Garmin Oregon 400t vs. 450t

[azdesertfather]

Getting ready to give up on continually repairing my Garmin Colorado, and thinking about getting an Oregon.

I know the difference between the Oregon 450t and the 550t is the camera. But what was the difference between the 450t and the 400t? I know the 400t is discontinued but if it's not much different and I can get off ebay for a good deal I might go that route.

Thanks in advance!
Dave

[Boscoaz]

I did quite a bit of research when I was looking for a GPS and here is what I found out. The 450t has a much better screen for outdoor use. The 400t is hard to read in bright light which is one of the reasons why I didn't go with it. A friend of mine has the 400t and you can read it fine on a sunny day but when it is cloudy outside it is hard to read. The reason being there is no real bright light source (the sun) to get contrast from.

Also the 450t has a much better internal compass. You can pretty much orient the 450t in any direction and it will give you a heading. The 400 needs to be held virtually flat. I don't really think this is a big deal since I rarely use a GPS as a compass. If my GPS is working I am usually following a track or heading to a waypoint. The other difference between the two is in the base maps but most people that have a GPS tend to also buy maps so this usually isn't a big deal. Keep in mind that with Garmin GPS's you have to buy Garmin maps.

By the way I went with the 450t and love it.

[joebartels]

The 400t screen is horrible since the screen scratches super easy. Ask anyone that saw my old one. They swore I dragged it on the ground. I wear my 450t the exact same way without a scratch.

Be sure to do the software upgrade or the mileage will be incorrect. You can check under...
Setup > About
I'm running "Software Version 4.20" & "GPS Software Version: 4.52"

The topo maps included on the "t" models seemed plenty enough to me. I didn't notice any difference between the 400t & 450t.

[JimmyLyding]

"They swore I dragged it on the ground"
http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=136460

[joebartels]

Guess I'll forego the next comment where I was going to mention how gentle I am with my curved Lekis plz:

Actually it was long gone by that point. It was more of a diffused cloudy screen than scratched too.

[The_Eagle]

Guess I'll forego the next comment where I was going to mention how gentle I am with my curved Lekis plz: .

You mean the Cat-claw/Thistle Sickle?

[azdesertfather]

Thanks, that's helpful. I'll steer clear of the 400t...I personally don't see the need of the 550t and a mediocre camera in the GPS, so I'll look for a 500t deal