Question..............I have a customer whom wants a web cam........she has some $$$$ and says she wants the best there is. I, personally, don't even mess with them anymore and haven't had one in over a year. Has there been any "breakthroughs" or anything???? What is the BEST web cam one can buy these days??? I wasn't overly impressed with the ones I had in the past.....had a Logitech and one by MS and I personally thought they left a LOT to be desired, but, as I said, I haven't had one in over a year and need to know what the best is these days so.................
Best "Web Cam"????
- Thread starter ToBeMe
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Enjoy high quality 640x480 resolution with QuickCam® Pro 3000. Enhance videos with special effects and music with MGI® VideoWave® SE. Make your world come alive with stop-motion animation. Share your creations with friends and family via Spotlife? Web pages or show your LIVE smiling face on Yahoo! Messenger. The built-in microphone makes video calling a natural way to get closer.
By Denny Atkin
(02/08/01)
Billed as Logitech's high-end model, the QuickCam Pro 3000 package includes a USB Webcam and three CDs packed with software to handle just about any cam-related task. The software package is certainly complete, but the hardware falls into the middle of the performance pack.
A cute and capable QuickCam
The camera is a sleek, silver-and-black sphere with a built-in microphone. It ships mounted on a U-shaped stand; an additional clip-on SmartClip tripod stand is included for use with laptops or flat-screen monitors. A bright LED indicates when the cam is active, and an eight-foot USB cable provides plenty of placement flexibility.
The QuickCam Pro 3000 is capable of capturing video at 640x480, but it's able to do so at only about 15fps (frames per second). Only when we knocked the resolution down to 320x240 were we able to capture a full 30fps. In a well-lit room, the camera's image quality was quite good, with very vivid color saturation. However, the QuickCam Pro 3000's CCD sensor didn't fare so well in dimly lit or backlit situations; the image became muddy and somewhat dark.
Strong software bundle
Logitech bundles NetMeeting for videoconferencing. Oddly, the camera operated in a zoomed mode when using this program, which required placing the cam farther from the subject and resulted in a noisy picture. Most of the camera adjustments available in the Logitech drivers were unavailable from within NetMeeting, including the zoom setting; we could bring up only the generic lighting and brightness screen. Even so, the picture quality is noticeably superior to what you'd get from an entry-level Webcam.
Much of the software bundle is accessible through the QuickCam launcher program. Software is included for video and still capture, video e-mail, Web album management, and both live and still video broadcast to the Web. You'll also find a few Webcam games and a slick utility that turns your QuickCam into a motion detector--if something moves, you can record it or sound an alarm. Rounding out the bundle are MGI VideoSuite III SE and PhotoSuite III SE for editing videos and images.
Boosted by its strong software bundle, the QuickCam Pro 3000 is a good choice if you plan to use it in well-lit situations. But for dimly lit, late-night videoconferencing, there are better cams available, such as the Intel Deluxe PC Camera or the Intel Pro PC Camera.
By Denny Atkin
(02/08/01)
Billed as Logitech's high-end model, the QuickCam Pro 3000 package includes a USB Webcam and three CDs packed with software to handle just about any cam-related task. The software package is certainly complete, but the hardware falls into the middle of the performance pack.
A cute and capable QuickCam
The camera is a sleek, silver-and-black sphere with a built-in microphone. It ships mounted on a U-shaped stand; an additional clip-on SmartClip tripod stand is included for use with laptops or flat-screen monitors. A bright LED indicates when the cam is active, and an eight-foot USB cable provides plenty of placement flexibility.
The QuickCam Pro 3000 is capable of capturing video at 640x480, but it's able to do so at only about 15fps (frames per second). Only when we knocked the resolution down to 320x240 were we able to capture a full 30fps. In a well-lit room, the camera's image quality was quite good, with very vivid color saturation. However, the QuickCam Pro 3000's CCD sensor didn't fare so well in dimly lit or backlit situations; the image became muddy and somewhat dark.
Strong software bundle
Logitech bundles NetMeeting for videoconferencing. Oddly, the camera operated in a zoomed mode when using this program, which required placing the cam farther from the subject and resulted in a noisy picture. Most of the camera adjustments available in the Logitech drivers were unavailable from within NetMeeting, including the zoom setting; we could bring up only the generic lighting and brightness screen. Even so, the picture quality is noticeably superior to what you'd get from an entry-level Webcam.
Much of the software bundle is accessible through the QuickCam launcher program. Software is included for video and still capture, video e-mail, Web album management, and both live and still video broadcast to the Web. You'll also find a few Webcam games and a slick utility that turns your QuickCam into a motion detector--if something moves, you can record it or sound an alarm. Rounding out the bundle are MGI VideoSuite III SE and PhotoSuite III SE for editing videos and images.
