FIFISH V6S vs M2 – Underwater Drones Comparison

Before I start comparing the FIFISH V6S vs M2, I will go back to 2019. The year 2019 was a great year for the ROVs, and it seems that 2020 is going to be no different. This year the focus still remains on the two well-known companies, QYSEA and Chasing Innovations. Last year,  QYSEA surprised us with the amazing FIFISH V6 underwater drone. The V6 was the first full OMNI directional underwater drone in the market. On the other hand, Chasing Innovations released their Gladius Mini which was very popular. And while the FIFISH V6 got a lot of attention due to its amazing features, the Gladius Mini got their own attention, that was since they came out to the market before the V6. Hence, most of the people were struggling to decide between the FIFISH V6 and the Gladius Mini – Struggling which one will be better for them.

Last year, making that decision towards the FIFISH V6 was easy. This year, it seems that the gaps between the companies have narrowed down. So this is the reason I have decided to compare their two new underwater drones. But first, let me eliminate a question I saw a few people were asking…

Why I won’t be comparing the V6 to the M2?

Well, first, the M2 is the newest Chasing Innovation released ROV, while the V6 is not the newest ROV by QYSEA. If the M2 was released instead of the Gladius Mini then this question is relevant. Second, these underwater drones are different. They were made to complete different tasks, and as such, they have different capabilities. Also, their price range is completely different. So how do you want to compare the M2 that has a robotic arm but cost 2 times the price of the FIFISH V6 that does not have the robotic arm? I can’t say who is better since they are completely different ROVs.

So, let’s focus on our main comparison, the FIFISH V6S vs M2.

Let’s begin

Last year, when we compared the V6 to the Gladius Mini, I have started the comparison with the surprises from both companies. Following that, we compared the technical specs of both ROVs and also capabilities. I will do the same in this comparison as well.

Keep in mind that the FIFISH V6S model is very similar to the V6 in his shape and technical specs. As a fact, lots of people think that the V6S and the V6 are the same and that they can upgrade their V6 to the V6S easily. But this is not the case, the FIFISH V6S is a new ROV. It does look the same, it does have most of the specs the same, but they are not the same.

FIFISH V6S vs M2 – Surprises from Both Companies

Having a market competition is always good for us, the consumers. This is leading the companies to release new upgraded features every single year. So, let’s see what are the upgrades we should expect to.

Robotic Arm (Finally)

In 2019, one of the most wanted features, that people were asking to have was a robotic arm. It seemed that doing a full underwater inspection could not be achieved in all scenarios without having a controllable arm.

I, personally, love to see the response of the companies to the customers’ needs. And having an option to have a robotic arm to the ROV is good news to the underwater drones world. And as you can understand, both QYSEA and Chasing Innovations added a robotic arm to their new models.

Having that said, I will be covering the robotic arm of each company later on in this review.

Extra Battery Life

Previous models, not only by QYSEA and Chasing Innovations, had a battery life of approximately 3 hours. This is good, but again, after using the underwater drones it seemed that 3 hours is not enough. So, in order to allow more diving time, QYSEA and Chasing Innovations solved this problem. However, each company solved it in a different way.

QYSEA, which is using fixed batteries to their drones, solved it by using a bigger battery (156Wh). This battery can hold up to 6 hours of work. Chasing Innovations solved it by using a replaceable battery. In other words, whenever your battery runs out, you can take it out and replace it with another battery. 

Each approach has its pros and cons, and I will get into it later on in this comparison.

FIFISH V6s VS M2 – Package Content

I will start with what you will be getting from each company when you will place your order.

The basic package of the FIFISH V6S includes the ROV itself, the robotic arm, the VR head, a kevlar tether, 100 meters of tether, and chargers for both drone and remote controller. Ther are additional accessories that you can add for the drone, and I will write about it later on in this comparison.

The M2 basic package is different from the V6S. The basic package contains the ROV (of course), the remote controller, a winder, 100 meters of tether, GoPro mounting unit, charger, towel, EPP storage box, O rings, and screws.

Notice that the M2 does not include the robotic arm. You can add it as an accessory, but again, it is not included in the basic package.

Pros	A robotic arm is included	Comes with GoPro mounting base
	VR included	Comes with a storage box
Cons	The basic package does not come with external accessories, such as GoPro attachment	The robotic arm, which is a key feature, is not supplied with the basic package

FIFISH V6s VS M2 – Additional Accessories

Once you buy your drone, whether it is a flying drone or an underwater drone, you will want to do different things with it. For that, the ability to attach external accessories for the drone is highly important.

