QuickCam Messenger - Hardware: A, Software:D-
Pros:
Great picture quality, framerate, sharpness, contrast, color and very good low-light tolerance
Cons:
Included software is terrible, default camera settings awful, harsh glare from close lighting
The Bottom Line:
Hardware is great, software sucks. Adjusting the settings and downloading the latest drivers is a must. Not good for snapshots, although I am pretty critical :)
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I bought it at OfficeMax for $40. I ran it on a 1.3GHz HP Pavilion 531W Celeron with 384MB ram, integrated video running Win98SE and a 56K dialup connection. (Pitiful, I know, but that's all that's available).
The camera itself is rugged, the focusing ring is precise, closeups are GREAT. The rubber base is a bit of a pain to adjust position repeatedly, but if you're the set it and forget it type, you're OK. There is some spherical distortion, but hey, it's not a Nikon! ;)
The install prog is a little wierd, but if you choose the complete instead of custom install, it's child's play...(Although they DO install some auto-updating software, which I find VERY annoying, considering my 'net connection).
The picture quality with the enclosed CD drivers was not too hot, to say the least. The default camera settings look HORRIBLE. If you do not adjust these settings, you'll transmit gray-bluish faded video with extreme glare if lighting is close and lots of darkness if not. The picture is also very grainy and it has a nasty greenish halo around it.
The included drivers also screwed with my video feeds somewhat. I had my share of freeze-ups and PC lockups while videochatting. Ugh.
I proceeded to download the updated drivers and after uninstalling the previous ones, which take considerably long to install/uninstall, the picture quality improved considerably. It was not nearly as grainy, and I think it improved on the color somewhat. I spent a considerable amount of time playing with the camera settings until I got what I wanted. I can now testify that this cam has a VERY good picture quality, with GREAT contrast and definition. Even the green halo is gone, only a very slight color change occurring at the edges!
The framerate is tops, too. It does distort the picture when you move the camera around, but it doesn't get all blurry with movement, like my previous Kensington VideoCam.
You can use it with very little lighting, and it adjusts automatically very well. (You can also adjust it manually.)
I did uninstall the software and kept only the drivers, since the included software is only good if you don't have any other software. I also deleted a couple of useless executables from startup which really made no difference, except taking up resources.(Could be the cause of all the lockups, because now it doesn't)...(Power User = me)
All in all, I think the cam is wonderful. It could be a pain for a new user or for the not-so-technically inclined, but if you put in a little effort you'll get great results from this cam.
Overstock.com
