Colour eTrex- Worth Upgrading

[PaulF]

I have a greyscale eTRex that I'm finding difficult to read when on the bike and am thinking of changing to a Legend Hcx.

Will I notice a difference with the colour maps in terms of visibility etc.?

Or should I be thinking of a different device? I  find the eTrex easy to use and have bike mounts etc.

[frankly frankie]

You might even find the colour screen worse.  I haven't used a grayscale one but from what little I've seen of them, they look more contrasty to me.  
One thing you do get with the colour Etrexes is much longer battery runtime.

A Legend C and a Dakota.
Bright lowish sun, facing into the sun.

Same conditions but back to the sun - body shading the sun, but screens reflecting bright sky.

Overcast (plus a few raindrops)


One thing I have noticed with the colour Etrexes (partner and I have 4 between us) is that the screen brightness is quite variable - you could get a good one or a very bad one, it's just pot luck, nothing to do with the model.  Of the 4 we have, one is much better than the one pictured above, one slightly better, and one much worse.

[andygates]

Maps are just better with colour. 

[Kim]

The colour screen is less contrasty in daylight than the greyscale one, though is probably the best in its class.

It is however a higher resolution, and has a *much* better (and less power-consuming) backlight.


I don't find colour adds anything to the clarity of gadget-based maps (I do find it helps to reduce clutter somewhat on paper), as it tends to give designers an excuse to be half-arsed with contrast.  My colour perception's distinctly non-standard, though.

I have a greyscale Legend and a Vista HCx.  Can do some side-by-side photos if you like (though obviously will have to wait until tomorrow for daylight)?

[robgul]

Having graduated from the original basic yellow etrex through 2 other models to the current Legend HCx I would certainly say that the colour is worth having (with the Garmin City Nav Europe, or whatever it's called ... it showed a dirt-track off a remote lane in Majorca!)

Have to confess that I also have almost all the 1-50 000 OS of the UK on my phone (from Mem Map - it's in a number of files as there's a size limit) and that really is the ultimate mapping.

Rob

[Kim]

Having graduated from the original basic yellow etrex through 2 other models to the current Legend HCx I would certainly say that the colour is worth having (with the Garmin City Nav Europe, or whatever it's called ... it showed a dirt-track off a remote lane in Majorca!)

I'd also say the newer model was worth having for non-screen-based reasons.  The OP doesn't say which model they have currently, but I'd say that any of the USB/SD card based ones are a massive improvement over the older serial models.  Just bung the whole country's maps on the card and no more faffing about downloading tiles before each trip.  The high-sensitivity GPS recievers are also significantly better.

[robgul]

Having graduated from the original basic yellow etrex through 2 other models to the current Legend HCx I would certainly say that the colour is worth having (with the Garmin City Nav Europe, or whatever it's called ... it showed a dirt-track off a remote lane in Majorca!)

I'd also say the newer model was worth having for non-screen-based reasons.  The OP doesn't say which model they have currently, but I'd say that any of the USB/SD card based ones are a massive improvement over the older serial models.  Just bung the whole country's maps on the card and no more faffing about downloading tiles before each trip.  The high-sensitivity GPS recievers are also significantly better.

Exactly - the serial connected ones were very flaky with the transfer - that's why I traded up a couple of times (the best bit being that for reasons only know to ebay, I got more for the ones that I sold than I had paid for them!)

[Admittedly the first one was bought in Walmart in the US ....  at the "outdoor pursuits" section ... "Shells for your gun? - sure they're on that shelf just load your cart.  "Shotgun?" ... sure, which one do you want. but I'll need to see some ID.  ONLY in America!]

Rob

[Kim]

^_SCIENCE!

Photography's a bit naff I'm afraid, but should give you a reasonable idea.  This is an eTrex legend and an eTrex Vista HCx.  Both have screen protectors fitted, and have been about a bit.

Direct sunlight, viewed from an angle to avoid camera reflection:


Indoors with flash (taken accidentally, maybe useful for reference):


Indoors, no direct light:


Dark room with backlight (Vista HCx backlight at ~15% for correct exposure, it'll go *much* brighter):