Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision SE Webcam
See it at Amazon.com for $38.00Average Customer Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
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(5 out of 5)The Glass Lens Works Well!
I just received and tested yesterday a QuickCam Ultra Vision Special Edition. I really like it. It is not the smallest video camera Logitech makes (The tube is almost 2 inches in diameter) but the replacement of the plastic lens for the glass lens gives the 1.3Megapixel images a dramatically sharper look. I had a chance to compare this camera with the slightly cheaper Fusion model from Logitech. They both used the same computer software installation so that rapid plug-in comparisons were easy. The 1.3Mpixle and the 720x960 pictures were just much sharper with the Ultra Vision Special Edition camera. I was pleasently surprised. It was not that the Fusion images were in any way really bad. I am sure the Fusion is very good for video conferences etc but if you are looking for the sharpest images I recommend this "Special Edition" camera. I only compared the resolution of the native 1.3 Megapixel mode and 720x960 video mode for capturing video data for a science experiment. The difference in quality was apparent for these images
One issue that I did no expect was that neither camera could take a good picture of a large 46 inch LCD flatscreen TV. My new video camcorder could do this with no problem. The problem with the Webcams is the video screen poriton of the image appears extremely overexposed while using either of the Logitech cameras. There is a software adjustment of "brightness" but this control did not have enough range to fix the problem. Using the WebCams I can take a good picture of my laptop screen. I think this difference with the large flatscreen is because the room lighting is different for the laptop. I did try turning the room lights for the large flatscreen on to full brightness to make the large flatscreen more visible but this was not enough to bring the exposure to the proper point. The flatscreen TV is simply too bright.
My concern for flatscreen TV issues is because one application I might have had for the camera is to take videos of human presenters while they are making Powerpoint presentations to groups of people while using a flat screen or video projector for showing the PowerPoint slides. It looks like this application for the WebCam would not work well.
For many applications I have the high image quality from the glass lens looks like this $129 camera is worth the extra money it costs.
(5 out of 5)Very good visual & audio capabilities
I just got the camera today and installed the lastest software release (2/27/07) from logitech website. Camera video is fine under different lighting condtitions. Even with lights turned off camera produced nice video. It is a bit expensive but I think it is worth the price. The audio is fine too. There is no echo and the voice is clear.
(1 out of 5)another logitech letdown
Logitech's cameras have never been up to the quality of their other product lines. Unfortunately this one continues the trend.
It starts with the software. It's the strongest point. Most often the drivers are integrated into the operating system so you don't need complex installation. But The software fails on the 4MP "enhanced" picture from a 640x480 image sensor!. Also while they claim 30 FPS which sounds good, when the lighting is less than perfect, framerate suffers to make up for it.
Next comes the hardware. Would you buy a 640x480 camera or monitor today? It is out of sync with the time. It's NOT a 4MP camera by any imagination! The software helps with the hardware limitations a bit.
The worst part is the attachment/rest system. It won't stay on a laptop like a clip would. The product finally got a decent lens after all the junk plastic out there, but again as other people have mentioned, exposure is not good, often dark, and perceptively poor, hence the rating.
I like logitech keyboards, mice, sound & game products, but their cameras leave a lot to be desired.
(1 out of 5)Logitech Letdown
Logitech keeps doing the same thing - they use their standard software & drivers then add some gizmo (a tripod, a robot, whatever) to make it different, but the camera is still a 640x480. Hello? Anyone at home Logitech? My laptop screen is 1920x1200 (dell 1705) - HDTV is 1920x1080 - why would you possibly STILL make a 640x480 camera?
It's time for an upgrade. Logitech needs to make a multi-megapixel class camera that has "usefull" features (listening to the grinding motors on the robo-camera made the sound useless, for example - better gears would have fixed that)
For LESS money than this, you can buy a 3 MP camera with a USB cable and a webcam function so with that available, the 640x480 is out of date.
All the video cameras give logitech a worse name when they come out.
(1 out of 5)BAIT & SWITCH Item for TigerDirect
Ordered 3 from TigerDirect Seller and was sent 3 entry level Logitech QuickCams in BAIT & SWITCH order. Seller continues to list more robust featured and expensive item with picture and price of less expensive entry level item. Going through feedback of seller, this appears to be a routine practice of theirs as they were selling Apple Mac Mini's and shipping ipod Nano's to customers this weekend as well. Buyer Beware when dealing with TigerDirect