Logitech QuickCam Zoom (USB) 961238-0403

I was skeptical about how something quite so small (it must weigh two ounces!) could be something useful.Installing the QuickCam is a snap. If you can hook up a USB cord and run the setup disk, then you're all set. Three minutes maximum time.This is a small camera but, believe me, it has many options and could be quite useful.There is a microphone built in so gone are the days of having to juggle one or pinning one to your shirt pocket. And the built-in microphone picks up from a few feet away so you don't have to have the QuickCam sitting right on top of you. As it has a zoom lens, this makes it practical and you don't need it on your desk top to add to the clutter that may already be there.You can create .avi files, save them, and e-mail them to friends and family. OK, the picture quality isn't exactly a masterpiece but it is quite clear. The lens is also generous in the surrounding area and you don't need such bright lights to get a very good video.The camera can take still pictures (something you won't use every day but it will be handy), web broadcasts and works with Yahoo and AOL messengers.It's futuristic design does remind you of something out of Star Wars. Keep in mind: the lens can be covered with the sliding blue shield so that you won't be caught in any act.As I said, it is very, very small; extremely lightweight; inexpensive enough so that you don't have to justify the purchase by feeling it is something you have to use every day; and . . . it's fun!

This product was purchased for Me as a gift so I actually got it for free so I can't really complain as it does actually work acceptably well, but I would not say that it is one of the best webcams I have ever used.

This cam is not bad, especially for buying it for only $40.The flaws are the blue shield (it keeps falling off) and it seems like Logitech just slapped on a cheap piece of flimsy plastic at the last minute to make it look useful. The cam disconnects from the base if you so much as move it without holding down both sides of the cam securely. Another flaw is the zoom... it zooms in too close and it gets more blurry the more you zoom in and does not adjust much even after focusing the lense.The advantages of this cam is the backlight feature, which means the cam gives off the impression there is a light behind the cam to show a brighter and clearer image. This is excellent to use at night and I don't have to turn on any extra lights when using it with video IM. The picture is pretty clear and decent for the price. When images are taken up close, that is when you feel your money went to good use, it is quite sharp.This cam is worth it for everyday use, and for $40, that's cheaper than logitech's $50 quickcam messenger's grainy camera.

I been using the Logitech QuickCam Zoom for some months now and it has worked well. The image and light processing is better than other webcams that friends have. The microphone is also good for chatting in games. It also installs fast and works perfectly with Windows XP SP2. It can even be compared with the JVC digital camcorder that I have. The camcorder is a little faster with the brightness handling, but it does not have the face tracking utility of the Logitech QuickCam Zoom (this utility generally works but sometimes it might zoom in too much but it generally aims for the face of the subject. What I have to try is to use this feature when there is more than one person for the camera to track). I been testing the Logitech QuickCam Zoom hard because I'm using two Logitech QuickCam Zoom and they are both at 10000 km (its about 6200 miles) with a 256kbps connection. The image quality it's really good but the problem is the refreshing rate of the signal, it's slow. Most of the time chunks of the conversation are lost making the audio impossible to understand. This occurs every time when using the video conference option of the MSN Messenger, the webcam, and the audio conversation. It might be the software, the speed of the internet connection, the distance or a combination of all. This makes the chatting with another person not the most fulfilling experience, but you can still see the person on the other side. By the way fast movement makes the image quality worst. Finally considering the price, the features of the webcam, the compatibility with IM programs and the software included (very good and useful, it has a movement sensor that it can be use to look over a place and the photo editors are a great packed for a mid range webcam) makes a great buy.

the people who find this hard to install must have brain damage - it is plug and play at its simplest and best - xp recognizes it in a flash and the software is effortless to install - I tried the similarly priced creative webcam pro and couldn't say the same - the picture quality is not exactly what I get from my coolpix 5700 but for something its size it is really quite extraordinary - the video is totally fun to play with and the mic is really amazing too - I haven't used my headset once with this- the automatic compression for sending the videos is nice too - also the face tracking feature is impressive although there is a little too much zoom for my personal taste - the stop motion animation feature is a bonus and fun to play with - overall a great product for the price - two small complaints - the shield (blue pastic piece) keeps falling off and the base is less than totally sturdy - I use a thin flat-screen monitor and had to jerry-rig a way to keep it in place. For the $60 Canadian I paid during a boxing day sale I feel like I got the best posisble deal - A+

This really couldn't have been any easier to use. I literally took it out of the box, plugged the camera into my USB port, installed the software and I was done and able to take pictures all within the space 10 minutes!Many other webcams give off quite poor quality pictures but this camera's picture is really clear and not at all grainy. You can use the timer option on this aswell.So if you're looking for a good webcam that won't cost you an arm and leg, look no further than this one!