I'd say finder first, then camera. I think of the cameras as more a curiosity/hobby than an important fishing tool.
Most folks use the finder more to identify depth, structure/cover or bait that would indicate good fish holding area than they do for finding the fish they want to target.
The fish finders work in clear or muddy water and you can use them as much to find places NOT to fish as to find places TO fish.
The camera has limited use and a limited range of visibility. I suppose if you had a clearwater pond or lake, and you had a route of brushpiles or catfish holes that you knew exactly how to find, you could go around your route and use the camera to see if there were any fish on them.
I don't think you can drive around in a boat with the camera deployed - maybe on a slow troll, but not wide open. Big difference there with the fish finders. Plus you've got to be looking at the screen at the very instant when an image is on the screen with a camera - a graph-style finder will give you some scroll time to see and process what you've just passed over.
All that said, I've never used a camera so don't really know what I might be missing. Just adding my $0.02 worth. Also, there's nothing wrong with curiosity/hobby - it would be a lot more efficient for me to go out and get a powerboat than it is to paddle around my dopey kayaks, but I like paddling so I keep at it. To each his own!
Most folks use the finder more to identify depth, structure/cover or bait that would indicate good fish holding area than they do for finding the fish they want to target.
The fish finders work in clear or muddy water and you can use them as much to find places NOT to fish as to find places TO fish.
The camera has limited use and a limited range of visibility. I suppose if you had a clearwater pond or lake, and you had a route of brushpiles or catfish holes that you knew exactly how to find, you could go around your route and use the camera to see if there were any fish on them.
I don't think you can drive around in a boat with the camera deployed - maybe on a slow troll, but not wide open. Big difference there with the fish finders. Plus you've got to be looking at the screen at the very instant when an image is on the screen with a camera - a graph-style finder will give you some scroll time to see and process what you've just passed over.
All that said, I've never used a camera so don't really know what I might be missing. Just adding my $0.02 worth. Also, there's nothing wrong with curiosity/hobby - it would be a lot more efficient for me to go out and get a powerboat than it is to paddle around my dopey kayaks, but I like paddling so I keep at it. To each his own!
