Customer Reviews

Vivitar Vivicam 3930 5MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this camera online so I didn't get to play with it first. When I got the camera I was plesently supprised. The picture quality is fantastic and the macro feature is a great bonus. The optical zoom is 3X which is quite good. Ignore the 4X digital zoom because it is useless. It takes good night flash photos as well as small movies with sound. It has the ability to record a small voice tag after taking each photo which I think is quite nifty. It connected to my PC with ease and the batery life of the camera is quite good as you can turn off the lcd screen and just use the veiwfinder to save power. It has many more features than I have listed here.

The Vivitar ViviCam 3930 is a decent quality compact size 5.25 megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom. As in all other digital cameras I've tried, the digital zoom produces a very blurry, grainy, mostly useless blob of a picture - fortunately, the 3x zoom proved sufficient for most of my work. For better long-reach photography, choose a digital SLR with an accessory zoom lens or a larger camera with a larger optical zoom.

This camera suffers from rather short battery life due to the rechargeable Li-Ion battery's compact size, not quite allowing one to completely fill a 256MB SD card (about 80 pictures) at best resolution before recharging or swapping. Part of the power problem is the default ON setting of the LCD preview screen, which can't be defaulted to OFF, although it can be switched off manually each time the camera is powered-up.

With much research, the elusive battery type used by this camera was found to be the Fuji NP-60 type, a very compact Li-Ion rechargeable shared by the newer ViviCam 4000 and dozens of other compact digital cameras. This information is not provided in either the Vivitar-provided owner's manual, at the Vivitar website, nor at dozens of online battery e-tailers' websites. Vivitar's tech support, if you can get hold of them, will tell you that it is a proprietary battery you can only buy from Vivitar tech support at a cost of $25 each. But if you ask for the 3930's battery part number, and the part number for the 4000's battery, it is the same part number - and the 4000 webpage conveniently lists the battery type as the NP-60. I was able to find generic NP-60 batteries for $12 each on the Web, and they worked and fit exactly like the original. Buy several spare batteries as you will definitely need them!

Overall, the ViviCam 3930 is a good general purpose camera once you get past its few failings.

The product information is WRONG. The Vivicam 3935 takes 2 AA-size alkaline or NiMH batteries, but this model, the 3930, takes an odd Li-ion battery that Vivitar themselves do not sell! The only option for battery replacement is an expensive Duracell non-rechargeable model.

I purchased this camera and have had no problems with it. As far as the battery issue goes, if you're planning to take THAT many pics in one setting than I would suggest you spring for a $39 additional rechargeable battery to have on hand. Everyone knows that no matter what camera you have (especially digital) the batteries are gonna ge drained quicker than you can blink so just get a spare. Teh pics are great quality and I love the fact that you can record mini videos/movies to share via email.
Everybody has different experiences with equipment, I can't say that I've found anything wrong with the 3930 so others will have to make up their own minds.

I don't have this camera but-

One reviewer complained that he couldn't find rechargable batteries for this camera. But the product information says it takes 2 AA NIMH batteries which are the most commonly available rechargable batteries there are. So one or the other is wrong.

It comes with 1 rechargable battery. Do you want to take a few pictures then have to wait overnight while it recharges? Its manual does not state the model number of the replacement rechargeable battery to ask for much less where you can buy them or how much. And Vivitar's web site does not offer replacement batteries.

The manual DOES state you can use a NON rechargable Rayovac CP1 battery in lieu of the rechargable it comes with. Do you want to have to buy a fresh battery each time you shoot pictures? Moreover, Rayovac doesnt even currently sell that NON rechargable battery much less local stores.

In short, buy this camera and you will be limited to the length of its one battery and then have to wait overnight while it recharges. You will not be able to buy even non-rechargeable extra batteries for it. And IF Rayovac ever starts to sell the NON-rechargeable batteries, they will likely be very expensive and not widely available, and since they will be non-rechageable you will have to buy new expensive batteries each time. Pity. It would be a winner product otherwise.

I bought a Vivicam 3615 last year. The camera worked fine for about 6 months, then the picture quality degraded significantly.

The colors are all a bit "off" now and it takes poor quality images at night.

Experience with Vivitar tech support was very frustrating.