Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX

Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX
by Logitech

Our Price: $59.48
Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 business days
Buy Used: from $6.29 (click here)
Category: CE
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Customers in the UK, Buy this product at amazon.co.uk for British Pounds

Digital Photo Product Details

Manufacturer: Logitech
Audio: English (Original Language)
Model: 961410-0403
Color: Silver
Product features:

Sensor - High quality VGA
Video Capture - Up to 640 x 480 pixels 30 frames per second AVIs
Still Image Capture - 1.3 mexapixels (interpolated) BMP, JPEG
Field of View - 42 degrees horizontal
USB 2.0 and 1.1 compliant

Accessories:

Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX

Customer Review: Great for the price
Summary: 4 Stars

I spent a lot of time researching webcams. I didn't want something cheap, but I also didn't want to spend a ton of money on something top of the line. This Logitech seemed the best bet for the price. I was waffling between this and another comparably priced (when on sale) camera that had auto-focus.

I chose the Logitech for the following reasons:
- I didn't see much in the way of installation complaints in the reviews
- Several people had mentioned how good the low-light capabilities were
- I knew for sure it could attach to a flat-panel display, since I only have a laptop at home.

Overall, I think it's a good choice:
- The picture is very clear - surprisingly so. I wasn't expecting such good resolution. In fact, I have an 8x10 picture of a bunny on the far wall of my home office (~12 feet away) - if I move my head out of the way, the camera picks it up very clearly. Up close, it seems to be able to "see clearly" to about 6 inches. Anyway, none of my friends have nearly as good a resolution on their cameras, and all have commented on what a great picture they get from me.
- The installation was very easy - just pop in the CD, let it run, reboot, and plug in the camera when prompted (this is for Windows XP).
- As others stated in their reviews, the low-light filter is very good. My home office is fairly dimly lit, and I use the camera mostly at night. Without the low-light filter, this wouldn't be possible.
- The frame speed is pretty good - if you move fairly fast, like waving your arms or fingers at a decent speed, the image will blur. But normal movements - like moving your head around to look at different things, or reaching back to stretch, are just fine. Mind you, that's with a DSL or cable connection. Your image will only go as fast as the slowest connection can handle. If you're online with someone with 10kbps dial-up (or if you're the one with the slow connection), don't expect much movement at all! That has nothing to do with the camera.
- The microphone seems to work, although I haven't used it much. Here again the connection matters a lot. When I've used it with local friends who have a high-speed connection like I do, they say they can hear me very clearly, with no distortion in my voice. When I've used it with overseas friends on slow connections, there was a ton of noise on the line, everything I said was repeated, and I sounded like I'd just inhaled a bunch of helium. That was clearly the connection and not the camera's mic at fault.
- I've used the camera with MSN, AOL, and Yahoo. It works fine on all three messengers. Each is a bit different, but that's because of the messenger, not the camera. I personally like the way MSN handles the video best, followed by Yahoo.

Here's where I think it falls a bit short, or where improvements can be made:
- The camera comes with two "feet" - a round flat foot for when you will place the camera on a solid, level surface, and the arching foot that you see in the picture, which is intended for hanging the camera on a flat panel display. I don't use the flat foot at all, because it doesn't allow the camera to swivel up and down. The arch foot has to be used with a bit of caution - if you have a flat-panel monitor or use your laptop at a desk, it's jut fine - quite stable. But really, it doesn't "clip" to the monitor so it's completely firm. It mostly just perches (with support) the camera on the monitor. If you're like me and you sit on the couch with your laptop in your lap, and shift around once in a while, you have to be a little bit careful. I haven't had problems, but it's something to be aware of.
- The low light filter is a setting in the camera's "control panel." It's not an automatically sensed thing. So if you switch back and forth between using the camera in normal light and low light conditions, you have to keep going back to the Logitech control panel and checking/unchecking the low-light filter box.
- The hue/saturation controls on the driver don't go far enough with low light to overcome the glare of the monitor. I have a lot of bluish light emanating from my monitor, so when I use the low-light filter, my image is a bit pale and sometimes a bit bluish. Not to where it's annoying or anything, just not as natural as in regular light conditions.
- The camera has some ability to auto-adjust for brightness, but how it does that is a little strange. Sometimes it'll stay at a certain brightness for a while which is appropriate, and then it'll auto-adjust to brighter, and becomes too bright. It'll recover, but it's not clear why it does that.

So as I said, if you're OK with having a fixed-focus camera, and aren't interested in paying $100 or more for something fairly high-end, this is a great choice. The picture is clear, and the low-light filter is a must if you're going to use this in a not-so-well-lit room. Add to that easy installation, and you have a winner!

Good luck!

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Description of Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX

The Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX takes your video communication to the next level, and looks cool doing it. High performance VGA optics and integrated microphone provide ultra sharp video and crisp, clear audio. Make live video calls and share photos seamlessly with Logitech Video Call* for broadband. Communicate STX even lets you "go big" by taking your video full screen. While you're broadcasting, the Vivid Blue light lets you know you're "live"

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