I appreciate all the computer reviews, but my question was about shopping strategy. What is the best way to compare screen visibility between different computer models? Should I find a quarry where older divers hang out? I am concenred that LDS's have limited variation and the online shopping sites are not very helpful and illustrating how large and readable the displays are. I was hoping I might learn about a website that has helpful "fair comparison" images (in the same shot) or if there was some quantitative measure that manufacturers use but maybe not.
There isnt any very good way to compare visibility short of actually looking at a display under the conditions of use. No photo or online representation (by definition high resolution and emissive) is going to be able to accurately convey the size, contrast, resolution, and interaction with ambient light. As a dive computer designer who is both a couple of decades older and has quite a few years in bifocals, this is something I have worked with a lot.
Display size and number size is just part of it- display technology and how the data is presented matters a lot as well. Emissive color displays (Shearwater, Mares Icon, Liquivision, and our own Atomic Cobalt, with more coming all the time) will provide MUCH higher contrast and be far easier to see in moderate to dim ambient light. However emissive displays will tend to get washed out in very bright sunlight, conditions where the older LCD displays become easier to read. If you dive typically in darker waters, deeper, or at night, that makes emissive displays a strong plus. If you dive on shallow, sunlit tropical reefs, maybe not so much.
Display size matters, and often consoles will be larger- though Shearwater, for instance, has a large wrist display. Partly your choice depends on if you want a console or wrist, and if you want air integration. But how the data is organized and things like font and color choice have a big impact on visibility. Were just making changes now, for instance, that zoom portions of the display during diving so a countdown timer gets larger when you need to be watching it. That doesnt come out in a static picture. If you have any color vision abnormalities- which are very common- you want to make sure the color display has been designed taking into account common color problems.
I would encourage you to check out computers in person, and in various lighting conditions. And SB feedback can be valuable, but understand that most divers have experience with only a few computers or brands.
Ron
