Garmin eTrex Vista C Waterproof Hiking GPS by Garmin
|
List Price: Our Price: $100.00 You Save: $329.99 (77%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: GPS or Navigation System See more digital camera details and other models |
|---|
Digital camera reviews of Garmin eTrex Vista C Waterproof Hiking GPS
Digital camera Review: Exceeds my expectations (and they were very great)
Summary: 5 Stars
I had been considering GPS units for several years, and experience with a family member's eTrex Legend did nothing to hurry me up. Don't even consider buying a B&W (grayscale) display GPS: you will have to stare at the screen for a long time to make sense of the map, which you can figure out instantly when it is in color. The Vista C is THE color handheld GPS as far as I am concerned:
1)The usefulness of the color screen cannot be overstated
2)The internal compass (unique to this model) means that you do not need to move to establish a heading. The view and heading on the screen changes to reflect the direction the unit is facing. This is clumsy to describe but the difference is immediately obvious during operation.
3)The large 24mb internal memory allows for downloading a lot of secondary map information to complement the internal base map, which is not bad itself.
4)Although the instruction manual is 104 pages long (this unit has features I have not even begun to explore) I was able to effectively use mine to map trails and mark waypoints within the first hour of operation, which speaks highly of the intelligent design of the menu system.
5)The unit is robust (sealed watertight to 1 meter for 30 minutes!) and battery life is very very good.
If you want to use this unit in your car keep in mind it was designed as a handheld and you will be making some compromises. You will need some type of dash mount so you can get decent satellite reception (I have been unable to find an external antenna accessory even though that would seem to be a good idea) which will place the handheld-designed controls in a difficult to use position, and the screen is a little small for dash distance viewing. Still, it would be better than no GPS, and once my unit establishes initial connection with the satellites I am able to place it in the center console cupholder and it still maintains position, although your experience with this may vary.
I have seen and handled some other GPS units, some lesser Garmins and some other brands, and even though my Vista C was a little more expensive I am not in the least sorry that I spent the extra money. To paraphrase a great man, I had very great expectations and they have been exceeded.
Digital camera Review: Excellant in many situations
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had this now for almost one year. Has served me well. I use it for road cycling and also when traveling. I especially like having it when arriving by air in a new city. I preload that city's maps and also apply any local waypoints of interest such as bookstores and coffee shops. I am never lost in a new city. Very helpful when finding places to eat in obscure areas on the fly. Would definitely buy again but would probably buy it's upgrade with memory card that is now available.Digital camera Review: Excellent device
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm very happy with the device. I really appreciate the integrated electronic compass. The integrated altimeter seems to need a lot of calibrating, though. The altitude reading from GPS seems to be more accurate most of the time. Battery life is not great, especially when satellite signals are weak or you use the backlight a lot. However, it's everything I want with lots of interesting features I didn't expect.Digital camera Review: Excellent!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had the previous model, the eTrex Vista (so not the Vista-C) and the only thing I really missed was the routing feature. And that works just great with the eTrex Vista-C.
Love the screen, very clear.
Nice little "extras" included as well (functionailty wise).
Little suprise: the eTrex Vista-C is a little shorter and a little wider than the older eTrex models. Later I found this to be an advantage; seeing the routing is much clearer to read (more space).
Initially I read reviews of people complaining that the Vista-C did work with theirPC GPS software (iGuidance, DeLorme, etc). Well that is not entirely true; you do however need a little piece of software to get it going. It's called GPSGate from http://franson.com/gpsgate/ ($14 if I'm right). And it works.
One downside though: the maps (Garmin MapSource) are SOOOO expensive. At least the US should have been included.
Digital camera Review: Fantastic unit, prefer over the 60CS.
Summary: 5 Stars
After trying the 60CS and the Vista C I chose to buy the Vista C. While I like the 60CS a lot, there were several reasons why I chose the Vista C over it.
Size: while they are similar in size the Vista C is clearly smaller. On a hot day in shorts and tee shirt the Vista was much nicer to carry around in my pocket. The 60CS was definately more of a burden. The 60CS is not slightly bigger than the Vista C, by my calculations the Vista C is more than 40% smaller than the 60CS (by volume).
Price: Some of the reviews here point out that the Vista C is similar in price to the 60CS and that is definately not the case now 9/05. The Vista C can be bought for nearly $150 less than the 60CS.
Reception: tried them both in the same spots and came up with similar results. The 60CS definately has the edge but not by a huge margin. Granted, I have not compared them in a lot of different terrain. I tried them in a hilly wooded (tall hard wood) area and in the open. The 60CS is faster in getting a lock but the Vista C is still very fast (and tons faster than my old eTrex Summit).
What is really came down to for me: is the bigger screen, slightly better reception, and more ram of the 60CS worth carrying around a substantialy bigger unit and for a lot more money? For me it was not. If I was using the GPS mainly for car navigation I probably would have gotten the 60CS.
Hope this helps!