Logitech 720p Webcam Pro 9000
by Logitech
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List Price: Our Price: $48.66 You Save: $31.33 (39%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $35.00 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech 720p Webcam Pro 9000
Customer Review: Awesome webcam !
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I was a Logitech fan for years. Occasionally they put out a product that is not as great as it could be but most of the time they are innovative and the quality of their products is unmatched.
Besides the Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 I also own Logitech QuickCam Orbit AF and Logitech 2 MP Portable Webcam C905.
The most important thing all these webcams have in common is the image quality. The Pro 9000 has a 2-MP HD sensor allowing it to produce high-definition video up to 1600 X 1200. The build in microphone is really good. The people you talk to can hear you loud and clear from across the room with very little noise or hiss.
Drivers are available from Logitech for all Windows versions including Vista and Windows 7 64 bit. As usual with Logitech products, the drivers are stable and offer access to all the Webcam capabilities. Windows 7 recognized the camera without any drivers but if you want to access all the camera features (focusing, zooming, etc) you will need the Logitech driver.
I wish they would also provide MAC drivers for their webcams. They offer a similar camera for MAC called QuickCam Vision Pro which seems to be a Webcam Pro 9000 made for Apple machines but having to buy another camera when all you actually need is a MAC driver is not cool.
I use this camera for Skype video calling and it is one of the cameras that will work with the Skype High Quality Video Feature for frames up to 30 FPS. It is awesome!!!
The thing that I like the best about the camera capabilities is the Right Light technology which allows the camera to self adjust and compensate for different lighting conditions. The white balancing, exposure, brightness and contrast are adjusted to create the best possible image. I was amazed to see how well the image looked in low light. The camera was producing a better image than I was seeing with my eyes. No grainy or noisy images due to low lighting either.
The capabilities I listed above are true for all my Logitech cameras. The orbit AF has also a stand that could be useful and it has the capability of tracking one or more persons.
Also included with any of these cameras is the Logitech Vid service which allows free high quality video calling. Since Skype is so good I did not feel the need to try the Logitech Vid. When installing the drivers, the user has the option of not installing Logitech Vid which is nice.
I definitely recommend this to anyone. All these cameras are expensive but the quality they offer is unparalleled.
The only complaint I have is regarding the MAC drivers. These cameras are just too expensive to buy two versions of the same product, one for PC and one for MAC, they should be universal.
Customer Review: What Do You Know? I DO Need This!
Summary: 5 Stars
Despite being a computer programmer for... longer than I can now apparently remember, I have never been someone with much desire to be on the leading edge of computer technology. Let somebody else try it out, help work out the bugs, and come up with a convincing argument for why I need such and such a thing, and I'll THINK about it... for a few years. Thus, I was late to get on the Internet, late to buy a home computer, and laughed out loud at the thought I might ever want or need a web cam... until now.
As a still camera, the QuickCam Pro 9000 can take better pictures than my old and long gone digital camera, though at maximum resolution you'd better content yourself with emailing them one at a time. However, it is not a complete substitute for it because even with a very long extension cord that desktop will get heavy in a hurry.
As a video camera, the QuickCam Pro 9000 is truly amazing! At maximum resolution people only familiar with older generation web cams will be openmouthed with astonishment, and viewers of the resulting videos will be able to make educated guesses about their dental health. It has a "Face Tracking" feature that can be set to follow one face or multiple faces and will do so quite well no matter how the subject(s) move, though the resulting video is not recommended for anyone susceptible to motion sickness.
In short a person who did not think he needed a webcam now wonders how he ever did without it.
Defects? Well, the software that comes with it is more than a little buggy; you WILL want to download the latest software from their web site, which cleared up my problems. I also don't like the fact that you can select only a single image size for both still and video because only the three smallest image sizes work for both still and video. If you select any of the five larger image sizes for taking still photos, you will have to reset it for taking videos and vice versa, which since the newest version of the software finally saves my settings between runs, is more than a little annoying. (Note: the latest version of the Logitech software has added two more video image sizes: 1.3 and 2 megapixels, leaving only the three largest image sizes as still photo only.)
A nice accessory would be a tiny protective carrying case because it is small enough to haul with you on trips. The original package will do the job, if you opened it carefully enough, but it is too bulky to fit well in a suitcase.
Note: a more expensive Mac version (apparently because certain features available to PC's in software must be replaced by hardware) is now available: Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro. Word is that there is some cross-compatibility, but I wouldn't count on it. Purchase the one that is compatible with the machine you will mostly be using it with.
Customer Review: Works in Linux
Summary: 4 Stars
As a Linux user, I bought this particular model after reading several reviews & other info I found on the net that said it was Linux-compatible. I can say that it works just fine with Ubuntu Linux v8.04 ("Hardy Heron") and Ubuntu v8.10 ("Intrepid Ibex").
The easiest way to test the webcam is with Ekiga, the webcam-VOIP application that's bundled with Ubuntu (and is downloadable for other distros). I also subscribed to this (free) service, which also works just fine (and is supposed to be Windoze-compatible, too -- good thing, as my sister is a die-hard Vista-phile). Stepping through the Ekiga setup panels (subscribing isn't necessary to do this) allows you to configure and test the audio & video streams the webcam produces. Plus, once you've gotten that far, using it in Ekiga is sorta slam-dunk. I have no plans to use it with Skype; Skype uses a proprietary protocol, whereas Ekiga uses an 'open' protocol.
Note that under Linux, you will not need (and cannot use) the enclosed CDROM of Windows/Mac software. This webcam is UVC-compliant and works automatically with V4L2 (Video For Linux v2). Ubuntu 8.04 & 8.10 are both V4L2 compatible, so no holding your breath wondering if it will work. Boring old "plug-and-play"... You just connect the USB cable and Ubuntu automatically configures it for use. No drama.
