Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: bwhntr2819 on November 22, 2016, 10:23:56 AM
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My Garmin Rino 530 died so I'm in the market for something new. Cabelas has some good prices right now. Narrowed it to the Garmin etrex 20x topo bundle $169, the gpsmap 64st (includes topo) $249, or the Oregon 600t with topo $299. I like the bigger screen on the Oregon, but worry about operating it with gloves on (late archery). The etrex screen seems small but for that price I could add an on x map chip. My other option is to just use the on x map on my iPhone, but I'm struggling with the offline map options (already have a subscription) and worry about phone battery life. :dunno:
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I use a Rino. I'm old and fat and when I have a heart attack, I want them to find me so I can pass it on to someone else who's old and and needs one. See how it works? Get another Rino.
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problem with rino's is I can't talk my hunting buddies into spending the coin. Sure they'll pack their cell phone and crappy old GPS and a radio.... but they won't spring for a rino
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I use an old Lowrance IFinder HuntC that has performed admirably for 13+? years in all types of conditions. Lowrance stopped making hand helds quite a while ago so I am of zero help :chuckle:.
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I have other radios now so the need for a rino just isn't there. My long lost hunting group used them which is why I had it in the first place. I agree they are nice though.
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problem with rino's is I can't talk my hunting buddies into spending the coin. Sure they'll pack their cell phone and crappy old GPS and a radio.... but they won't spring for a rino
You should upgrade the friends you hang out with. If they have enough to buy a Rino, you'll get better Christmas presents and someone else will pay for the beer once in a while!
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I took mine back and follow my son around. it was too complicated. mike w
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Rino 650
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phone and on-xhunt app. try the free 7 day trial. download map of area before you lose cell/internet service. satellite view is good. - oops see you have it. Just figure out how to download the maps and it works well.
Rhino with topo map is good too. By two and loan one to your buddies. They can find you to help pack when time comes.
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I use a Garmin 60, which is similar to the Garmin 64 that you're considering. I'd definitely spend the extra money on that one over the etrex. What I like about mine, is good battery life and simple to use. That's a great value for only $249.
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I took mine back and follow my son around. it was too complicated. mike w
Lol.
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I prefer the 60 series models like the 64. I've used both touch screen and button models and find the button models to be easier for me to use, especially with gloves and mittens.
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I like Pianoman's idea, better friends, better presents and won't have to buy the beer all the time
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phone and on-xhunt app. try the free 7 day trial. download map of area before you lose cell/internet service. satellite view is good. - oops see you have it. Just figure out how to download the maps and it works well.
Rhino with topo map is good too. By two and loan one to your buddies. They can find you to help pack when time comes.
I like the on x maps option, probably just need a really good tutorial and time to play with it. Seems tedious getting all the right layers. The 10 tile limit also seems cumbersome.
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Rhino 650t - track buddy, text + Northwest Maps shows all land owners and boundaries.
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Phone + spare battery or battery charger. Faster, easier to use and I always have it with me. The GPS units I have used seem to all be stuck in the state of the art technology of 2000.
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rhino 650 and Iphone with hunt maps and a few other apps.
Look at the phone for satellite view. Look at the rhino to see where your buddies and to talk when out of cell service.
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I used to use the rino but now I just use the onyx map app. I actually sold my rino
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Rino 650t with the on x chip. Have always run rinos because all my hunting buddies own one as well. The chips are great and I have them for WA,ID,MT and WY....all the areas I love to hunt and recreate in.
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If you can find a Oregon 450t, that's what I would get
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My Garmin 60csx died this year so I bought a new Garmin 62s. I like it. A lot...
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I switched to using my iPhone with the GAIA app this year. Unless I'm hunting with other guys who have rinos I'll be leaving the rino at home from now on.
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Problem with using phone's is when out service. You have nothing.
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I like the 64. I did not like the Etrex the screen is small and the buttons too
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530 is still going strong. I'll buy Garmin's replacement for it when it dies.
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My dad has a 530hcx. I bought the replacement for it - the 650. I love it. I will recommend nothing else. If your friends are too cheap to buy Garmin Rinos with you, as long as they have GMRS/FRS radios they will be able to talk with you still.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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I have the garmin 60 cs, works good for me. :tup:
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phone and on-xhunt app. try the free 7 day trial. download map of area before you lose cell/internet service. satellite view is good. - oops see you have it. Just figure out how to download the maps and it works well.
Rhino with topo map is good too. By two and loan one to your buddies. They can find you to help pack when time comes.
onx hunt app is too buggy for my taste. I loose private property boundaries too often and sometimes I just see a blank gray screen for too long. Irritates me.
