Logitech 720p Webcam Pro 9000
by Logitech, Inc
List Price:
Our Price: $49.38
You Save: $30.61 (38%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Category: CE
See more product details
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: Logitech, IncModel: 960-000577
Color: Black
Product features:
- Ships in Certified Frustration-Free Packaging
- Ultra-smooth AutoFocus with Carl Zeiss lens system for sharper, fluid video
- HD video recording and 2-megapixel sensor capture detailed 16 x 9 widescreen videos and up to 8-megapixel photos
- RightLight2 Technology adjusts brightness for perfect images, even in dim light
- Premium built-in microphone with RightSound Technology for crystal-clear conversations
- Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000 - Green
- Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000 - Purple
- Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000 - Berry Pink
- Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000 - White
- AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to A-Female Extension Cable (3.3 Feet/1.0 Meter)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech 720p Webcam Pro 9000
Customer Review: Picture quality is good and I like the frustration-free packaging.
Summary: 4 Stars
Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 review key points:
* Amazon Frustration-free packaging is a recycling enthusiast's dream come true, although sometimes the price differs from the retail packaging version.
* Picture quality is excellent with the 2 MP sensor.
* Auto focus is nice feature, but not vital.
* "Face tracking" is done electronically by digitally zooming in on the portion of the image with your face, so the picture quality will be lower when using this feature.
* Audio quality with built-in microphone is good.
* I did not like the mounting clip as well as some Logitech web cams. Minus one star.
* If you want portability, look at the Logitech Webcam C905, which is smaller and comes with a carrying case.
Part of the information below is about other Logitech cameras I owned before purchasing the Webcam Pro 9000. I offer this as a contrast to help you decide which features you are willing to pay for. I will begin by explaining what I liked and did not like about my previous Logitech cameras.
I entered the world of video conferencing with an entry level Logitech QuickCam Connect (Silver/Black), which is a VGA-quality webcam, and it was just okay. A still picture is acceptable at 640x480; however video can not keep up with my movements. Sudden movements of my head and hands are blurred, and slow movements are behind real time so that my words do not sync with my mouth. (I thought this might be because I have only a single core Celeron processor, but later found that other cameras perform better on this same PC.) The lens has a manual focus adjustment, which I fiddled with. The focus was set at the factory with a depth of field between 2 and 4 feet, so for typical chair-to-screen distances you won't need to adjust the focus. The microphone on the Connect is inexplicably at the top of the camera, and consequently it did not pick up my voice well. I had to use a headset to be heard without raising my voice. (Yes, I tried turning up the mic gain, which caused the software to warn me "your speakers are really loud!", and still the gain was insufficient.) In summary, I can not recommend the QuickCam Connect since better cameras can be had for a not much more money.
Next I bought a mid-range Logitech QuickCam Communicate MP (Black) I found on sale at a local brick-and-mortar store for $30. (Check out the replacement model Logitech Webcam C500 - Silver [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging], which has a glass lens.) The Communicate MP has a 1.3 MP sensor, so the picture is better than the VGA-resolution Connect. With this camera the image is detailed enough that I was able to discern a "soft focus" in the image. I do not know if this is due to software which interpolates the sensor data to create the illusion of a higher virtual resolution, or if it was simply because the lens is plastic rather than an accurately ground piece of glass. Maybe it is some of each. On the plus side, I noticed the image does not blur as much when I move. The Communicate MP has a better microphone located on the front of the camera, and this allowed me use the camera's microphone instead of a headset. One thing lacking on the MP is a manual focus adjustment. The MP has a fixed focus, so you must to stay within it's depth of field. The fixed focus was fine at normal chair-to-screen distances. In all, the MP was a big step up from the Connect, and I thought I would have been happy enough with it, but then I saw the Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 on sale for $70. How could I pass up that price?
The Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 - Black [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging] has several advantages over the mid-range 1.3 MP cameras Logitech offers. The Carl Zeiss auto-focus lens and 2 MP sensor produces a very nice picture, and I have not noticed the video blurring when I move. The auto-focus feature is nice, although I do not walk around when in a conference, so this feature is something I could live without... unless that fancy lens has such a shallow depth of field that auto-focus is required to maintain a sharp image.
