Logitech Webcam C500 with 1.3MP Video and Built-in Microphone [Retail Packaging]
by Logitech, Inc
![Logitech Webcam C500 with 1.3MP Video and Built-in Microphone [Retail Packaging]](/images/Logitech-Webcam-C500-with-1-3MP-Video-and-Built-in-Microphone-Retail-Packaging-B002DUCMQU-L.jpg)
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List Price: Our Price: $39.99 You Save: $10.00 (20%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $10.00 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Webcam C500 with 1.3MP Video and Built-in Microphone [Retail Packaging]
Customer Review: 5 Stars By A Hair
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Actually, if I had nothing else in the product line to compare this with, I would give it four stars for less than satisfactory video quality. But that would not be fair. You get what you pay for. There are other models in the Logitech line that have better video quality for a higher price. If video quality is really important to you, shell out more bucks for a better model. Otherwise, you'll be very happy with this one. For communication purposes, this is fine for me. If I were making stuff to post on YouTube, I would go for a model with the highest quality video.
I like the automatic face tracking. When it is on, the camera tracks your face. If your face moves, it pans to follow. It also zooms to keep your face at a good proportion to the field of view. In other words, whether you move closer or farther from the camera, it compensates by zooming in or out.
The physical shade is nice, but I also like the software's "privacy shade" feature. Basically, you can select a photo to be displayed when you don't want to be seen. There are other things that you can use to toy with your image - avatars and distortions. You can select automatic "fine tuning" (white balance, brightness, contrast, color intensity aka saturation, etc.). You can also adjust exposure and gain, or have the software set it automatically. I find the automatic settings to be quite fine - exactly what I would select myself or close to it.
There are other settings to tinker with and third party software tie-ins (YouTube, Skype, etc.).
Before this, I used webcams from the computing stone age, so the built in microphone is nice to have.
As I said, if you want to communicate with your friends and family, save yourself some bucks and get this one. If you want to post video, get the highest quality model. Online video is going to HD so you want to publish the best quality video that you can.
Customer Review: Great Little Camera for the Price
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
One of my major gripes with computer cameras is their tendency to act like a fish eye lens or keystone and make my face look...well...let's just say...Bad. No one wants their first online impression to appear as it if it was transmitted using alien technology. Enough said. As noted, image transmission is good with no noticeable lags on video, though your computers speed and memory can affect these things. The software it comes with is very user friendly. You have complete control over color saturation, lighting, brightness and zoom and the auto lighting compensation works well. Please note that the zoom adjustment is located in the settings menu...a place most people don't think to look for something you will likely use every time you open the camera.
I wasn't quite as impressed with most of the video effects. They offer distortions you will never use or look pretty bad and they only work on the 640 x 480 resolution. I haven't checked the available downloads yet so some of the those might be more interesting. My favorite is one that outlines everything in neon against a black background. Cool.
This camera with the free Vid software can be used to talk to friends who download the software. I haven't used that feature because I don't know anyone who has it, but at $49 it is cheap enough to send to mom or anyone else you feel the need to see and hear from on a regular basis. I haven't tried the camera with many programs, but a freebie video/screen capture program called Debut, worked very well and showed up as a tab on the Logitech image window. Good buy with fun software.
Customer Review: Worth Every Penny
Summary: 5 Stars
The last cam I had was a Logitech Quickcam Communicate STX which I had bought a couple years ago for fifty dollars. I was never all that impressed with it but it did what I needed it to do so I decided to stick with it. Unfortunately the mic had recently gotten really distorted with static so I figured it was time for a new one. After reading a number of reviews for different cams, I decided to stick with Logitech and so I went to their website and was pleasantly surprised that they had a compare option right there so that I could more easily find the webcam that is best for me. They even had my previous model there (which was at that time my current model) so I quickly got busy comparing all the models in my price range to the one I had. It was no contest. The C500 had a long list of checked boxes where my (then) current webcam had very few. Something bothered me, though. My then current model was still fifty bucks, the exact same price as the C500. Why is that? Wouldn't the old model have gone down in price? Or wouldn't a good new model be more? I decided to hold off until the price dropped and, convenient enough, it did just two days later. It was on sale at Best Buy for 39.99 and that was my calling. Well to get to the review, the picture quality is far superior to that of my old cam, this one with higher resolutions, widescreen support and dozens of cool video effects. The mic is wonderful and has with it a background noise suppressor so the person you're talking to can only hear the sounds you want them to. I can't say this cam is better than Logitech's more expensive counterparts (I'm sure not) but what I can say is that for what it cost me, it's totally worth it. Even the fifty would have been a fair price.Customer Review: Quality Hardware
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The quest for a good replacement webcam can come to an end with the mid level Logitech C500. The thing that appealed to me primarily were the simple features. With a two tone silver finish, the glass lens C500 is packed with an attached 6' USB cable, software CD, instructions and a two year product warranty.
The expandable clip easily attaches to my LCD monitor or it can free stand on the desk. I found that the webcam installs perfectly with or without the enclosed Logitech software. Just plug and play. It paired well with both Meebo and Google's Gmail "G Chat" without stalling or interruptions.
I was very impressed by the clarity and sharpness of image transmission. The microphone picks up even the faintest of whispers. The jury is out on the product's RightLight technology. I did not see that much difference in lighting over my older Logitech webcam. The manually operated privacy shutter is a nice add on.
The much hyped Logitech video calling network software package with its special effects and avatars is probably an okay add on for some but not for us. Personally I find it too intrusive. As I have mentioned earlier, its not required to get the webcam up and running. Other chat networks work fine without it.
Overall for the price and features, I find the Logitech C500 Webcam to be a step up over other internet communication tools in the same category. The C500 delivers on the basics and more.
Customer Review: A really nice webcam
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Just looking at this webcam reminds me of all the webcams we have seen before - It doesn't appear to be any different. But when I plugged it in, I was pleasantly surprised with the the performance and features.
First, It has a built in microphone, and did a pretty good just picking up my voice. I tried it with both speakers and headphones, and found that when doing a video chatting, it performed better with the headphones on. This help to avoid the microphone picking up the audio from the speakers.
I only tested this on an apple computer, and it worked with both photo booth, ichat, imovie and many other applications. Also, i didn't really test out any of the programs that came with it.
The upside is that the quality is very impressive. It is much better then most of the other webcams that I have tried. If I had but one gripe with it... it isn't nice to look at. Ok, maybe I am spoiled with the built in webcam in my macbook pro, because it just disappears when into the display. So if ascetics are a big deal to you, look elsewhere.
But for the price and the quality, the slight eyesore is soon overlooked. I would unconditionally recommend it.
So why the 4 stars? Compared to the firewire iSight, this takes second place. While I know that Apple doesn't make it anymore, it did set a standard that other webcams are judged by.