Microsoft presents its first High Definition (HD) 720p webcam. So far, the only other manufactorer that makes a 720p webcam is Logitech, with their Quickcam 9000.
At first look, it seems like a iSight clone. I dont really care if they copied the design, but it makes it look more sleek and professional.
On the top is a very high quality microphone and a useless “Windows Live Call” button. The clamping system is well designed and it holds well on the oddly designed ASUS VH242H. It bends and wraps around to fit the monitor that you want to put it on.
The front of the camera is (hard to tell) protected by a thick glass. The front also includes a HD logo so you can brag about having an HD webcam, and a LED to indicate that you are being watched by someone (sounds creepy, huh!). Some text wraps around the tip and says somethings like “30FPS” and “720p” and the such… The word Microsoft is printed on the camera 3 times.
The camera connects to the PC via a USB cable and the built-in microphone doesn’t require a physical 3.5mm cable, like those cheap cameras. Both the video and audio is transferred through the USB cable. The USB cable is about 6 feet long, in case you wonder. Installation was pretty simple, just a CD to install the drivers and the LifeCam suite.
As far as color and video quality goes, the camera is great. Comparing it to a Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 makes the primer seem like the colors are faded/washed out. Both camera’s have the same resolution (1280×720), but the LifeCam produces a slighty sharper image. Both cameras have autofocus and they perform just as well as each other.
The only issue with the lifecam is that it only recorded the advertised 30FPS when there is good lighting. In a dark environment, the framerate drops by about 10FPS. The Logitech one’s had the exact opposite of this problem. When using the features like autofocus, brightness and color enhancement, the frame rate dropped.
Here is a sample video I found of someone using the camera:
Bottom Line: 9/10
Recommended: Yes (especially over the Logitech counterpart)
Price: $49.99 at amazon.com
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