Advantages: Good low light performance, cheap
Disadvantages: No built in microphone

...I don't know what it is about the lighting in my office but pretty much every WebCam I have looked at struggles to see me. That is probably a Good Thing but it does mean that to use a WebCam I usually end up with enough lamps pointing at me to begin an interrogation session. A couple of years ago I decided to try yet another and so ended up with a Creative Labs WebCam 5. Creative Labs' WebCam 5 promised improved low light performance but given its low price point, I wasn't expecting too much. As it turns out I was pleasantly surprised. Installation Due to the low price the WebCam 5 is a fairly minimalist affair. The box contains the camera with a captive USB lead and the software CD. Being a USB device, the drivers and software need to be installed first before plugging in the WebCam. The main program on the CD is the Creative... Read review

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Advantages: Small and affordable,simple to install.
Disadvantages: Bit tricky to position

...The Labtec Webcam is small and very light wieght, however it does its job well, I have had a prob or two getting it to sit still in the right position,this can be resolved easily enough using some tack/putty to hold it in place, due to its shape it is a little top heavey...mabe a suction pad could have been in-built to the base of it? For its price approx £19.00, it does all you could ask of it, it comes with a CD rom which contains the downloadable driver *so dont lose it* ,and you can create video clips as well using it for the normal eyeball chats.It has also been useful for taking photos that can be downloaded as profile pictures on web sites, and snapping the kids near the monitor screen to send to grandma! The focusing leaves just a little to be desired, and you do need the lighting to be right, I have found myself looking... Read review

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Advantages: picture quality
Disadvantages: delay

...If you're a frequent user of a web cam, then this is the kind of camera you should be thinking of getting. The camera has a whole lot of features, looks great, has excellent build-quality and the pictures it produces are nothing short of excellent. O.k, lets go in to some detail. The camera is jet black and sits on a clear stand. You can swivel the camera up and down by up to 270°. You can even move it slightly left to right. When the camera is plugged in via USB or when its capturing an image a funky blew LED light comes on around the left side of the camera. This one of the main things I really loved about this camera. It looked fantastic. The web cam comes with two built in microphones giving you brilliant background noise cancellation. You are able to turn the noise reduction off and you can also add effects to your voice... Read review

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Advantages: Clear Pictures
Disadvantages: Choice of colour, if you prefer PC Grey.

..."Great performance and value. Unbeatable combination." An ideal webcam for windows 95/98 for the price. Excellent low light support and clarity of pictures. The framerates superb with a fast internet connection but that goes for all webcams. I like the detacheable 9ft cord and the shutter button on the camera for taking pictures away from the PC. I've tried the Logitech Quickcam Pro and the Intel Create & Share Cams, and opted for the 3Com Web Cam due to better performance. I really don't see any negative sides to this Cam. Well apart from it coming in black and not matching my monitor on which it sits.... Read review

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Advantages: Easy to use, small, useful.
Disadvantages: Needs a directory list of some sort with online users list

...I have just purchased two logitech "QuickCam Web" cameras with the idea in mind to keep in touch with my son easily and cheaply. Installing the webcam was very easy. It has a USB interface and the drivers & software just loaded up straight away. The bundled software is good for making videos and stills off-line to email to friends, or to stick on a web site. But to use the webcam online you have to use MSN Netmeeting and MSN Messenger. This meant it took a while to download the latest versions, install, and create a microsoft passport. But once all this had been done, the actual ease of use to connect to another camera was good. The only fault i can find is that there are no directories listing online people who just want to chat - or not that i have found so far. All in all, a good product, but would be better if there was some... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap, ideal starter webcam, USB connected, some software included for recording short videos and taking still images
Disadvantages: Basic, more advanced users may want something a little more technical that may have a few more features than this one

...I purchased a cam in July last year, persuaded by my friend because he had moved to London and he claimed it would enhance my chat experiences. I searched through the Argos pages trying to find one that would be suited to me, and after weighing up the pros and cons I decided on this one! As a starter cam, especially for a new inexperienced cam/chat user, this is an ideal purchase. It might not be wireless so you can take it with you to take pictures, nor will it give the bonus of having a zoom feature to get an even closer picture of yourself, nor does it have a build in microphone, but all these are insignificant if your looking for just a webcam that isn't too costly and that is reliable. Initially with the intention of keeping this webcam for two months and upgrading, I've found myself hanging onto it with dear life. It does... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap, user friendly web cam
Disadvantages: no longer supported by Creative

...The Creative Web cam. I was truly amazed when I found out that 'mini-spy' cameras were available for the general public. I don't recall when I first heard about them but I was aware that they were about. I was more aware that Porn sites used them. This way people could have a (pixel 'ly') look at some Russian blonde play with herself in front of a web cam (at great cost). Probably not the best reference I could give but this is, as far as I am concerned how the web cam became main stream.