Welcome to our ultimate Vivitar dvr917hd review that we have decided to publish after seeing so many people on social media and sites like Reddit reaching out for advice on the action cam. Unfortunately, with the dvr917hd many of the commonly mentioned things online about the camera are true and in our opinion, as well as the opinion of many others it underperforms.
That said, if you are looking to pick up a budget-friendly GoPro alternative then we would recommend that you take a look at the Akaso Brave 4 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) rather than any of the Vivitar cameras as we feel it is the best cheap action cam on the market. It is a much better budget-friendly action camera that has a very similar price tag. Additionally, you can also read our dedicated Akaso Brave 4 review if you like to get more information on the camera.
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Table of Contents
Whats In The Box
Just like any self-respecting action camera, the Vivitar DVR917HD includes a number of accessories that are included with the purchase price of the action camera as standard. These can help you use the camera in a large number of common action sport situations and get the best video footage possible.
The following accessories are included with your purchase as seen in the photograph above:-
- An underwater housing that serves as a waterproof case.
- A helmet mount kit.
- A bicycle mount.
- A wireless remote control.
- A HDMI Cable
- An AC power adapter.
- A USB cable.
As you can see, this Vivitar action cam has the main bases covered and allows you to quickly integrate it into your kit for your action sport of choice.
Some Example Footage
The video footage below offers an example of both the video and audio performance that you are able to expect from the Vivitar DVR917HD.
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The Camera Body
The Vivitar DVR917HD action camera has the build quality that you would expect for its price point in the market in all honesty. Although it does feel cheap to hold, it is fairly robust and will be able to take a fair amount of punishment when in use during action sports without taking much damage or lowing performance.
Depending on your action sport of choice, you can increase the robustness of the camera by also placing it within its waterproof housing that is included as standard with your purchase. Just keep in mind, this ads size and weight to the camera rig.
The photograph above shows the two-inch color LCD display on the Vivitar DVR917HD offering a good representation of the size of the screen in relation to the body of the camera. As you can see, it is easily big enough to offer a great representation of the footage you are capturing or the photograph you are about to capture without issue.
With the Vivitar DVR917HD coming in at only 1.58 pounds, it can seamlessly be used with a large number of gimbal system due to it being such a light action camera. This can enhance your image quality by adding the image stabilization from the gimbal to your video footage offering some silky smooth video. The camera is of average size coming in at 7.7 x 6.6 x 2.3 inches meaning that you can easily add the camera to your luggage if using it while traveling without it taking up a whole bunch of space.
Capabilities Of The Camera
Considering the price of the Vivitar DVR917HD it actually packs a ton of capabilities although it can struggle to perform some of them at a decent rate. It does offer up to 4k video recording with a 4640 x 3480 resolution although running the camera at this rate can run its battery life down quickly and the footage can be a little jump in all honesty.
Its maximum photograph resolution is around sixteen megapixels and the Vivitar DVR917HD does a decent job of capturing your image quality in decent detail that does a good job and beats some of the rival entry-level action cameras.
We would like to quickly go over the fact that the base camera body is NOT waterproof, it has to be encased in the included waterproof case provided with your purchased and sealed correctly for its waterproof functionality to come online. We have lost count of the number of times we have seen people who break their cameras due to putting them in water without the required casing.
Our Verdict
As we mentioned back at the start of the article, the Vivitar DVR917HD does perform as expected for an entry level, budget friendly action camera but you are able to pick up the Akaso Brave 4 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) at a similar price point and it outperforms the Vivitar DVR917HD in every way.
This is why we would always recommend that you pick up the Akaso Brave 4 over the Vivitar DVR917HD any day of the week. We feel it will serve you better, provide better photographs, provide better video footage and last much longer than the Vivitar DVR917HD as the Akaso Brave 4 is a very robust action camera that is able to take a ton of punishment without taking any damage or its performance falling.
Click Here To Read Independent Third Party Reviews Of This Product!
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The video below offers an additional third-party, independent review for the Vivitar DVR917HD to offer our readers an independent opinion of the product.
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