Lots of fun, could be easier to use
Written: Mar 01 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: High quality images, even in very low light
Cons: Odd setup, bundled software leaves a bit to be desired.
The Bottom Line: The 3com HomeConnect webcam is a high quality product with some usability quirks that might irritate some (especially neophytes) but is great for a more experienced user.
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| mdl178's Full Review: 3Com HomeConnect PC Digital Camera |
I recently bought my 3Com HomeConnect webcam and am so far pretty pleased with it. Overall, it produces still images of high quality, and movies with good frame rates.
Setup is fine, but you have to follow the directions to the letter. Admittedly, they're a bit unusual for a USB device. You're not supposed to plug it in while the computer is on, and driver and software installation takes a step or two too many. Additionally, it's important to keep the 3com CD in the drive when you're asked to reboot. Otherwise, required software will not be installed.
The included software is adequate, but is somewhat bland. It's pretty clear it came from a company that typically specializes in ethernet cards and hubs. It has very few frills, and can be a bit unintuitive at times. However, once you overcome that hurdle, the results are quite good.
The photo quality is excellent, at any resolution or color depth. I'm a black and white freak myself, and I find its greyscale hues to be rather nice. Its color output is also nice. One drawback, though, is that the controls for balancing brightness, contrast, hue, color balance, etc. are many. It can be somewhat difficult to find the right adjustment with so many different options to control.
The video capture is also quite good. When I was playing around with a free online webcam service, many people were complementing me on my image quality and framerate (although that in part is owed to the fact that I have a very high bandwidth internet connection). Capturing to an .avi file is also easy, and the quality is what should be expected.
The hardware itself is pretty decent. The webcam takes up a reasonably small footprint on the top of my monitor. The cable is almost three meters long, which is handy. Unfortunately, the swivel base is hard to adjust. It's not convenient to have to move it around frequently.
Also of note is the camera's performance in low light. It's nothing short of amazing. It can get an image of my face and some of the details behind me with no light except that of the monitor. I have not seen any other webcams that can do this.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mdl178
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Location: University Park, PA, USA
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
Penn State electrical engineering student
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