Boosted by its strong software bundle, the QuickCam Pro 3000 is a good choice if you plan to use it in well-lit situations. But for dimly lit, late-night videoconferencing, there are better cams available, such as the Intel Deluxe PC Camera or the Intel Pro PC Camera.
GOOD-LOOKING GADGET, April 29, 2002
Reviewer: kosciesza61 (see more about me) from United Kingdom
As a lifelong technophobe it's taken me a while to get used to computers and the internet but I'm getting there. This is the first webcam I've bought and after using it for a few weeks with no problems, I'm very impressed with what it can do.
Much to my relief I was able to install the Quickcam software without a hitch, and after connecting the USB cable to my pc the webcam was fully operational within minutes (I have an Intel 650MHz processor and am running MS Windows 98 SE). The picture quality is excellent compared to other webcams I've seen and taking photos and recording video clips couldn't be simpler. Once you've created them, you can edit and enhance your images using PhotoSuite III SE or VideoWave III SE, and sending the results by email is also remarkably easy.
The QuickCam Pro 3000 has a built-in mic, which is especially useful for video conferencing over the web. Here the performance quality can vary greatly, but this is to some extent inevitable regardless of which webcam you use. Yahoo Messenger is bundled in with the software and installs automatically whether you like it or not, which wasn't a problem for me, but if you're already using another package you might find this a bit irritating. I tried using the webcam with MSN Messenger/Netmeeting and it worked just as well.
One possible drawback is the fact that the Quickcam software will only allow you to broadcast video and audio over the web via a third party host site (Spotlife.com). So if you're buying a webcam with a view to doing this via your own website, you'd be better off getting one which includes this functionality by default.
But I'm personally very happy with the Quickcam Pro 3000 (call me shallow, but it also looks pretty cool) and it was definitely money well spent.
GOOD-LOOKING GADGET, April 29, 2002
Reviewer: kosciesza61 (see more about me) from United Kingdom
As a lifelong technophobe it's taken me a while to get used to computers and the internet but I'm getting there. This is the first webcam I've bought and after using it for a few weeks with no problems, I'm very impressed with what it can do.
Much to my relief I was able to install the Quickcam software without a hitch, and after connecting the USB cable to my pc the webcam was fully operational within minutes (I have an Intel 650MHz processor and am running MS Windows 98 SE). The picture quality is excellent compared to other webcams I've seen and taking photos and recording video clips couldn't be simpler. Once you've created them, you can edit and enhance your images using PhotoSuite III SE or VideoWave III SE, and sending the results by email is also remarkably easy.
The QuickCam Pro 3000 has a built-in mic, which is especially useful for video conferencing over the web. Here the performance quality can vary greatly, but this is to some extent inevitable regardless of which webcam you use. Yahoo Messenger is bundled in with the software and installs automatically whether you like it or not, which wasn't a problem for me, but if you're already using another package you might find this a bit irritating. I tried using the webcam with MSN Messenger/Netmeeting and it worked just as well.
One possible drawback is the fact that the Quickcam software will only allow you to broadcast video and audio over the web via a third party host site (Spotlife.com). So if you're buying a webcam with a view to doing this via your own website, you'd be better off getting one which includes this functionality by default.
But I'm personally very happy with the Quickcam Pro 3000 (call me shallow, but it also looks pretty cool) and it was definitely money well spent.
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decent but could be better, April 27, 2002
Reviewer: Cody from Hartford, Wi United States
This camera has everything you could need in a webcam. Works with XP home edition set-up went well, haven't had any compatability problems but the stand on the camera to say the least it [stinks]. It broke off because i pushed it back on and broke off. It would fall off the stand even when i wasn't there. It has no bonding and mechanical fastening to the base. but all the features are very good i give it 3 stars.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Awesome cam, but...., April 27, 2002
Reviewer: nightfox1977 (see more about me) from Corpus Christi, Texas USA
Ok. I would have to say I was getting a pretty good vibe from everyone on this cam and their good remarks on it, trying to take into account of what the bad comments were. So I went out and got this cam. Very nice features on the software that comes with it. Motion sensor capability for when you're not home to keep an eye on the joint or to watch what's going on anywhere.
