At Spot X, we're well known for using GoPro cameras in a lot of our underwater live-streaming setups, but what many people may not realize is that we also do a lot of custom projects. One of the brands of cameras that we like to use in many of these projects is Marshall. Now Marshall are well known in the live sports broadcasting markets, and they make a wide range of cameras.
One of the cameras we like to use is the Marshall CV502; it has a full 3G HD SDI signal, and really high quality, crystal-clear imagery. It allows HD 1080P at 60 frames per second, but of course that's all configurable in the settings. Marshall have other cameras with 4K resolution, but 1080 is fine for us, especially for live streaming where bandwidth is a consideration.
On the front of the camera there is an M12 lens mount which enables us to fit a wide angle lens or a telephoto lens, whatever is going to suit the project. On the base there is a tripod mount, which means we can pretty much mount this anywhere we like. On the back of the unit there is an HD-SDI out signal, and a composite out video port as well. There is a joystick that enables us to access the cameras settings and we've also got an RS-485 terminal.
With the RS-485 control setup, we can have our camera mounted inside our underwater enclosure, we can then have 100 or 200 meters of cable, and with our RS-485 controller topside and we can communicate with the camera (change settings etc), send power to the camera and we can also receive that HD footage from the camera, all via a single cable to our topside display and HD recorder. So with the combination of this camera, an RS-485 controller, and a topside display/web streaming hardware, we have a really powerful tool, and we've been getting great results with these little cameras. If you want any more info on live-streaming please get in touch!