Comments on: Vivitar ViviCam 8400 8.1 MP 2.4Inch TFT LCD

By: C. Hunt

C. Hunt — Fri, 21 May 2010 11:02:22 +0000

broke on second use
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
this camera fried underwater on its second use. water got inside camera and made it unusable. i stayed within the 10 ft range in the ocean and it still broke. piece of crap!

By: pickngrin

pickngrin — Fri, 07 May 2010 02:22:34 +0000

takes getting used to
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Just bought this for a trip to a waterpark. Played with it in our pool to test it out. We had lots of fun with it, only got a few good shots because it is hard to see the LCD screen underwater. Pictures are actually pretty clear. I am actually a trained photographer so I am not used to point and shoot small cameras, but this one is actually pretty fun.

Downside is that it takes regular AA batteries which I am sure will need replacing after only one day of shooting.

By: Dawn Massey

Dawn Massey — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 09:40:40 +0000

Not worth any amount of Money
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera for a vacation my husband and I took to Hawaii. I had done a lot of research and this camera had great reviews and wasn’t very expensive. However, once we took the camera into the water (a pool, actually), we got 10 pictures snapped off before the camera broke. The case leaked and water got into it. It even ruined our memory card. So, we couldn’t get the pictures off of it – I never got to see how they turned out. It was a complete waste of money and cost me more in the end (replacing the memory card). I suspect, I would have had better luck with a disposable waterproof camera. I would never recommend this camera to anyone!

By: D. Spencer

D. Spencer — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 04:14:55 +0000

Not a Pro Cam but good for the price.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This camera looks like a Fisher Price toy.

I bought this cam with the intent on doing an underwater photo session in a pool with a model. I was going to slave fire my studio lights off the small built in flash. Then I was going to edit the photos in the computer and create Beautiful Mermaid images from the photos captured with this camera.

The session NEVER happened because the camera never showed up!

It was lost in shipping.

I missed the photo session by 14 days.

The GOOD thing is that Amazon made it “right” and sent out another camera NEXT DAY.

I got it the next day and played with it a bit. I’m not impressed with the LOOKS or STYLE.

The BIGGEST issue with this camera is the SLOW SHUTTER LAG.

You MUST hold the camera still even AFTER snapping the shutter.

If you do that, then the photos are nice and sharp.

Video is nice also (not GREAT… just nice)

but what do you expect for under $100.00?

I have yet to see what this camera can “really” do underwater. I will use a tripod in the pool for this just because the shutter lag. I will upload the results of our first session (If this site lets me edit this review).

Overall, I’d get it again for the price.

By: Thomas J. Dyer

Thomas J. Dyer — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 23:54:24 +0000

POOR!!!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
The camers looks like it was made by Fisher Price… Plastic, the locking door is plastic… It took OK pictures out of the water but I tried it under water (1 or 2 feet) and it got water in the lens. Every picture after that was cloudy!!! If you want a good under water camera pay the extra money… “You get what you pay for!”

By: Gary Droubay

Gary Droubay — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:33:19 +0000

Leaks within 10 minutes of water entry
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Very unhappy with this camera. Went snorkling with this camera on Oahu North Shore. It leaked within 10 minutes of entering the water. Bottom line we were snorkling, it leaked at a depth of about 2 feet. Batteries reacted with water and destroyed the sd card. I returned to the beach and a couple from Texas asked if the camera leaked--I said yes and they said they had the same problem--Their camera leaked within 10 minutes of entering the water.

Do not waste your money. Only useful as a traditional digital camera--DO NOT GO SWIMMING WITH IT.

By: Bob Ross

Bob Ross — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 10:01:40 +0000

Designed to Flood
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I can't comment on the quality of the pictures from this camera as I don't have any yet, and may never if the SD chip was ruined..

On the camera's third trip into the water I noticed water in the view screen area. Then I noticed that the battery/SD card compartment door was not properly seated. I have diagnosed the underlying problem as poor design with respect to the battery compartment door locking mechanism. There is a single release button which stands proud of the surrounding surface. If it is bumped or brushes up against your wrist it can easily release the locking lever on the battery compartment door. The locking lever is spring-loaded to pop up into a position where it is easy to manipulate to complete opening the battery compartment door. But it appears that, even with the locking lever only partially raised, the watertight seal will have been broken allowing water to enter the camera.

A good solution might be to have two relase buttons rather than one and for both to be recessed so that they are not easy to release accidently. The locking lever should also be redesigned so that it does not automatically pop up into a semi-opened condition.

If you already have one of these cameras and have not flooded it, I suggest that you try electrical tape over the release button and the locking lever as a way to prevent accidental opening. If Vivitar replaces mine (it goes in the mail tomorrow), that is what I am going to try.

By: Leo Dillon

Leo Dillon — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:38:58 +0000

Vivitar Vivicam 8400 Great Underwater Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Recently went on a Cruise to the West Caribbean, the camera worked great for both land and underwater. The photos

were clear and crisp along with the video. I had added a larger memory card and used ALK Batteries, the camera lasted without having to change the batteries. This camera is very water tight, I scuba dived to 40ft with no leaks to the camera. The only problem I had with this camera, it is hard to see the view finder underwater, I had to just point and shoot. Overall I give this camera a Vivitar ViviCam 8400 8.1 MP 2.4-Inch TFT LCD Screen Underwater Digital Camerahigh rating.

By: McBud

McBud — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 01:30:25 +0000

Expensive digital disposable
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
We were looking for a digital answer to the expensive underwater disposables and this looked to be the answer. It is not. We purchased this camera after seeing good reviews and understood that your $100 only gets you so much. The camera was ordered 2 weeks before a two week vacation in the Bahamas. First dive … approx 100 nice quality pictures and even good video quality. Noticed some dampness on USB hook-up to the laptop but nothing severe. Second dive … 15 pictures and the camera is dead. Pulled the card to save the picures and the LCD screen and camera/memory card compartment is soaking wet. … Dead camera. Returned from vacation just as the 30 day product return policy kicked. Final evaluation: About 100 nice pictures for $100. Don’t buy it. Spend the money and get something better.

By: Officer 777

Officer 777 — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:34:32 +0000

Good All Around Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Product is a good camera for any type of environment.

Fits well in travel case and/or purse. Doesn’t take

the highest quality picture, but, good for the type

of camera. The product was delivered on time and in

good condition.