I did download the maps for the area's I was in but not the highest resolution setting.
also have 4g wifi in my truck and still have troubles. Samsung s4 I think
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Problem with using phone's is when out service. You have nothing.
Nope ! Phones GPS keeps working even without cell service ! Yea magic. :-) You do need to predownload the region you are hunting beforehand - like a 20 x 20 mile area for example .
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Rhino 650 is were it's at , they are 299 at cabelas today!they have helped our crew tremendously after we locate the elk you are able to see were each person in our posse is at when closing in on them!
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Wouldn't waste money on a GPS if you have a smart phone. My Rhino just sits in the drawer now. Much prefer my phone to any GPS out there. Like had been mentioned you don't need service either.
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Garmin eTrex 20x is what I use. Bought it a couple days before elk season. It was easy to find my kill after walking back to the truck for my pack, game bags etc.
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keep your eyes on craigslist and other second hand places. I got my 62T for 80$ off a person quitting geocaching. Its been a awesome gps for me, super easy to use and great battery life. I haven't used any other models to compare though.
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Depends on where you elk hunt at. Some areas you can use an older GPS and will work just fine, other areas that get worse satellite signal you will need a newer GPS. I hunt GMU 560, Lewis River and you for sure need a newer GPS there or at least a Rino 530 HCX. I'm on the hunt for a Garmin Rino 530 HCX myself and hope my hunting buddy gets one too.
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I'm happy with the GPS in the rhino however I'm not happy with the range of the radio .
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I'm happy with the GPS in the rhino however I'm not happy with the range of the radio .
My older Rino 120 was only 2 watt transmit power, the 530hcx was 5 watt. Made a huge difference in range, especially in steep terrain.
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Wouldn't waste money on a GPS if you have a smart phone. My Rhino just sits in the drawer now. Much prefer my phone to any GPS out there. Like had been mentioned you don't need service either.
I am going to try just running onXmaps for now. I've saved maps for the areas I'll be hunting. Fingers crossed.
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Wouldn't waste money on a GPS if you have a smart phone. My Rhino just sits in the drawer now. Much prefer my phone to any GPS out there. Like had been mentioned you don't need service either.
I am going to try just running onXmaps for now. I've saved maps for the areas I'll be hunting. Fingers crossed.
remember a portable charger, my phone dies really fast using that app.
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Wouldn't waste money on a GPS if you have a smart phone. My Rhino just sits in the drawer now. Much prefer my phone to any GPS out there. Like had been mentioned you don't need service either.
I am going to try just running onXmaps for now. I've saved maps for the areas I'll be hunting. Fingers crossed.
remember a portable charger, my phone dies really fast using that app.
yep. Planning on carrying a battery and cord with me.
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I use the garmin alpha 100. But I also run hounds. so I'm not much help on the other gps's.
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I switched to using my iPhone with the GAIA app this year. Unless I'm hunting with other guys who have rinos I'll be leaving the rino at home from now on.
Definitely appreciate being able to tab through USFS, USGS, and most importantly, satellite images which show vegetation. Gaia is awesome, and the camera on my phone is so good, I save considerable weight by having one device that serves multiple purposes. My only complaint with Gaia is that the satellite images are quite old compared to Google Earth. That's an issue when I go to scout expecting timber, but find a new cut, or worse, expecting a fairly fresh cut, but find jack firs and tall black berry bushes. My solution to this is to screen-capture Google Earth images and save them to my gallery.
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I'm happy with the GPS in the rhino however I'm not happy with the range of the radio .
My older Rino 120 was only 2 watt transmit power, the 530hcx was 5 watt. Made a huge difference in range, especially in steep terrain.
Rhino 650 transmits up to 5 watts also. Select 1w, 2W, or 5W :tup:
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Rhino 650t - track buddy, text + Northwest Maps shows all land owners and boundaries.
650. A friend talked me in to it because we were all going to be hunting together. The radio/texting/tracking feature is only good if the guy's you're hunting with has them and they're heavy if you're worried about packing extra weight for hiking. Personally, I wish I had purchased a smaller, compact model, I rarely use a radio when I hunt. The Garmin chip for Washington is about worthless, I bought the OnXmap chip, there's no comparison.
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Northwest maps is xMap :tup:
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Wouldn't waste money on a GPS if you have a smart phone. My Rhino just sits in the drawer now. Much prefer my phone to any GPS out there. Like had been mentioned you don't need service either.
I am going to try just running onXmaps for now. I've saved maps for the areas I'll be hunting. Fingers crossed.
remember a portable charger, my phone dies really fast using that app.
yep. Planning on carrying a battery and cord with me.
