Garmin eTrex Vista C Waterproof Hiking GPS by Garmin
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Digital camera reviews of Garmin eTrex Vista C Waterproof Hiking GPS
Digital camera Review: Great GPS
Summary: 4 Stars
I use my GPS for Geocaching and setting up orienteering courses for adventure races. This GPS has filled the bill. In WAAS mode it is very acurate, usually within a few feet. The only exception to this is when the batteries start to get low. After 3-4 hours of continuous use, the GPS starts to drift somewhat, but is still generally accurate to within 20 or so feet. The unit us rated at 20 hours life on batteries. I don't agree. The unit is great, but carry fesh double a's with you. I have a friend with a Magellan manufactured in 2002. There is no comparison. He can't keep up with me. He has decided to go back to Garmin.
Highly recommended for a recreational GPS. Lots of features, and the color makes everything much more visible than the B&W GPS's. The 24 MB of memory allows map uploads that are actually useful. The price may seem kinda high compared to other units, but this one is worth the expense.
Digital camera Review: Great Little Handheld
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my first GPS receiver. While I am electronically savvy, I'm new to GPS. So far I've been very pleased with the Vista C's quality, and performance. The color screen is very nice and works surprizingly well in direct sunlight. It seems to lock on to satellites and WAAS quickly from my Maryland location. The barometer is very cool, as is the electronic compass. I've really enjoyed the trip computer feature, especially after mounting the unit on my bicycle. I haven't downloaded any maps yet, but I suspect it will work just great too. I do wish the owners manual had more detail and provided better information about the menu items, beyond just how to use them, but also why would you select one option over another.Digital camera Review: Great Upgrade
Summary: 5 Stars
I upgraded from the Etrex Vista, so this review is primarily observations between the two. For a durable handheld to be used hiking, biking, canoeing, the Etrex series is great. I had a Vista, until capsizing my canoe at an inopportune moment while my Vista was unsecured. So my natural reaction was to replace it with a slight upgrade.
The upgrade is significant. The most impressive feature is the screen. I use USA topo maps, and the color screen visibility is so much better. Now I can easily tell the difference between a topo line and a stream. All the features have different colors (topo lines are brown, streams are blue, roads are red or black). The map is sooo much easier to read.
The navigation through the screens has changed slightly, but users familiar with Etrex will have no problem making the adjustment. I miss the ability to jump directly to a desired screen. I'm not sure why Garmin changed this. But it's no big deal.
One thing I was disappointed about was that the Vista C has a different connector for the PC cable and 12-volt adapter. I had planned on using all my old Vista accessories with the Vista C. This was the key reason I chose the Vista C instead of the GPSMap 60CS. But my old Vista accessories don't fit the Vista C. I had to buy a new 12-volt adapter. The Vista C comes with a USB cable. The speed of transferring maps is MUCH faster using the USB than the old serial cable on the Vista. So that's a plus.
I was also surprised that the Vista C chassis is slightly wider than the Vista. So my old car mount kit is a little awkward, but it still works. And my old holster fits a little tighter, but it still works.
Overall, the Vista C is a great upgrade over the Vista. The color screen is the biggest reason to go with this model. The difference is significant, and worth it.
Digital camera Review: Great little gps
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the best thing sence sliced bread. I love it.Works great and I dont get lost anymore.Digital camera Review: Great unit... when it works
Summary: 4 Stars
My first VistaC developed a short within two weeks of my getting it. I contacted Garmin and had it replaced with no problem. The refurbished replacement arrived and worked great for about a day. After that, whenever I plugged it into the computer or the car adapter (an official Garmin one) it would freeze. I E-mailed tech support and they sent the cause and workaround for the same issue on a VistaCx, which was not the correct cause and did not solve the problem on the VistaC. When I asked if there were other possible solutions or if not, how to do a hard reset, they only mentioned the mistake from before and the instructions on the reset, which also did not work. Unfortunately E-mail correspondence takes two business days to receive a reply and their phone support business hours are only while I am at work.
I will be pleased if the next replacement they send me resolves my problems permanently, but I would rate their E-mail tech support VERY poorly, and likewise with their telephone hours of operation. When my VistaC is doing what it is supposed to be doing, it is a very good user experience, but I took a star off of my rating due to the reliability issues and the tech support.
Update: The failures of these units were due to a faulty power adapter, not the GPSes themselves.