Vivitar 8400BK ViviCam 8 MP Compact System Camera with 2.4-Inch LCD Body Only (Black)

I bought this camera 2 1/2 years ago and used it in Florida. The pictures were equivalent to a disposable but I did get some very nice pictures once I learned not to move too quickly. Last year I tried to use the camera and had a little problem with it but it seemed okay. This year the camera totally quit working and had strange messages on the display and I could not get it to function at all. I contacted the customer service department and they worked back and forth with me to try to resolve the problem. They asked me to return the camera with the original sales receipt and they would let me know what to expect. Today I received a brand new camera, batteries, a flash card, a case and a small tripod. They haven't even received my broken camera yet. I was very impressed with their customer service. I would email a question and they would email me back within 48 hours and have me try something. I would email the results and they would email another suggestion. I have never had such good response. Way to go Sakar Intl who purchased Vivitar in 2008.

This camera is great for the money. There is about a one second delay, but I found that it wasn't that big of a problem. Once printed, the pictures were even better than we expected. The color quality is great, the zoom feature works great, and it's lights and easy to carry.

I picked this up for $65 on Amazon where I see the price is steadily dropping on this model that's been out for a few years. The delay in snapping the picture is definitely annoying, so you have to be sure to hold it still until you see the picture actually show up on the LCD. Be sure you have a clear, good mask or goggles because it can be hard to see the LCD screen underwater. Sometimes the screen goes black and a blue light comes on, which I presume to mean "standby". Shooting video is hit or miss. Sometimes when going into video mode, the camera outright freezes and you have to get somewhere dry, open the battery compartment and close it again to reset the power.The videos are AVI format, which is fine but I'd prefer MOV.I'd have been really annoyed paying $200 for this or even over $100. For $65 I'll give it to my kids to play with for still shots in the pool and seek out something of better quality (and more $$$). Unlike other reviews, mine hasn't started leaking (yet).

Given that the camera leaked water and died on my second day of snorkeling, I consider my 3-star rating to be extra generous. I've returned the camera for repair/replacement under the terms of the warranty.The photos that I recovered from the 1st day were pretty good...certainly better/more convenient than using a disposable camera. The video quality is also decent, though there is no sound recording, which is fine for most underwater videography. Considering the camera's low (tempting) price, the photo & video quality were just about what I expected, if not a little better. A negative is that it is somewhat difficult to use underwater: the view screen is hard to see, and the image of the photo you just took remains on the view screen for barely a second. On land, I found some of the functions non-intuitive (such as reviewing and deleting images), and the camera sometimes "froze," requiring me to turn it off and on again to reset.Overall, I find the ViviCam 8400 serves as a relatively inexpensive, moderate upgrade to disposable cameras. If it hadn't leaked water and died on me, I might have even give it 4 stars given the low price. I'll be interested to see if other reviewers experience issues with water leakage.UPDATE (March 2011): My rating has steadily dropped. It was a huge hassle to get a replacement camera from Vivitar. First, they sent me an incredibly cheap NON-waterproof camera (total junk). After much pestering, I finally received a replacement. Looking past the fact that the camera leaked water, I'm surprised I was so kind in my original review of photo quality. Don't be fooled by the 8 MP specs; photos look more like they are taken with an old-school 1 MP camera and are often blurry. And that's on land! I thought I might have bought a lemon originally, but the replacement has the same problems, often freezing up...very frustrating and annoying. My new recommendation: if you want a toy for your kids, this might suffice. But if you're hoping to take nice vacation photos, look elsewhere and be willing to spend a little more. I'm looking into Intova products, which seem to combine quality at a good price.

Recently went on a Cruise to the West Caribbean, the camera worked great for both land and underwater. The photoswere 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 Camera high rating.

This camera is terrible - you get what you pay for. This is not a camera for snorkeling. The screen is basically nonexistent. You cannot see the pictures on the screen. The buttons are extremely hard to push. You never know when you take a picture because the camera does not have a preview feature for immediately after you take the picture. After only 7 days of using the camera, the latch for the batteries and memory card busted while I was in the water - luckily on the last day of my vacation - but the camera will not function now.If you are snorkeling and want some great pics, check out the Olympus underwater cameras (Stylus Tough series). They take awesome pictures and have a screen that you can actually see. It is worth the extra money.

Mauvaise image et pas de son, passez au large

Instructions for use unclear. Impossible to see / adjust settings underwater. On positive note the camera floats and I did get some very good images among the blurred / useless majority

Awful product. huge time delay between pressing the shutter and the photo taking. Screen impossible to see in bright conditions. Tried it in a swimming pool and pictures were very blurred and on second time of using the camera misted up and leaked so all photos were ruined.Do not waste your money on this cheap product.

J'ai acheté cet appareil dans l'unique but de prendre des photos sous l'eau (vacances en Martinique).Je suis globalement satisfait : la qualité des photos est correcte (résultat globalement correct avec flash).Je reprocherai le temps de disponibilité / affichage de la photo quand le flash est actif. Il est difficile de voir l'image sous l'eau (faible luminosité de l'écran).En vidéos (aquatiques), résultats aussi satisfaisants (après changement de règlages définition et qualité).Bon rapport qualité prix

Il n est pas possible de regler la luminosite de l ecran LCD de cette appareil photo. Il a donc un maximum de reflet du soleil sur l ecran LCD a la surface de l eau et a moins d un metre, on ne voit rien sur l ecran LCD et on ne peut donc pas cadrer la prise de vue.