I would strongly suggest Gaia GPS unless you are hunting around private property. ONX is a waste of money in my experience, but I hunt back-country. I have Gaia set up to backup on the cloud. Never lose a waypoint, and never spend another dime after your initial purchase. :twocents:
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Problem with using phone's is when out service. You have nothing.
You have the wrong phone or the wrong app or both. I can only speak to the iphone, don't have an Android but believe it to offer the same functionality. The GPS in the phone works rather flawlessly regardless of cell service, or airplane mode, ect... And most any mapping app worth having has a feature allowing the download of maps (map sections) for use without cell service.
I currently use "hunt maps" but there are several apps out there to choose from. ( I have onX HUNT, Motion-x, PDF maps, Topo Maps, Navigator pro, IsailGPS, and Navionics all on my phone) Speaking of Navionics and Isail, did I mention your phone makes a great chart plotter.
Benefits of phone based GPS mapping:
You can have a great color touch screen with intuitive operation.
Topo, satellite imagery, hybrid, USGS topo maps, ect.... can all be loaded to your phone.
Easy to load new maps, land ownership data, ect... without the need for a data cable or laptop with proprietary software.
Cost, the phone apps are much cheaper than a pre-loaded SD card.
You can take pics and easily text them to others, ect...
If you shoot long range your phone can have your ballistic comp., perform shot angle calculation, and measure wind velocity (depending on your phone case). (I have Wind meter, Ballistic AE, and Shooter on my phone)
You're likely carrying the phone anyhow, why not put it to use. Your phone is most likely a much more powerful computer with more memory and a far better screen than your GPS.
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I bought the Montana 650T and it is wonderful and huge. Too huge though! So big that I keep leaving it out of my pack! I would get the Oregon version with what I know now.
My buddy had the Rhino I think. If that's the one that has the radio in it too. The idea behind the GPS and radio all in one unit is good but his radio had medium to lower power and he couldn't transmit near as well as our just plain radios so now he has to use his Rhino and a separate radio. spend the extra money on a better GPS and not on the radio part if you ask me.
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I bought the Montana 650T and it is wonderful and huge. Too huge though! So big that I keep leaving it out of my pack! I would get the Oregon version with what I know now.
My buddy had the Rhino I think. If that's the one that has the radio in it too. The idea behind the GPS and radio all in one unit is good but his radio had medium to lower power and he couldn't transmit near as well as our just plain radios so now he has to use his Rhino and a separate radio. spend the extra money on a better GPS and not on the radio part if you ask me.
:yeah:
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For what its worth, Cabelas has a really good sale right now on Garmin GPS units - the rino 650T is marked down from $549 to $399 and the Oregon 650T is marked down from $549 to $299. Just in time to ask Santa :tup:
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My phone and gaia map. Ill probably never go back to a handheld gps.
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I ended up getting a Garmin 64 ST. I really like it! I wanted to use my phone with the onx map app, but my iPhone dies super quick when using the GPS. I find it easier to use my hand held all day and it runs on 2 AA batteries. I think it'll last around 16-18 hours of constant use.. It's easier for me on a multiple day hunt to change a few batteries than worrying about how I'm gonna charge my phone or how many charges I have left on my Akor battery pack.. I have an onx chip for my 64 ST and I really like it..
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I've had a chance to mess with the newer oregon, rino, and my 64s side by side by side.
I'll take the 64s any day. When bringing up the satellites, I've constantly been able to narrow down within 5 feet of where I am trying to get a way point. The others haven't gotten within 20 feet. Also, in my personal preference, I like buttons better. Never liked the toggle or touch screens.
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Garmin Rhino 650, worth every penny if you are hunting with others.
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I ended up getting a Garmin 64 ST. I really like it! I wanted to use my phone with the onx map app, but my iPhone dies super quick when using the GPS. I find it easier to use my hand held all day and it runs on 2 AA batteries. I think it'll last around 16-18 hours of constant use.. It's easier for me on a multiple day hunt to change a few batteries than worrying about how I'm gonna charge my phone or how many charges I have left on my Akor battery pack.. I have an onx chip for my 64 ST and I really like it..
I'm a big fan of the 60 series models (60, 62, 64). I have several others including 3 RINO 650s, but use a 62s more than any of the others. If I'm hunting with someone else with a RINO it's nice to keep in touch, otherwise I grab the 62. It's lighter and has an interface that I prefer. :twocents:
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I use a Garmin Oregon 650. I like it a lot. Started using rechargeable L-ion batteries last year. I track all day every day i'm in the woods and a full day drops the battery a 1/4 maybe.
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I remember the good ol' days when hunters never relied on a GPS, just knowing the land and where they're at was all you needed to know.. Boy, have things changed.
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I remember the good ol' days when hunters never relied on a GPS, just knowing the land and where they're at was all you needed to know.. Boy, have things changed.
