Vivitar VIVICAM-6200W 6.0 MegaPixel Underwater Camera with 4x Digital Zoom 2.0" LCD by Vivitar
|
List Price: Our Price: $169.95 You Save: $30.00 (15%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $99.95 (click here) Category: Digital Camera See more digital camera details and other models |
|---|
Digital camera reviews of Vivitar VIVICAM-6200W 6.0 MegaPixel Underwater Camera with 4x Digital Zoom 2.0" LCD
Digital camera Review: Excellent for the purpose!
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought one of these for myself and one for my host on a trip to Hawaii. We went nuts taking underwater videos of turtles and fish. Every evening we downloaded our clips to an old laptop and sat around boring our friends and family.
It captured video clips underwater very well. Make sure to set the underwater mode before shooting. With 2500MA rechargeable batteries the power usage was very acceptable.
Still shots underwater were a little more problematic because it has a slow shutter speed underwater and even a flash doesn't help a lot. But over time it certainly is a better value than throw-away film cameras.
Regular surface daylight pictures were very acceptable with good color and exposure.
Don't substitute this for a decent digital camera in safe,dry environments though. It bleaches out videos to the point of looking like old home movies in direct sunlight. The lack of a focus function precludes better compositions.
Conclusion, extends your digital capture environment very nicely to wet, dark, and dirty settings.
Cons: It is hard to adjust modes underwater or determine if your movie capture is already on. Hard to capture the photo subject -- an external frame that was aligned with the camera's field of view would help.
Digital camera Review: Awful customer service from Vivitar!
Summary: 1 Stars
Unfortunately my camera arrived with several mechanical problems, such as a faulty waterproof compartment latch, malfunctioning motion detection feature, bad spring for the memory card, and the flash would not work period. Sometimes the LDC display would go blank, with nothing but a blue screen, and the only way to reset the camera was to remove the batteries and reinstall them. Not to mention the pictures were extremely poor even on the highest quality settings, the zoom was a complete joke, and the photos would not download via the USB cable, even though driver & software were installed in our computer, and all connections were fine.
So I contacted Vivitar for a replacement. Although I had to be transferred from outsourced customer service, with lengthy hold times, I eventually spoke with someone stateside in the returns department. I was given instructions for returning the camera for REPLACEMENT, and did so at my own expense. A little over 2 weeks later I received my EXACT same malfunctioning camera BACK with nothing more than a post-it note stuck to it that read, "NDF"?!?! I phoned Vivitar for an explaination. Once again there was the tangle of transfers and long hold times, and I finally got connected with an extremely rude individual in the California based returns department. I was told that they do not replace cameras and that nothing was wrong with the camera I sent them! I asked to speak to a supervisor and was HUNG UP ON! Upon trying to phone Vivitar back, I again went through the obstacle course of long hold times, disconnections, explaining my situation again and again to outsourced customer service agents, transfers, and FINALLY connected to the SAME rude individual in California! I asked for the supervisor once more but was never connected with them. I was told they would replace my camera ONE TIME only, and with NO warranty! I was to receive an e-mail with a return shipping label, but never heard back from them AT ALL!
DO NOT expect quality customer service from Vivitar, or for them to honor their warranties!
This like model camera is available from SeaLife as the "ECOshot" (Vivitar purchased the design from SeaLife/Pioneer Research - as I found out). GO WITH SEALIFE!!!! The camera they produce has higher quality programs installed and it is depth tested.
Digital camera Review: Not bad for the price!
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this camera for a trip to the Galapagos Islands, and it was a winner.
What I like about this camera:
--Very sturdy.
--Grippy rubber outside & lanyard (with carabiner clip), makes it easy to hang on to.
--Video feature is fun, and having sound makes it even better.
--Big buttons make it easy to operate under water.
--Can't beat the price...this camera costs about half what my friends paid for underwater housings for their expensive cameras.
What I don't like about this camera:
--No viewfinder, just an LCD screen. That's fine indoors, but in the water, with glare on the screen, it's difficult to see what you're filming. I ended up just pointing and hoping for the best.
--The color is a little off on pictures taken out of the water (admittedly, this may be operator error...)
Digital camera Review: Good Underwater camera
Summary: 4 Stars
This camera was great for both on land and underwater.... My only problem was, it was hard to see the viewer underwater.... couldn't realy see whether you got the shot or not. However, the result were great. Digital camera Review: good camera for its intent
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought the camera for my son. After looking at the cameras marketed for kids, I found this camera. The camera I was looking for needed to be shock proof and water proof as kids abuse stuff. This camera more than meets the needs, its very durable and easy enough for an 8 year old to use. Even the buttons seem to be very durable. The quality of the pics and video are good enough, though they are a little grainy. Perhaps that is because of the user and the settings, if so the give it 5 stars. If you are looking for a camera for your kids, or to use on vacation, this camera can take a lot of abuse and serves the purpose. As for size, it is the size of the older cameras, but you will not find a more robust camera.