Microsoft LifeCam VX-7000 Win USB
With the universal attachment base you can attach the LifeCam to most flatscreens or notebooks, saving space on your desk. With the 2.0 Megapixel sensor, Glass Element and wide angle lens you get a clearer video to send to anyone you want. LifeCam VX-7000 is a clear choice when you need to send out the best video quality. The 71 degree wide angle lens ensures no one gets left out of the picture High Definition 8 Megapixel still Photos Discover a fun way to express yourself with these entertaining video effects built into the LifeCam dashboard System Requirements - Windows XP SP2 or higher, Intel Pentium III 700MHz, 256RAM, 300MB Hard Drive, Video card with 16bit color with 2MB video memory, USB 1.1 USB 2.0 is required for higher than 1.3MP video quality, CD-ROM Drive, Broadband Internet access
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Microsoft LifeCam VX-7000 Win USB Reviews
Small, portable device with very good picture, maybe it is not the top product from the list, but works for me for the price I paid.
The next step up would be wireless connectivity and signal compaction - but manufacturers don't seem to have figured that out yet. The flexibility in lighting is great and the built in mic is pretty good. Having used several other webcams, I'd rate this one very positively. Connection would be easier with at least two more feet of cord; it's difficult to string it (or any other webcam I've seen) optimally on a full-sized computer desk.
Works great with Skype. Good, solid webcam. The only moderately annoying issue is when you press the button on the camera (in Windoze), a pop up appears saying ".call button only works with Windows Live Messenger, do you want to install it now". There may be a way to turn that off without installing Live Messenger but I haven't looked for it because it doesn't bother me.
We bought a PCI card with some extra USB ports on and it fixed the problem. We had some issues with image tearing, but that turned out to be due to the USB controller on the motherboard and could happen to any USB webcam. It can be used to entertain kids locally or applied to videoconferencing transmissions. The LifeCam 2.0 software available from www.microsoft.com/hardware is simply amazing. hats, facemasks, animal faces, and it can add real-time distortions like grow-mouth; and then there are filter effects that change color and texture; and all the cool stuff from v1 of the software. The picture quality is excellent. The software detects heads in the image and adds in 3D objects, e.g. The image quality between the iSights and this camera is indistinguishable and until now I'd have said the iSight's were the best cameras around.
There are some rumblings in other reviews here about not being able to capture large pictures in high frame rates but it can do 640x480@30fps which is better than TV.
The camera has great resolution and is able to capture at decent frame rates.
The defaults work well out of the box in our home environment (no need to fiddle with the controls, but they do exist).
The software also has the nifty ability to zoom and pan, which it can do because the image is large.
It has our our pre-schoolers and their friends rolling around with laughter.
For comparison, I should mention we own two Macs and have iSight cameras, one external and one integrated into a MacBook Pro.
We have this camera in our living room connected to a 64bit Vista machine running Media Center.
The LifeCam software raises the bar on Apple's Photo Booth App, which applies basic filtering to the image, but doesn't do anything as smart as the 3D additions.
We use the camera for videoconferencing with relatives on different sides of the planet *and* for entertaining the kids.
Take 7.2 MP photos and record video at 2 MP quality. I'm happy with the purchase. This webcam has all the capabilities you'd look for, and a very competitive price to boot.
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