Note that in order to configure Ekiga, et al, you will have to refer to the webcam's audio & video streams by their '/dev' (device) handles. To do this, you'll need to know which audio & video devices the webcam is using. To find out, open a Terminal window and enter "ls /dev/audio*" and "ls /dev/video*" and note which devices are already in use. Then connect the webcam, allow Linux time to discover and configure it, then repeat the "ls" commands. The new devices that show up are the streams that the webcam uses in your Linux. Write these down -- you'll need to enter these whenever you test, configure Ekiga, or otherwise need to configure something to use the webcam feeds.
As far as the product is concerned, the image quality is fine, the audio pickup is sensitive -- sometimes too sensitive, as we had feedback problems initially. You will probably have to move your speakers away from your monitor and turn them to point away from the webcam to eliminate this problem. The mount is somewhat funky, but it seems to work reliably, as it holds the webcam steady on different style monitors; it could probably be used as a stand itself. When used with Ekiga, all the controls "work", including changing the contrast, brightness, color tone, white balance, etc.
I have no need for all the "googie" features written for Windoze users, so that's no loss to me. I need a good, solid webcam that works p-n-p with Linux -- and this does the trick. Yet it would be nice if it had a zoom feature...
Customer Review: PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASE!!!!!
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought a pair of these so that I could use them on Christmas morning to enjoy the holiday with my family that lives cross country. Due to problems with product I had to use the telephone instead :(
No computer product I have ever purchased has ever given me so much trouble. perspective buyer beware!!!
Problem #1
The (Windows XP)system requirements found on Logitech's website are not entirely true. The website claims the system requirements are... Pentium 4 1.4 GHz (2.4 GHz recommended) & 128 MB RAM (256 MB recommended)
BUT when you read the manual found in the box it says...
High definition video requires a Dual Core processor and 1 gig of RAM and the latest version of Windows Script 5.6, which is not included on Logitech's supplied CD it must be downloaded from Microsoft's website. WTF!!!!
Problem #2
Lots of people are having problems getting this webcam's software installed. The software CD refused to install giving me a non descriptive error message. So I figured because I paid for one of the most expensive webcams, tech support should be good and helpful. Wrong! Tech support consists of a forum where non paid volunteers try to assist. This proved to be very unhelpful. A volunteer recommended I download the latest software from Logitech's website. Guess what... Same error screen. After an exhaustive couple of days of trial and error I got the software installed and the camera working (still not in High Definition) but missed the Christmas and New Years holidays all together.
Now came the tricky part... Trying to talk my non tech savvy family through the install of their webcam. It took a weeks worth of phone calls to guide them through the software installs. They're computer gave them different error messages so the trial and error began again.
I finally got the software installed on my family's computer and away we went. We enjoyed 1 webcam conversation of sub par video resolution and video frame rate. And again there was a problem. They could see me but I could not see them. This time it was Skype not communicating correctly with the webcam software. So I joined the Skype tech support and an hour later had the latest version (beta) installed and was having a video conversation.
If you plan on purchasing this for parents/grandparents you'd better think twice. Anyone who is not very tech savvy have better rub their lucky rabbits foot during the webcam install.
Having a webcam conversation with family thousands of miles away is something everyone must experience. Its awesome! Unfortunately this is still a developing technology that has many bugs and hiccups.
You might have a better experience purchasing a lower priced webcam or a webcam from a different manufacture.
Customer Review: Great camera, worth 75$ with no rebate? Nah.
Summary: 4 Stars
Pros:
Mount: a rubber mount that is made to fit on your LCD screen. Does no damage to the LCD and fits perfectly, center of balance, it just won't fall off.
LED light: I used to own a Dynex webcam, extremely cheap with a very bright LED light. So bright that it would add a blue hue to the picture. This however is a very soft dim light, yet bright enough to let you know you're using the cam.
Wide vertical viewing area: so much more can be seen, the camera doesn't have to be moved or turned, which is probably why the camera isn't made to be turned. Horizontally however you will have to manually adjust by physically moving the camera up or down.
Outer lens protection: an outer glass protector lens sits over the actual lens to protect it. very smart idea especially on older web cams the lens was not protected, but was set deep into the device.
Lens: what can I say here but extremely clear output. No problems here whatsoever.
Microphone: Very sensitive absolutely no adjusting required unless you want to. When I used this the other party heard me clearly, with no background noise. Usually I had to adjust the sensitivity manually in Vista with my older web cam.
Cons
Face tracking: this is what first came to mind when I thought of cons. The face tracking software or hardware, whichever, works but constantly keeps kicking in and out, always recalibrating itself and rechecking.
RightLight: this feature corrects the lighting so your picture comes out "perfect" every time. However it doesn't.....I really don't see any difference between this and when my older webcam would readjust using low light settings. If you have a very white or fair face you will look like a thousand watt bulb is being reflected off of you.
Camera button: On the side of the camera itself is a button for taking quick photos. In my opinion this is useless, because I would never move my cam and I would not substitute this web cam for a real digital camera.
Price: Don't be fooled by some of the sellers going for 70 and 80$ bucks. There was a rebate for $20, and $50-$60 is far more reasonable for this camera, especially since it is just going to sit on your monitor, then paying almost $100 for something you just use to chat with.
In conlusion, the pros far outweigh the cons. The features will certainly make your video chats more involving and entertaining, especially since the other person can see more, and the clarity and sensitivity of the built in microphone will give your friends something to look at. However, at close to $80 I'd try waiting until the used item sellers decide to give up the rebate and bring it down to around $60 to $50, which should be soon.