Customer Rating:  
Summary: Great camera for on the go....
Comment: This is by far the best "on the go" webcam I have ever owned. I can't tell you about the technical specifications, but I can tell you the picture looks great! I have another laptop that has a built in webcam and a desktop PC that I use a Logetech Quickcam and this webcam beats them in quality of picture and ease of use. The Logetech webcam has a a few more features but this also comes with fun and interactive options that will have your have family and friends laughing while they look at you via the webcam.
Installing the software did take quite a while (about 13 minutes) but once you are done installing the software, you plug in your webcam, answer a couple questions and you are all set to chat. I love the different ways you can set the camera up to your monitor. I use the clip since it fits my monitor perfectly. The stand it very sturdy and tall. The attachment discs will stick on any clean surface on your laptop cover. It also comes with an extra attachment disc in case you loose one. The magnet on the webcam is very strong and it will hold it's place securely. The webcam can also be easily adjusted to go up and down without "popping" or sliding off.
The sleek and small size of this webcam makes it easy to tuck into a laptop bag and the plastic case ensures you will not scratch or damage the lens.
The built-in microphone works perfectly and sounds crystal clear. I tried the webcam in low light conditions at first and it automatically focused and lighten the view and it was clear. I have attached pictures to the product so you can see for yourself how clearly the picture looks in low light conditions.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Nice looking but performance is so so
Comment:
I have been using Microsoft webcams for quite a while now and have stayed mostly with the VX-3000 model. It offered a cheap way for me to connect with my family so they can chat with my 2 year old. The quality has always been good on the audio front and OK on the video. Full screen mode would always look grainy and low resolution but for $30, I thought it was acceptable. I had the opportunity to try this Lifecam which supposedly offers a higher resolution that the 3000 model. And for 2 times the price, I was expecting the difference to be very noticeable.
When I received the cameral I installed the software from the included CD. I had been using Microsoft web cams so I already had the base software installed which included the Lifecam software and Live Messenger. However, just in case this was a newer version, I ran the entire install. The install took forever (or what seemed like forever). After 15 minutes, I thought my computer was frozen but I could hear the drives spinning. I am assuming that the install program was uninstalling the previous version of the software first before installing the new version. There is no other explanation for the long install time unless there is a problem with the disc I had. Finally after almost 20 minutes, the install finished and I was asked to hook up the camera.
That was when I noticed that the camera's permanent USB cable was about 3 feet long in total length. I need a minimum of 4 feet to reach the back of my computer from where my desk is setup. Even the VX-3000 had a cable long enough to reach and provide a little slack. Lucky for me, I had a USB hub that was laying around unused so I used a 3 foot USB cable and the hub to give me the additional length I needed. Once that was done I started to play around with the camera.
Using the Lifecam program, I found that the lower resolution setting looked identical to the 3000 model I had been using. I changed the resolution to 2mp but noticed that video capture is not allowed at this rate. The highest you can record video is 800X600. This makes the 2mp video setting useless in the Lifecam program. Only still photos can be taken on this setting and the higher setting of just under 8mp (more on that later). The live video itself looked OK but I use a 2mp Microsoft camera on my laptop (I can't remember the model number off hand) that looks much better than this model. I was hoping that my desktop would provide better video performance as it is a much more powerful machine than my laptop. Sadly, with this camera, I did not see that performance.
I then tried my live video chat using Live Messenger from Microsoft. I saw zero difference in the look and sound compared to my 3000 model. My father on the other end also saw no difference. So for the casual video chat user that lives in Microsoft land, there is no benefit to going with this cameral over the cheaper models. On the photo side, all of the 8mp stills I took were terrible quality. Not sure what it is doing but they all came out looking like 1mp pics blown up to larger sizes. Pixelated and the colors were terrible. I will work through the settings to see if there is a way to fix it but it seems to need a major overhaul in this department.
I also tried using video chant with Skype. I am not too familiar with all of the details with the program but this camera does work right out of the box with Skype. I was hoping that I would see some benefit to this camera since Skype supports high quality video but in my testing, it looked the same as Live Messenger. Maybe Skype's high quality video is only limited to those with Logitech cameras.
Pros:
1. The slim design is nice and it "looks" much better than my VX-3000
2. I actually like the little stand that it comes with that attaches via the magnet. It makes it easy to move it around (now that it's attached to a longer USB cord!)
Cons:
1. USB cord is way too short. Manufacturers need to consider modern computer setups a little better when designing these things
2. The clip does not fit my Acer flat panel monitor. This is OK for me because I prefer the stand but for some it could be a problem. You can use various attachments which changes how the clip is used but I am a little bit afraid of putting magnets too close to my computer.
3. Video quality is suspect compared to what it claims. I would say this is equal to a 1.3 megapixel but falls short of high quality
4. Still pictures came out terrible. I use a 10.2 Pentax digital SLR camera and even my shots at 6mp blow this away. However, I don't see the point of needing a high quality still picture camera in my webcam
5. No video capture allowed above 800X600. If you are going to advertise 2.0 megapixel, at least live up to it. If I am missing a setting somewhere on this, I appreciate the heads up. It would be nice to be able to record at the higher setting.
