Garmin eTrex Vista Cx Waterproof Hiking GPS by Garmin
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Digital camera reviews of Garmin eTrex Vista Cx Waterproof Hiking GPS
Digital camera Review: Great for GeoCaching!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great unit for GeoCaching which is what we bought it for. We did have the B&W model, but returned it and bought the color model. It is noticibly better and worth the little additional cost...Digital camera Review: Great for both car and foot use
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this GPS.
Previously, I had a Magellan handheld GPS (with dim black and white display). It worked well for about 5 years... getting me from point A to point B while I drove my family around California to visit relatives. Recently, I decided that I wanted more so I bought an eTrex Vista CX.
Important features of this GPS are:
(1) it uses a Micro SD card. This allows for storage of A LOT of maps on the GPS. Buy a larger Micro SD card at Frys or eBay and you will be a happy camper. 128 or 256 megs will do the job. We recently took an Alaskan cruise, and I was able to upload all of California, Oregon, Washington, BC Canada, and Youkon onto the GPS with some room to spare. Having the ability to use a mini-SD card is very valuable if you are a traveler like me.
(2) Turn by turn directions **IF** you buy the correct software to go with it. I bought the MapSource® City Navigator North America DVD to get this feature. The key is to make sure that the map that you buy comes with "fully routable detailed maps" as Garmin likes to say. When you "upload" to the GPS, upload both maps and route info and you are set. By the way, don't bother trying to steal (ie BitTorrent) the maps from the internet. It won't work since maps are sold by Garmin and MATCHED TO THE SERIAL NUMBER OF EACH GPS. Just save some time, and buy the DVD online.
For those that don't know, most GPS come with a "base map" that just has the basics (highways, points of interest). If you want every street and turn by turn directions, then you need to buy a map CD or DVD from the manufacturer. An exception to this are the Magellan Roadmates (and others) which come with a built in hard drive that has maps included. Read the box carefully for whatever you decide to buy.
(3) Legend vs. Vista and C vs. CX. Garmin makes models that are somewhat similar, and somewhat confusing. Here's a quick way to tell them apart. VISTA is the same as the LEGEND, but with an electronic compass and a barometric altimeter. An Electronic compass allows the compass to work well when you ARE NOT moving. This is important for when you are on foot and want to stop and get a good compass reading. The barometric altimeter uses pressure difference to check your altitude. The "C" in all Garmin GPS systems stands for color, "CX" means it is both color AND allows for a Micro SD card beyond the built in memory. This allows you to get more memory in the future as you need it, as maps become more detailed, and as micro SD card prices drop.
Various random thoughts:
(1) This GPS does a great job in the car. It does *NOT* give you the sort of "turn left here" verbal directions. If you need that, get a Magellan Roadmate (or TomTom, etc.) that will speak to you. The Garmin beeps at you in advance of a turn, and beeps again the moment when you should be making the turn. It also changes the display to show you a closeup diagram of what you should do next. It also has a screen which give you turn by turn TEXT instructions (turn left 0.5 miles onto highway 5, etc) very similar to what you get with Google Map driving directions.
(2) The map has a good sized display, assuming you DON'T have vision issues. Mounting the GPS on the windshield helps make it easy to see. The Magellan Roadmates have bigger displays and are designed for road use without looking at the GPS as much. Garmins like this one are "multiuse" designed to do a decent job in the car AND as a handheld for camping and backpacking while on foot. It also works great in a boat, and I've used it on cruise ships, ferries, etc.
(3) This GPS works great as a handheld. If you are on vacation, you can use it in the car AND then get out and walk with it (try that with a not as pocket sized Magellan Roadmate). The eTrex Vista easily fits in a pants pocket or around the neck on an lanyard, a Roadmate might fit in a pocket, but it'd have to be a bigger jacket pocket. Often, people mistake it for a digital camera around my neck.
(4) Battery life is awesome (using rechargable AAs) *IF* you have the backlight off. I would suggest using the backlight only when you have the GPS hooked to car or computer power. The TFT display looks good outside anyway without backlight. So use sunlight when walking.
(5) The user interface is much better than the current Magellan handhelds. It is more logical, and there are many more settings for the geek in us all. Unlike the Roadmate, it doesn't have a touch screen. A small "joystick" and four buttons are used for all actions.
(6) The eTrex Vista CX connects to a computer using a standard usb to mini-usb cable. Transfer speeds are good, and much better than my old serial cable Magellan. Uploading and downloading to/from the GPS is straightforward and logical.
(7) More car info. The car power cable, coupled with the suction windshield mount works great. The backlight is very important while driving (day or night really), so get the car power cord. I have used this GPS 20 or more times with various rental cars. I just attach the suction mount to the car windshield, attach the GPS and power cord, and I'm off and driving. Before a trip, I use the Garmin Mapsource (Garmin Bobcat for Mac) software to set up "waypoints" for the trip. Once on the ground, I just tell the GPS to create a turn by turn driving directions and calculate a route to any waypoint I want. Works like a charm.
(8) COST: For this GPS, I bought the GPS itself, then a car power cable, then the Mapsource DVD, then a bigger mini-SD card, and finally, a suction mount for the car windshield. The GPS was about $300 (2005). The DVD was about $100. The rest, about $50. So I'm about $450 into this GPS. As of June 2008, I've used it for about 3.5 years with no problems. It's still in perfect condition and still going strong. Just added a 2GB Micro SD card to the GPS. Now it holds the ENTIRE North America Map set!
Bottom line:
If you only want to use a GPS in your car, with audible turn by turn directions and a touch screen... get a Roadmate or TomTom or Garmin NuVi. If you want a smaller rugged "pocket sized" multi-use GPS (car, camping, backpacking, walking, boating) this great one and you will be very happy.
UPDATE 2010: Have moved over to a Garmin Nuvi 765T for use in the car. Still have the Etrex Vista as a backup and for use on foot. Still going strong.
Digital camera Review: Great for geo-caching, but additional software and memory for street navigating
Summary: 4 Stars
This works excellent for geo-caching. With the built-in compass and excellent satellite reception, it almost feels like you're cheating. Street navigation is excellent with purchase of additional software. The altimeter works very well for tracking vertical profiles. Because in reality this is a precision barometer, it works best when the weather is steady. If you want to know the exact altitude above sea level, a topo map is still the best choice.
Here's why I only gave it a four-stars: If you plan to do street navigating, plan to spend another $100 or so on "city navigator North America". The software "trip and waypoint manager" included with the unit is sketchy and low detail. You also need to purchase larger micro flash memory.
Digital camera Review: Great hand held unit
Summary: 4 Stars
This unit takes a while to acquire satellites but then it's a wonder. It does all you can ask of it. The only major drawback is that Garmin charges for each additional map set that you may want.Digital camera Review: Great in the Snow
Summary: 5 Stars
I have used the vista gps on two snowmobile trips to the Upper Penninsula of Michigan in the worst conditions. Blinding snows and high winds with
almost no visibility. I lead our group of six, following the track shown by the vista mounted on the dash of my Polaris. I had no idea how to get back without it....the snow conditions made everything look the same. It safely guided us right to the front door of our destination. This is an outstanding product that i will never be without! Carry two additional rechargable batteries for peace of mind.