I was worried that the microphone on the side of the unit would make it more susceptible to feedback from my external speakers. My worries were dispelled when I found that I could not detect a difference in the sound quality of the Pro 9000 compared with the Communicate MP. Perhaps the wind-screen that wraps around one end is for mainly for aesthetics and the mic element underneath it points forward rather than to the side, or perhaps the RightSound technology compensates for any potential feedback. Either way, I was pleased that I would not have to use a headset with my fancy new camera.
The mounting clip is not as versatile as those on Logitech's "eye-ball" style cameras. With only one "foot" to grip the screen I found my old flat panel was too thick for the foot to fold at an angle that would grip the back of the screen. Also, the design of the mount is such that the camera can only be tilted up and down, it cannot be swiveled left or right. Fortunately my display swivels at the base, so if I want to I can turn the panel and camera together.
There is no cover for the lens like the "privacy shield" on the Communicate MP. If you plan to take this camera on the road you will need a soft, lint-free cloth bag to protect the lens, or you might consider the Logitech 2 MP Portable Webcam C905 / QuickCam Pro for Notebooks, which comes with a carrying case.
The "face-tracking" feature offered on this and other Logitech cameras, (except for the Orbit line), uses software to digitally zoom in on your face and discard the part of the camera's field of view that does not contain your face. As you probably know, digital zoom is done by throwing away part of the information and making the rest bigger and more grainy/pixilated. It might be handy for grandma who wants to talk to a figety grandchild, but I do not plan to use it.
Frustration-free packaging
Last but not least, let me touch on Amazon's Frustration-free packaging. I was very pleased to find out Amazon is working with vendors to produce less plastic waste, and I will use this option whenever it is available. The F-F packaging for my webcam was all cardboard except the product itself, the twist-tie on the cord, the "install software first" warning tag and the dust cover on the USB connector, and of course the accompanying CD-ROM in a sealed plastic envelope. The only negative thing I can say about this program is there is sometimes a price difference between F-F and retail packaging. When I bought this webcam I had a choice of retail packaging or F-F packaging for the same price of $69.99. This morning I was disappointed to see the prices for retail and F-F packaging were different. The retail package was priced at $78.99 and F-F was $86.95. I wonder how many people would spend $8 more to save some plastic waste and frustration. Fortunately (sort of), the price of the retail package eventually went up to $86.99, four cents more than F-F at $86.95. I guess this is an example of Amazon's dynamic pricing in action. I hope Amazon will learn they should change the prices for both packaging styles of the same product in unison so that people are not discouraged from ordering F-F packaging when it costs more than the retail package.
Description of Logitech 720p Webcam Pro 9000
The exact shade of brown in your grandson's eyes. The dimple in your mom's cheek. Everyone's excited about HD. Logitech was the first to bring HD-capable webcams to the market. And the Webcam Pro 9000 makes being together online more real than ever. Whether you make a live video call to faraway family and friends, or record and upload your HD videos to YouTube, Logitech makes it easy to be there in crystal-clear detail.Digital Cameras & Photo Categories
Similar Digital Cameras & Photo Products
LD © Remanufactured Hewlett Packard C8773WN (HP 02 Yellow) Ink Cartridge4inkjets; CE
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops:
Phoenix Audio DUET MT202-PCO USB SpeakerphonePhoenix Audio; CE
Price in other shops:
AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to A-Female Extension Cable (9.8 Feet/ 3.0 Meters)AmazonBasics; CE
Best price: $5.99
Logitech USB Desktop MicrophoneLogitech, Inc; CE
Best price: $19.54
Price in other shops:
Logitech USB Headset H530 with Premium Laser-Tuned Audio (981-000195)Logitech; CE
Best price: $36.39
Price in other shops:
Logitech ClearChat Comfort/ USB Headset H390 (Black)Logitech; Logitech; Logitech; Personal Computers; Windows Vista; Office Product
Best price: $25.00
Price in other shops:
CHAT 50 USB Speaker PhoneClear One Communications; CE
Price in other shops:
Logitech 720p Webcam Pro 9000Logitech; Windows; CE
Best price: $42.99
Price in other shops:
Microsoft LifeCam Cinema 720p HD Webcam - BlackMicrosoft; Release date: 2011-11-23; Mac OS X; CE
Best price: $32.99
Price in other shops:
Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910Logitech, Inc; Windows; CE
Best price: $53.99
Price in other shops: