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Vivitar 6200W Underwater Digital Camera Report
Vivitar 6200W Underwater Digital Camera Report
Vivitar 6200W Report
Last year we purchased an Olympus 770SW for our trip to St. John and loved it. I reported on that camera here - Olympus 770sw
This year, we were bringing our 3 children with us (ages 18 - 22) and thought about having an underwater camera for them. We have a Canon SureShot underwater film camera, but I read some reports on the digital Vivitar 6200W (surprisingly similar to the Sea-Life Ecoshot) and when the price dipped below $100 on Amazon, I grabbed one.
The 6200W is rated to 30ft underwater (same as the 770sw) and out of the box it feels pretty rugged. Everything you need is in the box including batteries and a heavy duty long wrist strap, much better than the little shortie that came with the Olympus. No memory card was included, but they are the popular sd type which we picked up a 3 pack of 1 gbs for under $20. Side by side you can see the 6200 is a much heftier unit.
As seen, the buttons on the Vivitar are all very raised, and provide easy tactile discrimination when changing settings. The batteries, memory card, and usb port are all located behind a waterproof door that is secured with a very re-assuring lever-lock. We replaced the alkaline batteries that came with the camera (after a day of use) with some AA lithiums that lasted the balance of the trip... I didn't even need to break out my backup NiCad rechargeables.
Once we hit the beach, the 6200w took some decent dry land pictures, but the fixed focus, digital-zoom-only limited the 6 mega pixel capacity of the camera. Here are a couple of shots.
Underwater, however the camera took surprisingly good photos. Here is a sample:
For comparison, I picked out similar shots from both the 6200w and the 770sw. See if you can tell which is which. Note: most of the photos (except the one of above) were corrected using Corel photo software.
If you guessed Vivitar - Olympus, Olympus - Vivitar, and Vivitar - Olympus, you are right.
As you can see, the underwater shots of the Vivitar are pretty good, and the 6 mps allow you to miss your shot, but still crop to get the right subject on center.
The 6200w also takes video on par with the Olympus. Both are of lower resolution but certainly pretty cool for following that swimming turtle or ray.
Though certainly not shirt-pocketable like the 770sw, the Vivitar 6200W is a very good option if you want to take digital underwater photos and you are not too crazy about putting your favorite digital camera in a waterproof case. In fact, these cameras can be had for much less than most custom waterproof cases. Taking it for what it is - an inexpensive 6 MP underwater camera, I would rate the 6200W four out of five fishes
.
Last year we purchased an Olympus 770SW for our trip to St. John and loved it. I reported on that camera here - Olympus 770sw
This year, we were bringing our 3 children with us (ages 18 - 22) and thought about having an underwater camera for them. We have a Canon SureShot underwater film camera, but I read some reports on the digital Vivitar 6200W (surprisingly similar to the Sea-Life Ecoshot) and when the price dipped below $100 on Amazon, I grabbed one.
The 6200W is rated to 30ft underwater (same as the 770sw) and out of the box it feels pretty rugged. Everything you need is in the box including batteries and a heavy duty long wrist strap, much better than the little shortie that came with the Olympus. No memory card was included, but they are the popular sd type which we picked up a 3 pack of 1 gbs for under $20. Side by side you can see the 6200 is a much heftier unit.
As seen, the buttons on the Vivitar are all very raised, and provide easy tactile discrimination when changing settings. The batteries, memory card, and usb port are all located behind a waterproof door that is secured with a very re-assuring lever-lock. We replaced the alkaline batteries that came with the camera (after a day of use) with some AA lithiums that lasted the balance of the trip... I didn't even need to break out my backup NiCad rechargeables.
Once we hit the beach, the 6200w took some decent dry land pictures, but the fixed focus, digital-zoom-only limited the 6 mega pixel capacity of the camera. Here are a couple of shots.
Underwater, however the camera took surprisingly good photos. Here is a sample:
For comparison, I picked out similar shots from both the 6200w and the 770sw. See if you can tell which is which. Note: most of the photos (except the one of above) were corrected using Corel photo software.
If you guessed Vivitar - Olympus, Olympus - Vivitar, and Vivitar - Olympus, you are right.
As you can see, the underwater shots of the Vivitar are pretty good, and the 6 mps allow you to miss your shot, but still crop to get the right subject on center.
The 6200w also takes video on par with the Olympus. Both are of lower resolution but certainly pretty cool for following that swimming turtle or ray.
Though certainly not shirt-pocketable like the 770sw, the Vivitar 6200W is a very good option if you want to take digital underwater photos and you are not too crazy about putting your favorite digital camera in a waterproof case. In fact, these cameras can be had for much less than most custom waterproof cases. Taking it for what it is - an inexpensive 6 MP underwater camera, I would rate the 6200W four out of five fishes
.
Steve- Thanks for the detailed and entertaining review of cameras....did you do the "treasure hunt" thing?
STJ Villa Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 2&t=h&z=14
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 2&t=h&z=14
Nice work Steve - made me consider getting one of these for DD who gets stuck with the 35mm disposables while I use the Canon.
Last time the film got zapped in one of the disposables going thru X-ray, not to mention image quality is mostly lame, even if you get it developed with prints and a disc.
Last time the film got zapped in one of the disposables going thru X-ray, not to mention image quality is mostly lame, even if you get it developed with prints and a disc.
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Yum, enjoying my nice, fruity cocktail! Drink up!jmq wrote:Nice work Steve - made me consider getting one of these for DD who gets stuck with the 35mm disposables while I use the Canon.
Last time the film got zapped in one of the disposables going thru X-ray, not to mention image quality is mostly lame, even if you get it developed with prints and a disc.
Got me! But does that mean everytime I see your avatar I have to knock one back? Also OT in your wheelhouse, will there be boots of the Count Basie show? THAT is something I've got to hear (PM me so we dont completely hijack this)mbw1024 wrote:Yum, enjoying my nice, fruity cocktail! Drink up!
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Software can usually do UW shots well with just the auto adjust, but some may not. Paint Shop must have some kind of "color temperature" sort of adjustment where you can "warm up" the image by increasing the red tones which are filtered out underwater.bugblu98 wrote:I have Corel Paint Shop Pro X but whenever I adjust my underwater photos they never turn out that good. I use the auto adjuster. Should I be doing it another way? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!Bug
If still not satisfied, download Picasa for free from Google and try their editing tools. They call their auto adjust "I'm Feeling Lucky" under the Basic Fixes tab, and you can also try "Warmify" under the Effects tab. These work really well 9 out of 10 times.
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Sherby- I didn't get into the scavenger hunt this time with the kids. Got some good ideas for next year when we join my wife's siblings, their spouses, and my in-laws...
Bugster - I use Corel Photo Album 6, which I'm sure is no where near as powerful as Paint Shop Pro, but that auto adjust button works awfully well on the underwater photos.
Bugster - I use Corel Photo Album 6, which I'm sure is no where near as powerful as Paint Shop Pro, but that auto adjust button works awfully well on the underwater photos.