I just rounded up my stars for that point. now the reason I would have given it a 3.5 or even a 3 is this one point : Odd Windows2000 reaction. After I installed the camera, Windows2000 Pro just WOULD NOT START. I mean, not even get to the screen showing the Win2k start up and the status bar going across... NOTHING. So I unplug the sucker and reboot. Started up fine, finished installing some software that came with the Cam. I plug it back in and it runs. So that's the only down point, if I wanna reboot, I have to unplug the camera on my system. I don't know how it'll react to Win98/ME/XP, but if it does the same there as it did to me, try what I did. If it works fine, kudos! You picked a good cam! Odd that the 640x480 capturing doesn't show up in a 640x480 window in the Logitech software. But I'm sure I haven't played around enough with it all to get that to show up.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Great all around Camera, April 19, 2002
Reviewer: Laura Haven (see more about me) from Rancho Cordova, CA United States
This is a great little webcam for the cost. I can take videos, e-mail videos, time lapse videos and still shots. You can also cut portions of your videos out and save separately to send a smaller file of something you really enjoyed recording. I recorded my 18 month old son eating his dinner on timelapse and sent it to some family and friends and they absolutely loved it.
It's fun and takes pretty darned good still shots. It takes nice images to post in on-line auction sites as well, if you're selling something and don't have a digital camera. Nice little built in microphone that came in really handy for me since I didn't have one on my computer.
It's hearty, durable and fun!
3 star average rating completely unfair, February 4, 2002
Reviewer: An electronics fan from Richland, WA United States
The video and picture quality on this webcam is just plain excellent compared to many of its alternatives. The installation was no difficulty on my machine, which operates under Windows 2000 Pro. The USB connectivity makes things simple, and installation software is straightforward. If you are looking for webcams, consider spending the money on this one, because it is definitely worth the price. I recommend, however, that you have at least one completely free motherboard native USB port, if you want the bandwidth required to capture video with sound; this is an issue that affects all webcams with USB connectivity.
Solid Performer for Most Applications, December 30, 2001
Reviewer: Scott Loban (see more about me) from San Diego, CA USA
The Logitech QuickCam Pro 3000 delivers most of what it promises. It is an easy-to-use solution for video conferencing. It provides the ability to create, edit and send digital video and stills. And--strictly speaking--it does provide for webcams and the broadcast of streaming video.
The camera supports true 640x480 resolution at up to 30fps (actual performance will depend on the speed of the computer) and features a built-in microphone. The camera and microphone both perform well. Bundled with the QuickCam Pro 3000 are versions of two MGI software packages: PhotoSuite III SE and VideoWave III SE. These are simple and effective programs for editing still images and video clips, respectively. Overall, the software provided in the bundle is quite good.
However, a couple of things detract from the package. First, while the installation is normally quite simple, support for problem installations can be difficult to obtain. Also, the setup utility installs several third-pary applications and utilities without an option to opt-out.
More troubling is the fact that the QuickCam software purposely and explicitly will not support webcams or video broadcast to any site other than Spotlife, a commercial third-party provider (although previous versions of the QuickCam software did support this). So, if you buy the QuickCam Pro 3000 with an eye towards cheaply and easily implementing a web cam on your existing site, you're in for a disappointment. To do this, you have three choices: take a spin with freeware, pay for a third-party webcam software package, or opt for a different camera solution that includes this functionality.
Finally, the USB cable attached to the camera gets a big plus for being nice and long (better than 8 feet), but the heavy weight of the cable, combined with the loose swivel joint on the camera, make it difficult to keep the camera pointed "just so." I've resorted to tape to keep the camera pointed where I want it.
If your main goal is to set up a webcam on your web site, you may want to look further. But for other applications, the QuickCam Pro 3000 is good performer and a decent value. -- Scott Loban
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0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
mmmm great, December 30, 2001
Reviewer: An electronics fan
It's really easy to use and the pictures come out so well... I'm a satisfied customer
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I've GOT the QuickCam Pro 3000 - and I can heartily reccomend it EXCEPT for the line I've quoted.
Such a great hardware/software combination to be crippled by such a piddly way of mounting the camera is a REAL shame. If you intend to point the cam in one direction and never move it, you can work out something adequate. But if you intend to move it around, even to make minor adjustments, you'll be very disappointed. There is just NO mechanism to make the mount hold it's position.
You should consider a firewire webcam, they have better resolution and capture frame rates. I think Pyro 1394 makes one. Logitech probably has better software though.
In perusing the web lately I saw an article that had Orange Micro coming out with a USB 2.0 cam... you might consider checking it out, I believe it was due out about now.
I keep forgetting............All I remember is that the name of the company is Philips........A guy here at AT Forums reviewed 9 web cams and said that the philips one won hands down...........I remember it had a tripod....hope this helps
Raj
Raj
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