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It's big, it's yellow, it's waterproof
Although some cameras promise to be water-resistant, if you're taking pictures near or even under water, a water-resistant camera won't do.
It might cope with splashes and light rain, but for splashing about in the sea something else is required. Underwater housings are available for some cameras but they are often pricey, huge and unwieldy.
This chunky model from Vivitar is hard to mislay in its jaunty yellow body, though some users may feel that the design makes it look more like a toy than a serious camera. It can take pictures safely at depths of up to 10 metres. Snorkelling, then, is an option, and deeper sea exploration as well.
Every button and switch has a rubberised housing and there are locks to make sure the camera is really sealed into place before you jump into the water to capture the life aquatic. The buttons are large, which does make it easier to use underwater.
It has a digital zoom with 4x magnification to allow snappers to get up close to, er, snappers. It’s a shame that this isn’t an optical zoom, in which the zoom effect is made by physically moving the lens, meaning no loss in quality, but presumably this was hard to do in addition to fitting the lens into the waterproof casing. Instead, the digital zoom relies on magnifying the image using software, so there is a drop in picture quality.
It’s a six-megapixel camera, so detail is decent if not outstanding, and the camera's ISO light sensitivity only goes up to a modest 200 rating, so swimming down deep will quickly leave the camera starving for light and exposures will be slower, leading to blurring.
The Vivicam 6200W is not bad, then, for some general aquatic fun, but it’s not proficient enough to stand out as a serious underwater camera, and on dry land the large, yellow casing and clunking buttons may be offputting.
Despite the flaws, though, Vivitar has delivered a camera that, even if it is no more than competent, is very keenly priced and is enjoyable to use in the water.
Vista compatible: Yes
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Our verdict
Good points Very keen price Fun to use Bad points Clunky when out of water No optical zoom Modest resolution Poor sensitivity Overall Fun for the beach or in the water, the Vivitar is cheap and cheerful, but not a camera for a serious user.
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Great when it works
This camera developed a fault after a couple of days' use where it failed to generate adequate power to take photographs reliably. With brand new batteries, you could get an occasional picture, but usually it would turn itself off when the shutter was pressed. With expensive lithium batteries I could get about 10-15 images before battery replacement was necessary. From reading other reviews, this is a design fault that many people have experienced. This was a terrible shame, as the camera would've been great without the fault. The design was good, very hardwearing & rugged. I liked the bright yellow, making it easy to see underwater. It was quite heavy, but this was useful in weighting it in water (if dropped it would be easier to rescue). The included strap was great, with a clip to attach to swimming costume and a toggle enabling it to also be attached to the wrist. Stills were of a good quality. Video was OK... not great quality, but adequate for fun film of snorkeling or waterpark slides. White balance was poor above water, though. Judging by reviews of the Vivicam 8400, the fault has migrated to this upgrade, and it is simply a higher resolution version of the 6200W, with all the same features, and inherent fault.
Posted by Fleabag, 23 Mar 2010