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Best Garmin Unit in Sunlight


zcoyote12

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If you can swing it and want a full featured modern unit, the Montana is pretty darned good in the sunlight, too, without the needing backlight. Bonus for aging eyes is that it has a BIG, nice, high resolution screen. But, it's expensive. Gotta pay to play with that one. :anibad:

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For "old, tired eyes" sunlight readability is important but not the only consideration. Screen size and resolution are just as important in my opinion. The etrex/Venture/Legend screens are sunlight bright (without backlight) but the screen size is so small folks with poor eyesight often find themselves wishing for something bigger.

 

The older 60 and newer 62 are very bright and an improvement in screen size over the eTrex line. The Montana has the largest screen of any Garmin handheld and stacks up well against any of the brightest models in sunlight (without backlight).

 

If "old, tired eyes" is your affliction, then the Montana is just what the eye doctor ordered. In my opinion of course.

Edited by yogazoo
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Wow... I thought the Etrex 20 (I just got it nd it's my first GPS) was great in sunlight... Could anyone explain this to me:

When you say the Etrex is the worst, its not bad right? It's just the worst of the three? But still good in sunlight?

 

"Best in sunlight" is relative. You said you think your Etrex 20 is great in sunlight but it's your first GPSr. Have you ever had the chance to compare it to any other units in the sun?

 

The eTrex 20 is manageable. I'm not going to return it or anything. It's just not as good in the sun as my other two units. All of my GPSr's are better in the sun than any other electronics with screens that I've ever owned.

Edited by GrnXnham
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Do those great-in-sunlight units need the backlight turned on?

 

My trusty 60CSx (pry it out of my cold dead fingers) is superbly readable in a bright sunbeam, and decently readable in shade. Backlight in daytime is pointless with this unit. The others?

 

My Montana (with it's huge, easy to see screen) is crystal clear and (in my opinion) looks better in direct sunlight (with the backlight off) than it does in the shade (with the backlight on)!

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I have aging eyes too and love the montana for the large screen size and the bright screen. I can't remember a time when I couldn't read it when I was outside.

Hi LadyBee4T,

 

I have a very specific question for you or anyone else who can answer it. I have searched and it appears that the Montana is pretty good in bright sunlight but I'm looking for the answer for a much more specific case. For the record, I have the same issues many have described: aging eyes. I should also mention that I'm a long-time Garmin user, starting with the iQue 3600, Mobile XT on my Palm smartphone, Mobile PC on my laptops and netbook, a couple of Nuvis and the next two...

 

I have an eTrex Legend HCx and a Garmin Approach G6. Both are really good in bright sunlight to the point that when I'm outdoors I rarely turn the backlight on on either of them unless it's a really dark day (heavy-overcast-in-deep-forest dark). Thus I get incredible battery life on both.

 

However, although the eTrex still works well and serves all my functional needs, I find increasingly that I'm having a difficult time reading that teensy screen. Especially on my motorcycle and mountain bike where holding it closer to my face is not an option. :blink:

 

After much research I've come to the conclusion that the Montana would allow me to pass my eTrex and my Nuvi 765T and my little Canon digital camera on to someone else. The only concern I have is whether the screen will get it done for me.

 

I'm hoping that there are many former eTrex users who have now moved to the Montana. So...

 

My very specific question is: When compared specifically to the last generation eTrex models (eg. Legend HCx, Vista HCx, Venture HC) or the Approach G6, is the Montana 6xx screen at least as readable in bright sunlight with the backlight off?

 

...ken...

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I have aging eyes too and love the montana for the large screen size and the bright screen. I can't remember a time when I couldn't read it when I was outside.

Hi LadyBee4T,

 

I have a very specific question for you or anyone else who can answer it. I have searched and it appears that the Montana is pretty good in bright sunlight but I'm looking for the answer for a much more specific case. For the record, I have the same issues many have described: aging eyes. I should also mention that I'm a long-time Garmin user, starting with the iQue 3600, Mobile XT on my Palm smartphone, Mobile PC on my laptops and netbook, a couple of Nuvis and the next two...

 

I have an eTrex Legend HCx and a Garmin Approach G6. Both are really good in bright sunlight to the point that when I'm outdoors I rarely turn the backlight on on either of them unless it's a really dark day (heavy-overcast-in-deep-forest dark). Thus I get incredible battery life on both.

 

However, although the eTrex still works well and serves all my functional needs, I find increasingly that I'm having a difficult time reading that teensy screen. Especially on my motorcycle and mountain bike where holding it closer to my face is not an option. :blink:

 

After much research I've come to the conclusion that the Montana would allow me to pass my eTrex and my Nuvi 765T and my little Canon digital camera on to someone else. The only concern I have is whether the screen will get it done for me.

 

I'm hoping that there are many former eTrex users who have now moved to the Montana. So...

 

My very specific question is: When compared specifically to the last generation eTrex models (eg. Legend HCx, Vista HCx, Venture HC) or the Approach G6, is the Montana 6xx screen at least as readable in bright sunlight with the backlight off?

 

...ken...

 

I can't answer that question for you since I've never used an etrex so I hope that some else will jump in. I've had a magellan 200, lowrance h20c, lowrance endura safari, gpsmap 76 and now the montana.

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I have aging eyes too and love the montana for the large screen size and the bright screen. I can't remember a time when I couldn't read it when I was outside.

Hi LadyBee4T,

 

I have a very specific question for you or anyone else who can answer it. I have searched and it appears that the Montana is pretty good in bright sunlight but I'm looking for the answer for a much more specific case. For the record, I have the same issues many have described: aging eyes. I should also mention that I'm a long-time Garmin user, starting with the iQue 3600, Mobile XT on my Palm smartphone, Mobile PC on my laptops and netbook, a couple of Nuvis and the next two...

 

I have an eTrex Legend HCx and a Garmin Approach G6. Both are really good in bright sunlight to the point that when I'm outdoors I rarely turn the backlight on on either of them unless it's a really dark day (heavy-overcast-in-deep-forest dark). Thus I get incredible battery life on both.

 

However, although the eTrex still works well and serves all my functional needs, I find increasingly that I'm having a difficult time reading that teensy screen. Especially on my motorcycle and mountain bike where holding it closer to my face is not an option. :blink:

 

After much research I've come to the conclusion that the Montana would allow me to pass my eTrex and my Nuvi 765T and my little Canon digital camera on to someone else. The only concern I have is whether the screen will get it done for me.

 

I'm hoping that there are many former eTrex users who have now moved to the Montana. So...

 

My very specific question is: When compared specifically to the last generation eTrex models (eg. Legend HCx, Vista HCx, Venture HC) or the Approach G6, is the Montana 6xx screen at least as readable in bright sunlight with the backlight off?

 

...ken...

Yes, it's more readable than those

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