Build quality, Good picture, Built in Mic, Can be used with a camera tripod .
Disadvantages:
Picture quality suffers in low light .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
This came to me as a prize from a well known UK internet magazine. However I feel I would have still bought this web cam had I needed to purchase it.
***Build quality and features***
The cam is well made and has stood up to much abuse. Atheistic wise its silver and dark grey features, coupled with its bulbous eye make it look like a proper web cam. One nice feature is the camera will fit on either the enclosed two stands for desktop and laptop use or even a normal camera tripod. I used it with an old tripod to get some extra flexibility on where I positioned the cam. The cable that attaches the cam to a USB port can be a bit inflexible at times making it hard on occasion to position the cam exactly. There is a focus ring on the front and a button on top to take an instant picture and a built in mircophone.
***Installation***
Installation was easy enough. Make sure you install the software first then after it has rebooted plug the cam in when asked to by the software. Other than that it was fairly painless.
Overall the quality of the pictures varies from excellent in good light conditions to a bit muggy in lowlight. However the web cam options have plenty of settings to tweak to improve this. Its Full Auto mode usually sorts out most problems.
***Software that was included***
QuickCam image capturing software
This basic all in one package is easy to use for beginners. It allows you to create pictures and videos and animations and then allows you to send them via email directly from the software. However it did create quite large file sizes. There is also a web cam and live broadcast feature in conjunction with Spotlife.
MGI PhotoSuite III SE image editing software MGI VideoWave III SE video editing software
Unfortunately I can’t offer any opinion on these as I’ve never had the need to use them.
***IM programs and other software***
Both Yahoo and MSN messengers have web cam options. Yahoo’s being still and MSN’s live. Using the cam with these increases the overall enjoyment and its fun being able to see who you’re chatting to.
I’ve also used the cam with great success with both WebcamXP and Conquercam.
***Conclusion***
Overall this cam has suited me well for the 2 or so years I’ve had it. I would most likely get a newer one in order to create higher resolution images, videos and animations.
More details
Resistance to colour bleeding
Good
Design
Excellent
Ease of use
Very easy
Manufacturer Support
Good
Instruction manual
Very useful
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