a sonar is the way to go. 
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Can’t fish w/o a flasher:)
I have both too. A Flasher is with out a doubt the most versatile option.I have a cheaper Marcum camera. Camera’s are alright if the lighting and water clarity are good. The Flasher will tell you the whole water column under you not just the level of your camera. I have a Vexilar and for the price I paid wouldn’t be caught with out it. Have never fished with the Marcum but they sound pretty nice too if you have the money. Just my .02
I fish almost exclusively on the backwater sloughs of the Mississippi. I find both the flasher and camera valuable tools. One of the things I like a camera for is to locate weeds, weedlines, and bottom make up. My camera also helps me find holes in weed beds where fish congregate.
Thanks for the input. I am going with the flasher. Now which one to get i am leaning toward either the fl 18 or the marcum lx 5
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Cameras cannot mark fish in low light conditions
With all due respect, you Sir do not own a Marcum.
Although I do totally agree with the rest of your post and a sonar is the way to go.
If you can see with your Marcum camera at night I have seen you post videos of then I will go buy one tomorrow. 
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Thanks for the input. I am going with the flasher. Now which one to get i am leaning toward either the fl 18 or the marcum lx 5
Those two are in two totally different classes of fish finders. the lx5 is more comparable to the fl22. The fl-18 is nearly the same as the marcum vx-1P. If those are your two choices, lx5 every single time.
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Cameras cannot mark fish in low light conditions
With all due respect, you Sir do not own a Marcum.
Although I do totally agree with the rest of your post and a sonar is the way to go.
If you can see with your Marcum camera at night I have seen you post videos of then I will go buy one tomorrow.
How about 67 feet deep on the Mississippi River? Zero light penetration?
Awe man, that vid is sweet. Okay, I am sold.
It would have been much better had my navagator not stood me up! I was alone and drifting down stream in late afternoon watching where I was going and trying to keep the camera just off the bottom.
I had an old Marcum 560 and it went to sleep when it started to get close to dusk or even on slightly over cast days.
The “lights came on” so to speak when I laid my hands on the first Marcum 825.
Flashers and cameras both have valuable uses. The cameras are great for identifying weed types bottom content such as rocks to mud or sand to rocks along with being able to identify fish species. The flashers are going to be the tool that you want to fish under. After fishing with a flasher and having a good understanding as to what you are reading you will be able to improve your jigging techniques and build your confidence. Also in deeper stained water visibility on the cameras are terrible and some fish are spooked by the camera being down there. We have both cameras and Marcum flashers and we use the cameras for scouting and finding specific structure and the presence of fish and we always fish behind the flashers.
Paul Delaney
http://www.lateeyessportfishing.com
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