Logitech Quick Cam for Notebooks Pro Review

Since I have several friends who live abroad, and talk with them regularly, I needed to purchase a webcam. I was originally confused by the plethora of models available in the market today. I considered buying webcams from Creative, Microsoft and Logitech, before lodging for the Logitech Quick Cam for Notebooks Pro.

Factors that tilted my decision towards the Logitech included the excellent design and build, as well as the built-in microphone, the 1.Trio megapixel camera, and the $20 rebate at the time. I purchased this webcam from Amazon.com for about $60 after rebate, which is a relatively high price for a webcam.

In this review, I will discuss some of the main features and functionality of this webcam.

This was one the main factors that led me to buy this webcam. The build quality is awesome. Its brushed aluminum finish and rectangular form represent a welcome departure from the more conventional eyeball shaped webcam designs.

It is similar in size to a typical USB drive. Its puny size makes it very portable, an significant factor to consider while purchasing a webcam for notebooks. Its precise dimensions are 2-3/8 inches tall, less than an inch broad and Trio/8 inches deep.

There is a blue LED light at the top of the unit, to indicate that the unit is active (recording movie or taking pictures).

Fastened to the USB cord is a Velcro band, which is enormously useful for securely winding the cord when not in use. Speaking of the cord, I find it to be a tad brief. Users of large desktop-replacement notebooks may find it problematic to fix the webcam on top of the screen, depending on the placement of the USB ports.

The Logitech QuickCam for Notebooks Pro (view large picture)

A Samsung Blade, the QuickCam and a Sony Micro Vault (view large photo)

The mounting clip behind the camera can be linked to monitors six to 16mm broad. The mounting clip may not fit all notebooks, especially those with a thick screen, like some of the IBM Thinkpads. This may cause the webcam to slip and fall off, of such notebooks. It does however, stay put on my HP Pavilion dv8000t notebook. The clip also helps the webcam stand by itself on a level surface, which makes it suitable for use with desktop computers as well.

The QuickCam affixed to my HP Pavilion dv8000t notebook screen (view large pic)

Installation was a breeze. Basically, you just buttplug in the webcam to an available USB port on your notebook, download the latest driver from the Logitech website and you are good to go. Talk software such as Yahoo! Messenger and Skype, instantly recognize the webcam and work seamlessly with it.

The 1.Trio mp sensor provides fluid movie and can take decent pictures as well. This webcam features Logitech’s RightLight technology, which provides true-to-life movie photos under any light conditions, including low light. Skin tones are accurately reproduced, much better than other webcams I’ve used in the past. Various picture settings, such as Brightness, Contrast, Sharpness, Gamma correction, etc. can be switched to suit the ambient lighting conditions.

Various Pic/Movie/Audio Settings

The following picture was taken at 1.Three megapixel resolution, with bright morning sunlight streaming into the room.

Two features that I find to be particularly helpful are the Low Light Boost and Color Boost functions. The pictures below illustrate these features.

Movie can be captured at 160×120, 320×240 and 640×480 resolutions. The 15-second clip below was taken at 320×240 resolution.

A 15-second clip featuring my HP dv8000t notebook

A feature that I truly like is the Face Tracking. The sensor can intelligently track the face of a person during a movie conversation. Thus the person does not have to remain in one position to be seen at the other end, and can always remain in the field of view. However, I notice that this face tracking feature is effective only in well lit conditions.

The field of view is another distinguishing feature of this webcam. It features a seventy eight degree field of view, meaning, more people can be fit in.

One rather serious issue with this webcam is that it gets utterly hot; so hot that I am fairly worried about a possible meltdown of the component hardware and/or electronics inwards the webcam. But it does not seem to affect spectacle so far. In fact, due to its diminutive size, I now think that the metal assets was designed to efficiently conduct fever away.

The built-in microphone is awesome. I can talk from as much as ten feet away without a headset, and it still picks my voice clearly, without any echo or distortion. This webcam features Logitech’s RightSound technology, which effectively cancels echo, thus delivering crisp audio through the speakers. And more importantly, this liberates me from using a headset during a movie talk session.

Over Voice talk, the best method to gauge the quality of a microphone is to hear people (who live in other continents) telling you that you sound noisy and clear. Originally I was fairly skeptical about the effectiveness of a built in microphone. But, till date, no one has complained about lack of audio clarity.

Logitech has included its Movie Effects software. This permits the user to create his/her unique avatar, which can mimic facial expressions and movements, during a movie conversation. It does this by tracking several key points on the face and translating them into expressions for the avatar. Face accessories are also available (anything from sunglasses to sombrero hats and diving masks) that can also be added to the picture, to modify the look of the person. But, this software is something of a resource hog and can only be successfully used on more powerful computers.

A screenshot of me, using the Movie Effects software (view large pic)

I personally feel that that the Movie Effects software is nothing more than a novelty, something that can be used by people with a lot of time on their forearms, or kids wanting to impress their friends.

Logitech also includes its QuickCam software, used for switching picture settings, as well as taking pictures and movies. The QuickCam software interface is plain and intuitive.

QuickCam software interface – QuickCapture

I do not use any of the Logitech software, since like many of us, I choose a lean boot up, with a minimal number of programs/processes running in the background.

Supplied accessories include a rigid, crush-resistant travel case and a single earphone with microphone, for private conversations, as opposed to using speakers.

The travel case is well built, but I had a hard time fitting the web cam and the earphone, into the case.

The QuickCam and its headphone, in the travel case (view large pic)

The webcam also comes with a two year limited warranty.

This webcam works well with several talk programs such as Skype, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger. It is a nice little webcam, and aside from the fever issue, I find it to be one of the best webcams out there, and a ideal solution to Voice/Movie talking.

• Excellent build quality.
• Compact design.
• Built in microphone, with good audio quality.
• Good picture clarity and movie quality.
• Effortless to install.
• Face tracking feature.

• Gets super hot during use.
• Pricey.
• Brief USB cord.
• Cannot rotate camera.

Thanks for reading my review. Let me know if you have any questions that I could reaction.

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