Logitech QuickCam for Notebooks
As shown: $59.95
See manufacturer site for availability
CNET Editors' Review
CNET Editors' Rating
- Reviewed by: Jay Munro
- Reviewed on:
The good: Pleasing image quality; solid focus ring; integrated lens cap; lightweight cable; capable of speeds up to 30fps.
The bad: Unstable mount; no white-balance presets; lacks video-editing capability, tally light, and snapshot button.
The bottom line: Designed for students and road warriors, this Webcam provides a convenient way to have video chats and e-mail clips from any laptop. Its image quality outshines the more expensive Veo Mobile's, and its only flaw is an unsteady mount.
Compact and petite
With a compact, egg-shaped design, the QuickCam for Notebooks literally hangs on your laptop's screen by its spider-leg tripod, and you adjust the direction of the camera with the tilt mount. While the rear leg has a rubber disk that doubles as the lens cap when folded up, the camera tends to slide and wobble if you move your computer. The tripod can also stand on a tabletop, although it's not particularly sturdy. On the bright side, the tilt mount and the focusing ring are tight enough to stay in place when set, and the short, lightweight cable does not get in the way.
Webcam basics for the road
The QuickCam for Notebooks shares a software package with the rest of the Logitech Webcam line. Interestingly, the program customizes itself to present a different feature set for each camera. Installation is easy and requires little user interaction. The Logitech software is activity-based and offers the user several options, such as building a Web page, creating a picture gallery, or transmitting live video. It's designed to be easy for people with any level of experience to use. The Create Pictures and Videos activity does just that and stores the results in your gallery.
When you select a still image, the Logitech software gives you simple tools for adding text, adjusting colors, cropping, and rotating. With video, you can add only a title or credits to the beginning or the end of a clip. You can record clips as AVI or Windows Media (WMV) files to send in video e-mail. A free 30-day account with SpotLife lets you create an online picture album, upload video clips, or schedule live video broadcasts. If you enjoy using SpotLife, you can upgrade online.
The QuickCam itself provides few features other than manual focus. The Logitech software controls everything, providing acceptable exposure and color with its default settings. Advanced users can manually override settings such as hue, white balance, and exposure, as well as adjust gamma, contrast, backlight compensation, or sharpness. There are also color and low-light boost settings that let you punch up dull colors or dimly lit scenes. The low-light boost does a good job of increasing exposure but also adds a considerable amount of noise to the image. Hide Review
User Reviews
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Most Helpful User Review
stars 20 of 20 users found this review helpful
"What the hell" By
Summary Dont' know what the CNET editors are smokiing to give this camera such ratings. It peforms about the same as the Quickcam express for about 2x the money. The design is basically a copy of the iRez Critter camera a few years ago made for Apple iMacs. I don't ... Expand full review
