Garmin Etrex Legend C Or Vista C

[dbkid13]

I am a newbie and have been researching a lot about the Legend C and Vista C. The only difference that I see is that the Vista C has a built in compass and also a bariometer. My question is, are the two features worth it. The only benefit is that I see that intrest me is knowing which direction you are going without walking. l searched the forums a little and found some similar questions but not this one. Is in that inconvient to walk to figure out which direction you are facing. Thanks in advance. -----Sam

 

Garmin Legend C ----$210

Garmin Vista C-------$250

Edited January 29, 2006 by dbkid13

[Neo_Geo]

Is in that inconvient to walk to figure out which direction you are facing.

To me, no - it's not. I'd rather save the $40 and take a few steps here and there. The compass has to be calibrated after each battery change, and the altimeter has to be calibrated at EVERY use (and sometimes more frequently in changing weather). To me that's more inconvenient than taking a few steps. When I pick up my GPSr, I just wanna turn it on and go! I don't wanna have to play around with the thing in order to make it work right.

 

...just my 2¢

[+Alan2]

Yes it's worth it. You don't have to move to get the bearing arrow which is pretty convenient. Plus, you don't have to hold two objects - the GPS and a separate compass. On board magnetic compass and GPS positioning system go together like ham and eggs.

[+denali7]

don't forget the 24 to 8 MB of memory comparison. i returned a legend and bought a vista c and never looked back. especially with the current price of the vista, there is NO reason to compromise--i love the compass and like the barometer. i use topo and city select maps at the same time, which eats up memory fast. if you plan to buy mapping software you might one day be sorry that you bought the legend. trust me.

Edited January 29, 2006 by denali7

[dbkid13]

Thanks for the input, I did not realize that you have to calibrate the compass every time. I am still unsure of what I am going to do but the post were informative and not yess no answeres. Anyways is amazon the best (cheapest) place to purchase these. I went to price grabbers and it seemed like amazon was pretty competitve with other stores since they have free shipping. Thanks. -----Sam

[+denali7]

it takes a couple seconds to calibrate the compass. IMO, a lot less trouble to recalibrate the compass when changing batteries than checking my watch compass while on the move.

 

eta: check out the prices at gpsnow.com. they are usually the lowest, free shipping, fast delivery. amazon.com usually has the mapping software cheapest.

Edited January 29, 2006 by denali7

[dbkid13]

I met to say Legend C vs. Vista C, sorry I worded it a little funny however I have modified the post to reflect a more accurate account of what I meant. ---Sam

[peter]

don't forget the 24 to 8 MB of memory comparison.

That's only a factor for the b&w models. The "C" versions of both have 24 MB of download space for maps (and of course the Cx versions can expand that further with TransFlash cards)..

 

One factor that would be significant for me is that the VistaC lets me see the elevation profile of a hike/ride right on the GPS and also gives me cumulative climb data. With the LegendC I could get that data later by plotting the tracklog on appropriate software, but I'd have to wait to access a PC to see it.

[+denali7]

That's only a factor for the b&w models. The "C" versions of both have 24 MB of download space for maps

 

oops...thanks for that catch, peter!

[dbkid13]

Well I figured you only live once, so I purchased the Vista, its only $40 and hopefully I will have no regrets. I should be showing my face on this forums quite often now. See ya. SAm

[+KandRS]

I have a Vista C and I love the compass being built in, it really is handy.