I've had some plumbing issues and am looking at buying a cheap, $100 camera on Amazon (example: https://www.amazon.com/Industrial-Endoscope-Oiiwak-Inspection-Waterproof/dp/B081J3LN61/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?keywords=drain+camera&qid=1579998402&sr=8-8). What am I missing here? Normally these things cost hundreds to rent and I've seen cameras online that cause thousands.

My question is primarily, what about this $100 camera is inferior? Is it not as durable or high-quality? I know of plumbers that don't even have cameras, I assume because of the high cost.

Would love input from the community on this.

Differences come down to the following.

- Image quality

- Build quality

- Feature set

These are the biggest difference points.  The 100 dollar camera might last a handful of uses, while the ones that cost thousands of dollars will last years if not more.  Also don't price things aginst what they cost to rent, rental stores often times change upto 80% of the product cost to rent.  They rely on people not having the space to store the things they rent and wanting to save a few dollars.

The difference is that the cheap camera you buy on amazon probably wont last if you use it often. The image quaility probably isnt good. Probably cant control the lighting as great. 

Good drain cameras cost 6-10k easy. Even more if you plan to buy a locator to accompany the head. That's why alot of plumbers dont have them.