:yeah: I own the Rino 610 mainly because I thought I needed it and the radio , buddy tracking would be a cool feature. 5 or so years and I have never relied on it once, not even to get back to a water hole I stumbled on in a new area. The only time I use it really is to see how far I've gone and how miserable the hike out in the dark is going to be (sometimes better to not look at it :chuckle:. ) I hope I never have to rely on it but , it does add a little peace of mind knowing its in my pack.
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I don't rely on it. It's on with the screen turned off.
It tracks and i download its tracks to my laptop and overlay them to see where i was that day and where i saw elk.
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I remember the good ol' days when hunters never relied on a GPS, just knowing the land and where they're at was all you needed to know.. Boy, have things changed.
I have never used a GPS in my life either, I just always knew where I was going. This year was the first year ever having to rely on a gps due to hunting in a unit that was foreign to me and the fact that, some places I went, I knew there was private property nearby.
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I don't rely on it. It's on with the screen turned off.
It tracks and i download its tracks to my laptop and overlay them to see where i was that day and where i saw elk.
that's a good use, although I have never taken the time to learn the tracking feature. I just turn it on, mark the truck or TH and turn it off. I will have to play with it this offseason.
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I remember the good ol' days when hunters never relied on a GPS, just knowing the land and where they're at was all you needed to know.. Boy, have things changed.
Thats probably because they didnt exist back in the good ol days. Just like back in the good ol days nobody had a cell phone with them at all times.
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I hunt solo and use a Garmin 62s and it has worked great for my purposes. I can see why folks who hunt with partners would want a Rino, though.
Just chiming in because I am seeing the Rino 650 is $200 off at Cabela's right now, $299
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Garmin-reg-Rino-GPS-Radio/1214167.uts
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I don't rely on it. It's on with the screen turned off.
It tracks and i download its tracks to my laptop and overlay them to see where i was that day and where i saw elk.
that's a good use, although I have never taken the time to learn the tracking feature. I just turn it on, mark the truck or TH and turn it off. I will have to play with it this offseason.
Can be a very good method of judging where they may be to start the next day if you see a pattern developing. Use garmin basecamp to save all your info.
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This might also be something to consider...I've heard great things about them. I did quite a bit of research, and I was able to convince the company I work for to buy one...should be getting it soon. I'll try to update once I've had time to play with it.
http://www.inreachdelorme.com/product-info/inreach-explorer.php
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My phone and gaia map. Ill probably never go back to a handheld gps.
Ill never own a gps unit again with the apps available now on iphone... far better clarity,bigger screens and better battery life. My garmin Oregon screen sucked! tiny and ate batteries! I use onX maps and Avenza.pdf app for my maps
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I remember the good ol' days when hunters never relied on a GPS, just knowing the land and where they're at was all you needed to know.. Boy, have things changed.
Thats probably because they didnt exist back in the good ol days. Just like back in the good ol days nobody had a cell phone with them at all times.
Actually they did, Magellan. I had a hardwired cell phone in my semi truck and pickup, not that either would do anybody, any good good.
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I remember the good ol' days when hunters never relied on a GPS, just knowing the land and where they're at was all you needed to know.. Boy, have things changed.
I have never used a GPS in my life either, I just always knew where I was going. This year was the first year ever having to rely on a gps due to hunting in a unit that was foreign to me and the fact that, some places I went, I knew there was private property nearby.
Same here. Have never used one once, but in Idaho this year we were hunting state land surrounded by private and only had small slivers to park and access from. You had to know exactly where you were. Very useful for that. Beyond that, I'm comfortable finding my way out of the woods, and just use my brain if I'm in new country. The worst thing you can do is rely on a electronic device, it will fail you when you need it most.
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don't use one, too complicated. I follow my son around. mike w
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Do any of you guys know if the 655 or 755 rinos with cameras can send pictures to other units? Or do they only store and transfer through card?
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Do any of you guys know if the 655 or 755 rinos with cameras can send pictures to other units? Or do they only store and transfer through card?
From Garmin re: the 755:
"These devices also support unit-to-unit transfer, so users can easily share routes, tracks, waypoints, geocaches, photos and custom maps with other compatible Garmin handheld devices, with no mobile connection required."
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Do any of you guys know if the 655 or 755 rinos with cameras can send pictures to other units? Or do they only store and transfer through card?
From Garmin re: the 755:
"These devices also support unit-to-unit transfer, so users can easily share routes, tracks, waypoints, geocaches, photos and custom maps with other compatible Garmin handheld devices, with no mobile connection required."
Thanks bob, was curious about that. I saw that the 755 has the 8MP camera and was wondering about that ability, and resolution.