Six months ago, if someone asked me to estimate the cost of an average PC video camera, I would've probably given the ballpark response of "a few hundred bucks". Thus it is no surprise that when I discovered the wonders of online auctions (especially Ubid.com and onsale.com) and took a glance at videoconferencing hardware prices, I was shocked into an almost immediate purchase. Just $34 for a video-camera with still-image capabilities seemed to be a ridiculously good buy, so I bought two--one for my dad, the other for myself. After a very easy setup and test, I too shared the prevailing criticisms about most video cameras on the market: poor still-image quality. This is true, the Logitech Quickcam VC does not take exceptional still images. However, one must note that the QuickCam is first and foremost a video camera; still image capability was simply an add-on function. The quality of still-images is not good because the camera simply does not have the same pixel count and color depth of a conventional PC digital camera, which, I should note, cost significantly more than the video cameras. The primary function for the two video cameras was to enable my father and I to communicate over the net via Microsoft's Netmeeting (included with the camera's software package) so that we could see each other and avoid paying long-distance fees. In this regard, the camera has been an excellent investment. While performance would improve if my father had a faster internet connection, it is not too shoddy even with his 33.6bps modem. And after a few months in college, my father and I have almost paid for the cameras in long-distance savings. If one wishes to simply record videos to their own hard-disk, the quality is comparable to that of a standard non-digital video camera, albeit at a significant memory cost to your hard-drive. The only palpable complaint I have about the camera is its software: there is no software to convert recorded videos from .avi format to other formats. Thus, I would recommend purchasing a QuickCam to anyone who has the means and even a remote interest in videoconferencing, and would recommend buying one for the reduced prices on Ubid.com and onsale.com.




Recommended: Yes