After scouring the Argos catalogue for weeks, I finally settled on the Vivitar Vivicam X30, and I am so glad I did! I was dubious at first, as I can imagine some people would be, but I eventually bought it, and I wouldn’t be without it now!
The description of it sounds quite amazing: 10.1MP, 3X Super Zoom, 2.5” LCD Monitor, Video Functionality, not to mention the countless modes and settings. All this for just under £200? Quite hard to believe, as for a slightly higher price, you could get a Sony Cybershot with only half the megapixel capabilities of the Vivitar. Ok, it’s not exactly an SLR, but for a digital camera, it’s the best I’ve seen so far!
The part that shocked and attracted me most was the 10.1MP, as I had never seen a camera with such a high megapixel value for that price. I thought it could be one of those products that appear to be of great value for their money, but break easily, or something goes wrong very quickly, as a catch of being so cheap. After a lot of contemplating I took the risk and bought it. With some products they do break almost instantly when they sound too good to be true, not with this camera though, I bought it, set it up, and have never looked back!
The functionality amazes me, even now, a year after I purchased it! The 16 scene modes, ranging from night mode, to pet mode, to flowing water mode! Everything is customisable, in the sense of altering the settings for quality, size, mode, colour, shutter speed and more. Despite having a lot of settings and functions, once set up, it is easy to adapt to the interface and becomes quite simple fairly quickly. It has all the usual: red-eye reduction flash settings, self-timers, zoom, brightness/contrast adjustment, close/far away modes, but it also has an ‘anti-shake’ function, which is good for night scenes, or photos without flash, and many other features. It can hold up to a 1GB SD card, contains a rechargeable lithium ion battery, it also comes complete with a carry case, strap, USB lead, charger and manual. It can also be mounted onto a tripod .
The only problem I have encountered is that the battery can wear down very fast and if you’re a keen photographer like me, it will last a day if you’re lucky - but you will get around 250 photos out of it! Also, don’t adjust the settings unless you know what you’re doing, as I foolishly altered the shutter speed about a year ago and it hasn’t been the same since!
Overall I believe this camera is fantastic value for its selling price, it’s a reliable camera that has never broken down or malfunctioned since its purchase. It goes with me everywhere and has never let me down! I would recommend it to anyone, especially those in search of a good quality camera on a budget, or for someone who doesn’t want something as bulky as an SLR, but wants the same kind of quality. Despite not having a brand name as well-known as Sony, for example, it has outshone the more popular brands by far!!