Comments on: Vivitar VIVICAM6200W 6.0 MegaPixel Underwater Camera with 4x

By: Diane McHutchison

Diane McHutchison — Thu, 27 May 2010 14:43:17 +0000

Great camera for the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We purchased this camera shortly before our once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Galapagos Islands. The controls were easy to learn, and the ability to switch between still photos and video was wonderful, particularly as the seal wanted to play.

We took along rechargable AA batteries, but never had a problem with battery life during our water excursions, one of which lasted a little over 2 hours. We took a fair mix of both video and still, and the compact flash card worked well. (I used the SanDisk Extreme III cards...note that the camera can't read above 1GB on the card.)

The underwater picture quality was quite good, and while the on-camera flash wasn't strong enough for my deeper-diving husband, it was just fine for me, as I snorkeled around enjoying the underwater beauty. The above-water pictures are also very good - after getting our "dry-land" camera doused once by an errant wave, I started using this nearly anytime we were in a small boat.

The camera itself was relatively small, relatively lightweight, and very reliable. (Size and weight were important given our luggage restrictions.) The case and controls are nearly identical to the SeaLife ReefMaster Mini Underwater Camera, just a better price!

By: C. Bennett

C. Bennett — Wed, 26 May 2010 10:46:01 +0000

Worth the money
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I wanted an inexpensive waterproof camera for the beach. After checking out the cost of a disposable camera coupled with the cost of developing and printing the pictures, I decided to go with this Vivitar. The pictures taken came out really good. The strap was secure and the camera did float as advertised. I also followed the reviewer’s comments about making sure that the battery compartment was secure and closed before taking it back in the water. I also dropped it in the sand, but it cleaned up quickly in the water. The down side was that the camera turned off a lot if you were taking alot of pictures. Also the LCD screen is difficult to see if you are in the sunlight. All and all, it was worth the money and it will continue to get use when we go swimming at the pool. Note, instructions included in the camera were minimal at best, so I’m sure I haven’t figured out all of the setting yet.

By: Charleen M. Bertolini

Charleen M. Bertolini — Fri, 14 May 2010 19:49:00 +0000

Underwater Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Superb service and it’s a great underwater camera for a very reasonable price. I had tried a protective case over my Canon, but this works much better.

By: Jared Handspicker

Jared Handspicker — Sat, 01 May 2010 11:30:45 +0000

Good, Functional Waterproof Camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera, not for its underwater capabilities, but because I was going on a whale watch, and didn't wish to damage my primary camera with salt water. It did quite well. I even used it for some "dry" shots and the camera performed fairly well. It's not the easiest to grasp in terms of operation, but once you realize how the zoom function works, and realize its settings are a bit more basic than other cameras, it functions quite well. I can only imagine its underwater capabilities, if they are near equal to the uses I explored, it should do rather well.

By: Mike M

Mike M — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:16:05 +0000

Not Bad For The $
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This is the first underwater digital camera that I would consider affordable for causal users. We go snorkeling every summer and have used disposable film cameras for our underwater photography, with mixed results. I took this camera to Mexico this year and was generally pleased with the results. I did have trouble composing my shots, as the LCD viewfinder was useless underwater. The controls need improvement as well and there needs to be some kind of a bright indicator light telling you the camera is on and ready to shoot.

By: Buzz Smith

Buzz Smith — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 02:12:46 +0000

Not worth the price
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I was all excited when I saw a fully waterproof 6.0mp camera for $119. Well, that's where my excitement ended. The camera takes bad pictures. They have a strange hue to them. It can not be adjusted. The video is horrible. Whatever setting you use, they will be washed out. The battery indicator shows drained battery even with brand new ones installed. The shutter speed is the slowest of any camera I have ever seen. Most pictures come out blurry. No optical zoom. Just not a good camera.

Better spend your money on a nice Olympus waterproof model.

By: LA

LA — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 05:47:16 +0000

Great little number for the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We go snorkeling on vacation just about every year and I was sick of the underwater film cameras and wanted to go digital this year. We could not find a housing for our little Canon so my husband got me this for my birthday and overall we are really pleased with the job it did for the money spent! I LOVE being able to auto-correct the pictures in Photoshop. I always hated that with film pics you were stuck with whatever you got printed. This is awesome to be able to snap away and then edit them. I also love that I can upload them into our online albums along with all of our other pics. We got a lot of great shots and used the video feature on a dolphin swim which was AWESOME!

The only negative things I have to say really is that there's no viewfinder and the LCD display screen can be hard to see in the sun / water if there's a lot of glare and the buttons are a bit close together. But I give it 2 thumbs up for the pictures it took!

Edited to add: I see a previous poster said it only supports a 1 GB card but I used a 2 GB card with no problems.

By: D. Tile

D. Tile — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:34:51 +0000

Leaks
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera in mid June for a family vacation we took in August to Florida. I was looking forward to filming Manatee in the clear waters along the west coast, unfortunately it didn't quite work out.

After getting set up for a close encounter, I stuck the camera under the surface and began to film, when I finished I lifted the camera to see that it had shut off. After drying it off and opening the case in an effort to get it working water poured out. It obviously hasn't worked since, and I spent the rest of my vacation regretting ever buying it.

By: J. Darby

J. Darby — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 09:10:18 +0000

Camera good for the money
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
PRO: The camera performed as advertised on a recent snorkel trip. Pictures taken were good. Camera focus performed well. No leaks.

Cons: The display in the water is absolutely USELESS. This is definitely a "POINT AND SHOOT" camera. Not unlike a FILM camera.

Recommend taking multiple shots of subject to make sure you have at least one good one. Also have additional batteries.

By: D. Lyman

D. Lyman — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 07:43:32 +0000

Great Camera for the price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
For the price this is an excellent little camera. It takes good pictures and is easy to use and yes it works underwater just follow the instructions. The wrist strap that comes with it is pretty poor, but these are inexpensive and easy to find. As with many digital cameras it is difficult to see the view screen in bright sunlight, but it does a great job of point and shoot so get a memory card and take several shots to be on the safe side; always a good idea anyway.