Microsoft LifeCam Cinema

I just picked this up from Amazon for $49 which is an extremely good deal (cheaper than the company discount). All I had to do was plug it in, and Windows 7 automatically installed the drivers for it and the latest version of the Lifecam software. I don't think there's such thing as an easier installation.The software is pretty barebones. It just records video and takes pictures. There's not much else that it does. You can add effects to your videos which can be pretty entertaining, but I'm sure other companies all allow the same thing.I mainly use the camera for video calls in Skype and the quality is great. My voice comes out very crisp and clear in Skype like I am sitting in the room with the person. Though I've heard that this might be Skype's great software that makes it sound so well, nonetheless, it works without a hitch. The other fun thing is you can add effects to your video through the lifecam effects software, while being on Skype video call.The lowlight works well too. This camera is a LOT brighter than my old Lifecam VX6000. From doing a lot of searching on the internet, this is very compareable to the Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000, which runs for 50-75% more, so this was definitely the webcam to pick up.

I'm a big Skype user and have used the QuickCam Pro 9000 for quite some time. While Skype doesn't recognize this Microsoft cam as an "HQ" cam (or at least not yet, if ever), I have found that this cam excels as compared to the QuickCam Pro 9000 in three ways:1. This cam produces much richer colors. Some may say it borderlines oversaturated or "technicolor" but I really enjoy the brilliance of the colors2. Low light conditions keep rich and bright color. I find with the QuickCam it loses contrast to brighten up the picture.3. Launch time. I find with the Quickcam Pro 9000 the "ramp up/turn on" time is undesirably long when receiving an auto answer Skype call. This cam is ready to go immediately.As far as focusing goes, both the QickCam Pro 9000 and this cam aren't great at it in dark lighting conditions.The widescreen view is a really nice change from the normal 4:3 perspective. It really helps show your surroundings more and give a better feel to where you are.Installation was easy, and the cam itself seems far smaller than I was expecting.Under some conditions Skype callers on the receiving end prefer this video over the HQ Skype capable Quickcam Pro 9000. In some cases they prefer the Quickcam.I saw that some people mentioned the high hardware requirements so I wanted to let you know what I'm using it on:Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bitCore i7 2.663 GB memoryI'm not going to outright say that this is a better webcam than the QuickCam Pro 9000 but it definitely gives it a run for it's money, and offers a few unique features that the QuickCam Pro 9000 does not, all in a smaller more attractive cam size & style.---update--After several months of use, I have found that I'm using this cam more than the Logitech Quick Cam 9000. They're both equal in stature in my mind, but this one is better at low light use. I often Skype at night when the room is comfortably dim, so this has become my preferred camera. Even though it's not listed as an HQ cam for Skype, it still provides better overall performance for the way I use it.

PACKAGINGI opted for the Frustration-Free Packaging. It came in a simple rectangular box instead of the carton+clam shell type I saw in stores. It spared me a lot of frustration and time, and it makes more sense environmentally too.EXTERNAL FEATURESThis is a light, compact and handsome webcam. A simple cylindrical design and gives the impression of quality construction. Thus making this a good traveling webcam.The rubber foot/stand/clamp thing is a very versatile design. Since the camera itself is light enough, you can practically mount/place it on any horizontal surfaces and ledges.There's a button on top of the cam which by defaults opens up the Windows Live Messenger program. I haven't found much use for this button since I no longer use Windows Messenger. It would've been perfect if this button is customizable.VIDEO QUALITYI've been using the built-in webcam on my Dell XPS M1210 for nearly 4 years. So upon using this webcam I was instantly surprised by how crisp the images are.Color reproduction is acceptable.In low light conditions this cam still manages to produce clear images.I can't comment on the HD function as it is only available for recording videos. I mainly use this cam for Skype.FOCUSINGThis cam has a big aperture (f/2.0), which brings out the main pros and cons.Advantages:- Works great in low light condition- Seems to give a noticeably shallow depth of field similar to "cinematic" footagesDisadvantages:- Shallower depth of field means the cam needs to work harder to focus precisely- Which leads the cam to randomly hunt for focus occasionallyCOMPUTER HARDWARE DEMANDMy 4-year old Dell laptop runs on Windows XP Home SP3, 1.66GHz Centrino Duo, and 2GB of RAM. For normal Skyping, my laptop doesn't seem like it's struggling too much. However, using the HD video recording function there is apparent lagging.WEBCAM SOFTWAREThe cam functions just fine without the driver it came with. You would want to install the driver/software when you want to record HD videos, or gain access to the cute 3D templates that show up on your chat window.CONCLUSIONHandsome, compact, light, convenient, plug-and-play webcam that produces good video quality.I bought this cam for around $50 from Amazon. In my opinion it is good value for money.My only complaints:- Cam hunts for focus randomly once in a while- Button on top of cam is not customizableAll in all, I highly recommend this cam for Skype users like me.