In summary, I would give Logitech or another brand a try if I was looking for a high quality webcam in the price range. If simple video chat is all you need, stick with the lower models as they perform the same as this one for about half the price.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Really great for an external webcam
Comment: I have to say that I was impressed with this webcam.
It's very thin and fairly small, with a great, sleek design. The video quality was very good. I compared it side by side with the built in webcam on a 2008 Dell XPS notebook, both set to the same resolution and on the default settings. The lifecam brightened a poorly lit room far better than the XPS webcam. However, the XPS was clearer, whereas the lifecam was a little fuzzy. But I think that internal webcams almost always have the advantage when it comes to video quality. At least, that's been my experience.
The lifecam video quality wasn't jerky at all, and handled motion great. Keep in mind though, that the over all video quality is dependent also on your computer, and the video chat program you're using. This particular webcam is made to work best with Windows Messenger, although you could always use AIM or Skype.
I also like that the webcam connects with magnets. The laptop clip shown in the default photo has a strong magnet on it and the lifecam wont fall off unless you give it a good shake. It also comes with a stand, and two other adhesive magnets that you can stick to the front of a monitor, or desk, or wherever.
Over all, I love this webcam and think it's a great solution if your monitor doesn't already have one built in.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Super sharp picture, great for Skype, Plug and play with XP.
Comment: Installed this on Windows XP WITHOUT using the software. Just plug and play, the software is not needed. Super sharp picture at a distance of about 6 inches to at least 12 feet (the depth of my room). The whole room is in focus. Works well in low light.
It has many really cool ways to mount it. The back is magnetic and it comes with 3 half domes, one that can stick onto anything, one mounted on a clip (which clips easily to a half inch width but struggles with three quarters of an inch) and one 11.5 inch "stick on a stand". The camera itself is a little smaller than 2.5 inches by 1.5 inches. The USB cord is about 2.5 feet long.
My kids are using this with Skype to show grandparents all the pictures they draw, the guinea pig, themselves, their new Christmas toys etc. As it is easily removed to say, show the newest Lego creation in detail, and then replaced it works very well for video phone calls. We have not had any trouble with the frame rate when using it for calling, the problem is usually more with the bandwidth of our connection than the webcam.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Easy to use, comes with a lot of fun features but for it's price under lowlight conditions is where the LifeCam underperforms
Comment: With the webcam war between Microsoft and Logitech, Logitech has so far been on top with its quality web cameras especially in low light conditions and video quality.
This time around, the Microsoft LifeCam Show is now available with it's thin and sleek design. The LifeCam show comes with a 1 ft. stand, a magnetic stick and also a clip on for laptops. Also, boasting a good number of fun features, easily outnumbering the amount of features found in Logitech's QuickCam software and even Apple's visual effects.
The ease of install is simply installing the program on CD, which I tested on one Laptop and it took around 10+ minutes (which is not bad compared to other webcam software programs that have to load all the special features).
The first test was through AIM (easy to use on AIM) and video quality showed quite a bit of artifacting and noise in low light room conditions and increasing the quality in full video was about the same when viewed from a laptop. On the opposite end, I tested to see how things looked when viewed on my 24" iMac and it was soft and not as clear compared to a similarly priced Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000.
I then did a test on two well known video-streaming sites which I did a broadcast using the Microsoft LifeCam Show and overall, a similar look as I had on AIM.
On good light situation, with proper amount of sunlight in the room, thinks looked a bit better and although you have control over brightness, saturation, sharpness, etc. I was not able to come up with very clear video.
Even using the Microsoft software, in a smaller screen, things look clearer but still too dark.
Then I started to do some mobile lifecasting with the product and I wish the wire was a bit longer, so when walking around or placing your laptop in your bag and just doing a lifecast, you really need to keep the lifecam closer to you (pinned to your bag arm strap or your shirt) rather than the extra line to hold the camera up while walking.
As for the special features, their are many which were quite fun (from rain, lightning, static images to moveable images and facial changes). I must admit though, that some of the effects that require body movement hung and I was waiting for minutes. Granted, I was testing this on a 3 year old laptop with only 2GB of ram but loading some effects took much longer than I would like.
And as for software, you get the Microsoft camera program, you get the ability to install Microsoft Live chat, etc.
Overall, the product is easy to use, it looks sleek and cool, a lot of effects to keep people happy, in fact my wife and my child loved the many effects included. But for many people who are looking for a camera for lifecasting or streaming broadcasts, the camera doesn't do well in low light conditions. You definitely want to have a lot of light nearby. But otherwise, the camera may be too dark for some. Also, I wish the cord was much longer for those who want to do mobile lifecasting and tend to keep their laptops in their bag while walking or for those who want to lifecast and need the additional length.
So, overall, it's a good camera but when compared to a Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 which is similarly priced, the LifeCam show doesn't function well in low light conditions even when you have tweaked the controls.
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