In the case of the FIFISH V6S and the M2 it is very obvious to see that the V6S (like the V6) has a great variety of accessories such as a special protected bag, camera mounts, thrusters protectors, HDMI unit, flashlight, shovel, net, and a dozer.

On the other hand, the M2 does not come with real accessories. It has the robotic arm, which the V6S already comes within its basic package. And it also features a reel for the tether. The eReel is not really an accessory for the drone, as much as it will be easier for you to reel in the tether back to you.  One thing that will worth mentioning, the M2 can be purchased with 200 meters of tether instead of 100. Keep in mind that it does not mean you can dive 200 meters.

So, when I compare the FIFISH V6S to the M2, there is no doubt that the FIFISH V6s is the winner.

FIFISH V6S VS M2 – Robotic Arm

Well, since both the ROVs have robotic arms, you probably will think that this is it. Well my friend, if this is what you thought, I am sorry to tell you that you are wrong.

Look, a robotic arm has several specs of its own. And one of the most important things about it is how easy is it to control and operate the arm.  One key point about it is the arms’ length, and how well it is located in front of the camera. If the angle is not right, it will be hard to perform the tasks it needs.

For us, controlling the robotic arm of the FIFISH V6S is easier and faster. We had a better view of what happens around the arm, and the arm’ itself looks more clear – which basically allows us to grab an obstacle much faster. Here is a video comparing both arms.

FIFISH V6S VS M2 – Thrusters

Well, the digit 6 in the V6S model means it has 6 thrusters. While most ROVs don’t have more than 6, most ROVs have 4 thrusters. However, Chasing Innovations is using 8 thrusters for their new M2 model.

So, a quick question was raised. Do 8 thrusters is better than 6? The answer to this question is not simple.

But before I will answer this question, I do have another question. Why did Chasing Innovations have to use 8 thrusters from the first place? If it’s for having the full 360 degrees OMNI direction than it is obvious that 6 should be enough (as we can see with the V6S model). First, I must say, that I do not know the reason Chasing Innovation did it like that. But I am honestly worried about it. Does it mean that Chasing Innovations cannot have 360 degrees OMNI direction with 6 thrusters only? It must have an impact on the maneuverability of the drone – but I could be wrong about this.

A few drawbacks about having 8 thrusters versus the 6, is this is draining your battery faster, it has more failure spots, and it makes your drone bigger – as it needs more space for the thrusters and other parts that operate it (such as Esc-s, cables and other small things).

FIFISH V6S VS M2 – Camera Quality

One of the main reasons people buy an underwater drone is because it has a camera. An ROV worth nothing without a camera. No need to explain to you why… right?

Both ROVs, the M2 and the FIFISH V6S, have a 4K camera. However, 4K does not mean everything, and there are still other important features in the camera that we must compare in order to determine which one is better.

So what are the other features we should inspect?

Aperture and Lighting

Aperture basically means how open the lens of the camera is. Aperture is indicated with the letter f followed by the sign “/” and then a number. The lower the number is, the wider the lens is. This means in other words, the lower the value is, the more light will get into the picture. You can look at the following figure to understand it better.

The aperture of the FIFISH V6S is 2.5 and the M2 has an aperture of 1.8. They both have an excellent aperture, but, the M2 has a better one compared to the FIFISH V6S. An aperture that is lower than 2 means that the camera was specified for low light scenarios, which are perfect for underwater drones tasks. However, an aperture of 2.5 is great as well. In addition, since an underwater drone will have tasks in dark scenarios, we will continue with the lights of the drone.

Both ROVs, the FIFISH V6S, and the M2 have two external lights that come up to a total of 4000 lumens. This is a strong light that will have a great impact on the final picture.

Field Of View

Regarding the field of view for each underwater drone, the field of view of the FIFISH V6S is 166 degrees, which is much wider than the M2 that has a field of view of 152 degrees. A wider field of view is better for video photographing and will provide you more information when doing inspection tasks as well.

ISO

Another aspect of the camera is the ISO. In case you are not familiar with it, ISO is a way to compensate the light – in low light scenes. A higher ISO means more light and a brighter image, while lower ISO means less light and darker image.

When comparing the 2 drones, they both have a maximum ISO of 6400. This will help to as well in deeper dives.

Video Resolution

The FIFISH V6S can record in 4K at 25 and 30 frames per second. At 1080p it can shoot in 25, 30, 50, 60, 100, and even 120 frames per second – creating great slow-motion videos. And in 720p it can shoot in even slower – 25, 30, 50, 60, 100, 120, 200, and even 240 frames per second.

Regarding the M2, I didn’t find any details about video resolution, except for 30 frames per second when it shoots in 4K.

