Endoscope purchase, what should one pay attention to?

Hello everyone, a few hours ago sewage pipes in our house were inspected with an endoscope. Those were professionals with professional equipment. It will cost several hundred euros ... but it was also successful (an overview of which pipe runs where, which is no longer used at all, a small root ball - which needs to be removed - and similar). I liked how well it worked and I would like to have such a camera myself ... which of course will not be nearly as perfect, but might still be very helpful.

Prices start at €30 and end - of course - in nowhere. I would spend €100 if the difference to a €30 device is significant, but without being able to compare them directly, I obviously can't find out anything.

What I know so far: There are devices with and without a screen. It seems reasonable to me to buy only the camera with cable and use a smartphone or tablet as the screen. However, the devices without a screen mostly seem "simple" to me (also in their camera technology). Cable lengths vary greatly. Today 4 meters would probably have been enough, but that was needed too and often they only have 1 meter length. I think: it should be 5 meters.

What is rarely mentioned in the descriptions is the flexibility or controllability of the cable. With the professional device the camera at the end could be rotated. With the simple versions - I assume - you can only try to rotate the camera by turning the cable from the end. That surely won’t work very well, but I guess you have to live with it.

Some devices have 2 cameras: one facing forward and one to the side (alternatively usable). That might help to "replace" the camera rotation. The longer the cable is, the more unwieldy the use will probably become? What functions should be electronically controllable? (Brightness? Lens focus?)

My question to the group is: Does anyone have experience with this and can give me some tips what I should pay attention to?

I liked how well it worked and I would like to have such a camera myself

What for, if the pipes have just been inspected? If you know your intended use, you can also buy the right product or get appropriate feedback. For example, I wouldn't know what I could use it for in the house.

Hello,
I also bought a very cheap (35 Euro) endoscope privately.

Data:
5 meter cable
Rigid lens
No screen

Conclusion: unusable. As soon as it is inside a pipe, you cannot control it and you actually never see what you want to see. Going around a curve is even more impossible. The cable just does whatever it wants. The image quality is not very impressive and as soon as it gets dark, the light does not provide the required brightness.

I also have a professional endoscope with a swiveling camera and display. Here the cable is only about 1.2 meters long. (but sufficient for the purpose)
Disadvantage is, however, the price of about 1000 Euro.

I would stay away from cheap endoscopes. Better to call a professional if needed.

What for, if the pipes have just been examined?

That's such a typical forum answer
Actually, I don't want to know why I don't need the device at all, but rather what I should pay attention to when buying ...
No hard feelings
Because it's not that important, we didn't examine a pipe opening in the garden, but now I would like to know whether I can simply fill it in or if it is still good for something.

Call in a professional if needed.

I definitely won’t do that – for example, not for this "untested" pipe. It’s not that important, but if the camera is there and costs less than the professional in a quarter of an hour, it would be practical.
I have read your description. I can well imagine that it is like that with the simple endoscopes – but it might be possible that there is a quality leap between €35 and €100 that makes sense...?

I probably won’t go well over 100...

So far I don’t have a camera because I couldn’t think of anything I would need it for. After experiencing the professional and his results, I definitely feel it would be great to have one (if it more or less works).

I looked into it a while ago and came to the conclusion that there is no significant improvement between 30 and 100 EUR. At 1000 EUR, the matter becomes interesting again, and the mentioned professional devices are probably in the mid four-digit range. For that, they also offer interchangeable lenses, GPS, video recording, and so on and so forth.