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Review: Vivitar Vivicam 8400 Underwater Camera

First steps into underwater photography

There is no arguing that the genre photography has been revolutionised by digital photography and while many of the skills have migrated across the miniaturisation and mass production of the electronic camera it has also brought photography to the masses.

The modern digital SLR camera is a powerful tool that can operate from simple 'point and click' upwards (I am still amazed to this day when I see thousands of pounds worth of equipment in the hands of someone who clearly has little idea of how to actually use it!) However, at the lower end of the market you can equally achieve some really good shots with point and click models.

This is the beauty of the Vivitar ViviCam 8400 Underwater Digital Camera, which is competitively priced point and click device. Its major advantage is that it is waterproof to 30 metres, which means you can now take your photography underwater! What has been the reserve of very expensive, bulky equipment costing thousands of pounds has now been miniaturised and costs less than £100.

Headline specifications:

Okay, so it's not likely to get you on the front cover of National Geographic magazine as, just in the world of above water photography, the Vivitar ViviCam 8400 is an entry level machine but wow, what an entry! The cameras' headline specifications are:

• 8.1 Megapixels
• 2.4" LCD TFT viewing screen
• 8 x digital zoom
•  

As well as all the usual features of a compact point and click, such as Auto White Balance (AWB), built in flash, the camera itself has a small built in memory that can handle around 15 large pictures but this is academic as there is provision for a Compact Flash memory card. We used a SanDisk 4GB SDHC Secure Digital Cardwhich boosted the available storage to around 1500 images and proved plenty for a weeks diving.

Battery life.

Doing some background research revealed some concerns that the Vivitar 8400 eats batteries. Well, it doesn't! For a start it powers down after a preset time (1, 2 or 5 mins) and yes reviewing the images of the LCD uses power. However, we used Energizer Battery Rechargeable Capacity 2450mAh 1.2V AA [Pack 4] and these lasted for around 2-3 days diving with power to spare.

And using the Vivatar 8400?

Okay, so actually using the camera. Firstly underwater photography is obviously very different. The medium you're shooting in is different and you are in 3 dimensional movement. You move with the waves so holding your composition is a whole new experience!

Anyway, the Vivitar 8400 Underwater Digital Camera has a clear blue LED indicator to show when it's on our in standby. This can be easily seen underwater. The controls are well laid out and big enough to operate without having to look at what you're doing. There is also a clear 'beep' when you have taken a picture, which is audible underwater. The device is also supplied with a wrist strap to stop it disappearing to the bottom with you hard won snaps (That said the device is buoyant in fresh water however we tested the device in the Ionian Sea, which is very salty and as a result the camera lost this buoyancy. The addition of a float, salvaged from a sea fishing kit, rectified this).

Now for the downside, none of which has anything to do with the camera. Firstly, trying to compose a shot on an LCD, through water, through a facemask is nearly impossible. Occasionally you could get a rough idea but for the most part its fingers crossed and hope. Maybe a cowl or something around the LCD could help but a provisional hand over it seemed to produce little change. Secondly, if you're free diving (as opposed to SCUBA) then holding you composition in a dive or bobbing on the surface and trying to hold your shots composition is a skill in itself (our images later in the week where certainly much improved thanks to some practice!) If you want the kind of shot underwater that you can get with your Nikon or Canon DLSR above water then you are going to struggle with this camera. However, for the money this point and click camera is fantastic and well recommended for your first steps into underwater photography.

It should be noted that the camera that we received was not yellow, as pictured but black with a rubberised case. The LCD screen also received a couple of small scratches during use so we also purchase a Lowepro Rezo 20 Digital Camera Pouch - Black to protect it when not in the water.

The Vivitar 8400 underwater camera in summary

So, in summary. The Vivitar ViviCam 8400 Underwater Digital Camera is an entry level point and click camera that is capable of being fully submerged to 30 metres. For a first step into underwater photography it makes an excellent extension to your skills and can reveal some remarkable images. It is easy to use and excellent fun for both free diving and SCUBA diving expeditions.

The products in this review were all purchased online, via Amazon.

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