I do believe that the M2 has more video resolutions (it must have) but I couldn’t find anywhere about it. In case you find more details please let me know by dropping me a comment down below.

CMOS – Camera Sensor

One of the most important things about the camera is its CMOS (the camera sensor). Lots of quality depends on it. And for that, the M2 and the FIFISH V6S are having the same sensor (Both sensors are the 1/2.3-inch size).

Other Camera Features

Well, cameras have more features than I just listed up here. Both drones have EIS which means Electronic Image Stabilizer. They both take pictures in 12MP. Regarding white balancing, the FIFISH V6S has it, however, the M2 does not support it.

Aperture	2.5	1.8
CMOS	1/2.3 Inch	1/2.3 Inch
Camera Quality	12MP	12MP
Light	4000 Lumens	4000 Lumens
ISO	Max ISO of 6400.	Max ISO of 6400.
Video Resolutions	Supports 25, 30 Fps in 4K.  25, 30, 50, 60, 100, 120 Fps in 1080p. 25, 30, 50, 60, 100, 120, 200, 240 Fps in 720p.	Supports 30 fps in 4K, 1080P at 30 and 120 Fps, 720p at 240 Fps
Camera Field of View	166 degrees	152 Degrees
Camera Stabilizer	EIS (Electronic Image Stabilizer)	EIS (Electronic Image Stabilizer)
White Balance	Supports white balancing	Does not support white balancing

FIFISH V6S vs M2 – Immersive Control

Another great feature we see more often by companies is the ability to control the drone directly from the VR Goggles. For QYSEA this feature is not new, it was available for you last year with the FIFISH V6. However, Chasing Innovations did not develop that capability and letting you control the drone using the remote control only.

Here is a video showing what is immersive control. By the way, you can see that this was possible already from the FIFISH V6.

FIFISH V6S vs M2 – Specs Comparison

Last, in our comparison of the FIFISH V6S vs M2, I decided to bring other technical specifications about both drones. Some of the things are really important. Let’s take a look.

One of the most important aspects is battery life. Well, the battery life of the FIFISH V6S is 6 hours, which is double than the M2, which has a battery life of 4 hours.

Also, you can put in the FIFISH V6 a memory card up to 256GB, while in the Gladius MINI you can have it up to 64GB.

Regarding the size and weight, the Gladius Mini is lighter and a bit smaller than the FIFISH V6. Its speed is 2 meters per second, while the speed of the FIFISH V6 is 1.5 meters per second.

Battery Life	6 hours	4 hours
Speed	1.5 m/s	1.5 m/s
Thrusters	6	8
Weight	3.9Kg	4.5Kg
SD Card	Up to 256GB	Up to 256GB

FIFISH V6S vs M2 – Maneuverability

So far we spoke about “dry” specs. Now it is time to put the ROVs to the real test. How do they really dive under the water? Also, what is your view when looking through the monitor in real-time.

It seems that the M2 can’t move more than 90 degrees. Chasing Innovations declared that it is capable to do 360 degrees, but according to the video, it seems that it is actually can’t.

FIFISH V6S vs M2 – Pricewise

The basic package of the FIFISH V6S cost 3,199$ and the price for the basic package of the M2 is 2,699$. However, the M2 does not include the robotic arm. So, including the robotic arm for the M2, which costs 500$, comes to the same price as the FIFISH V6S.

However, one important difference between the 2 is the battery lifetime. You will get 2 hours more from the FIFISH V6S compared to the M2. 2 hours is a lot. Battery costs a lot of money (an extra battery for the M2 will cost you several hundreds of dollars). Not mentioning that you will need to carry with you another battery.

FIFISH V6S vs M2 – Conclusion

This comparison of the FIFISH V6S vs M2 was very close, and it is hard to point on a better ROV. They are both good, they both have great cameras and robotic arms. The FIFISH V6S does give you more time under the water which is important.

If you need to decide between the two, I would go with the FIFISH V6S, and it is not only because of the 2 extra hours in battery life. It also weighs less, and the company has better experience and remarkable customer service.

You see, QYSEA is releasing more professional ROVs this year, and as a company, they know how to build high-quality underwater drones, not only for the private sector but also for the industrial sector. Don’t get me wrong, Chasing Innovations got improved as well (if we look at the progress from their latest Gladius Mini), but whatever they achieved in 2020, QYSEA already achieved it a year earlier. In other words, QYSEA is ahead of Chasing Innovations in terms of development, for at least one year. This makes a simple fact, QYSEA simply develops the best ROVs, period.

Let me know what you think about this comparison in the comments section below. And till the next time, be safe.