Backlighting

[MelC]

So I have been reasonably happy with my Mares Nemo over the past few years except for one thing. I can't see important information during the night dive. It is manageable during the dive but becomes impossible during the safety stop when the backlight comes on and off and a flashlight does nothing to illuminate it. Does anyone have a computer they love for night diving with easy to read face and good illumination. My budget would prefer something in a similar range to my Nemo, my preference would be for a wristmount and my algorithm of choice would be something around the conservativism factor of a Dive Rite Nitek Duo. However, don't let this hold back the recommendations, any testimony on any type of computer that you have had great night diving experience with is welcome from wristmount to console to AI.

Mel

[CODMAN]

Hi Mel, well my Mares M2 is awesome! The backlight can be turned on permanently for night diving. It stays on all through the dive, then shuts off automatically once at the surface for a few minutes. It eats up the battery about 5 times faster (that,s OK, it uses 2 AAA user changeable batteries), but really I find this function is worth it! I had an opportunity to upgrade to a Nemo, but I didn't because the M2 was the only one with this option! In fact, I know of only one other computer that does this: the VR3, which is 2000$...

I'm very happy with my M2, and at 199$ it's a steal! If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask!

[CompuDude]

If you wear your computer on the opposite arm from your light, it's pretty easy to shine the light on the computer and see what you need, backlight or not.

I rarely use the backlight on my computer for this reason.

[clayton]

sherwood wisdom 2 is backlit AI but hose attached my wife has mares nemo and just illuminates it with dive light as stated by compudude.my first computer was suunto gecko no backlight not great at nite

[MelC]

Clearly I am doing something wrong then because I did illuminate it with my led flashlight and couldn't see anything on it. Are you using the screen protector? Wondering if maybe that is causing a glare or something.

Mel

[mentalmarine]

Originally Posted by clayton

sherwood wisdom 2 is backlit AI but hose attached my wife has mares nemo and just illuminates it with dive light as stated by compudude.my first computer was suunto gecko no backlight not great at nite

I currently have the gekko, it isnt to bad. If you hold your flashlight over it for a few seconds it usually lasts a few minutes before you need to do it again. I think it would be a good feature to have, but not necessary. It gives you time to look at everything without your light, while your holding it over your wrist. Of course if your in a quarry, your not looking at much

[ReefHound]

Originally Posted by mentalmarine

I currently have the gekko, it isnt to bad. If you hold your flashlight over it for a few seconds it usually lasts a few minutes before you need to do it again. I think it would be a good feature to have, but not necessary. It gives you time to look at everything without your light, while your holding it over your wrist. Of course if your in a quarry, your not looking at much

I have the Vyper which has backlighting but I never use it. Too much trouble and it's easier to just shine my light on it. Only problem is the light has to be in the other hand. I would actually prefer the Gekko so that after shining my light on it the screen remains visible for a few minutes.

I've never understood why most computers won't allow the backlight to be turned on continuously. I understand about battery consumption but if I'm willing to change batteries often I should be allowed to chew through them if I want.

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by ReefHound

I have the Vyper which has backlighting but I never use it. Too much trouble and it's easier to just shine my light on it. Only problem is the light has to be in the other hand. I would actually prefer the Gekko so that after shining my light on it the screen remains visible for a few minutes.

I've never understood why most computers won't allow the backlight to be turned on continuously. I understand about battery consumption but if I'm willing to change batteries often I should be allowed to chew through them if I want.

Agreed... I know there are a few that do, but I wish more did.

That said, my current comp uses batteries that have to be changed at the factory, so that might be more trouble than it's worth.

[CODMAN]

YUp! My M2 uses 2 AAAs I can change myself... So draining the batteries with the permanent backlight isn,t a biggie. If I had to rely on the factory to change them, you can bet I wouldn't be using that function for night diving!

[ChrisA]

Originally Posted by CODMAN

Hi Mel, well my Mares M2 is awesome! The backlight can be turned on permanently for night diving.

I do about 50 night dives a year and I wanted a wrist mount computer I could read at night. I have the Dacor version of this. It's the same except for very minor changes. It stays on full time if you want so I don't have to hit a button to read the computer. It eats batteries but it uses AAA size and you don't need a tool to change batteries. Batery swap out takes about a minute.

The bad thing is the user interface is totally non-intuitive. Even with the book open it is hard to figure out how to use some features. (three short presses on the left button then one long press followed by a short press on the right. No one could remember that) But I just use the basics and for that it works well. Not having to hit a button to read the display is great.