Now you see me, now you .....
Written: Oct 03 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Picture quality is decent, Reality games included, easy installation
Cons: Feels like big brother is always watching me
The Bottom Line: Quick and fun to use, video conferencing with family and friends doesn't get any easier than this. The Logitech QuickCam Express is a great way to begin your webcam experience.
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| crazyglue's Full Review: Logitech Camera Family |
A friend of mine sent me the Logitech QuickCam Express webcam for my birthday. He knew I'd been wanting one and thought it would be an opportune and well liked gift. How right he was. So I thought I needed to say my thanks by reviewing it. Without further adieu, the
Logitech QuickCam Express review.
I Didn't Know What To Expect
I'm the kind of person that doesn't jump into a pool, I go slowly.. letting my body get used to the water temperature. So I was somewhat unsure about hooking the webcam up.
When the box got here, I was happy to find that the Logitech QuickCam Express was nothing more than a ball (somewhere between golfball and tennis ball size) with a cord attached. A rubber stand was included so you can rest your webcam on top of your computer.
Installing the Logitech QuickCam Express was a piece of cake. This is a definite bonus for someone that doesn't know much about computers. All I had to do is run the software and then plug the webcam into the USB port. That was it. I was on the screen. Yaay.
Now What?
That was my first thought. I decided to look at some of the features on the software. Once this is installed, you don't need to insert the CD to run it. An icon is placed on your desktop and in your quicklaunch bar.
Opening up the program, I found myself faced with several choices. They were:
Create Pictures and Videos
Create a video email
Create a web album
Create a web cam
Broadcast Live Video
Look at my gallery
~Create Pictures and Videos is just that. You can make your own right there, and then open them up into your paint program and alter them if you like.
~Creating a video email is the same feature. It just makes it easier to send it with a quick launch button.
~Create a web album and create a webcam still have me confused. I don't know exactly how they want me to do these things.. so this one is still untouched.
~Broadcasting live video. Have you ever heard of the Jenny Cam? This girl leaves webcams on in her house continously and people were paying money to stop in and check on her. Way too big brotherish for me.
~The gallery is just simply everything you've done up until then. It organizes your files by date. Just an album.
First I played around taking some pictures and then I sent a thank you email video. Just smile and act naturally. And if you like to wear makeup, nows the time to make sure you have it on. It does make a difference.
Lets Get Graphic
Ok..Picture wise...its pretty good in my opinion, but then again, this is the first one I've had and I don't have any others to compare it to. The pictures are grainy and when its really light in the house, its hard to see faces. The box says its 16 bit color display...if that makes sense.
I can tell you that you'll have three different picture sizes pixels--160x120, 320x240, & 640x480 or small, medium, and large. The bigger size of a picture you choose, the slower it is to keep movements in sync.
There are several settings for brightness and contrast, but being an amateur, the best thing is to let the computer set these for you. And there is a choice listed in the program, that lets you say... "Ok.. you do it for me."
If your online and using Netmeeting or Yahoo to video conference, the picture is ok. The trick to making a clearer quality picture is to have a faster modem. Mine is a 56k and I personally feel that for talking to friends and family, there is nothing wrong with the picture. However if you needed to video conference, DSL or better is the way to go for connections. I've seen a DSL powered webcam picture and it looked really great. The contrast however was lacking, and I think that had to do with the owners webcam.
Anything Else Come With It?
Yes, two things that were a bonus in my opinion. First off was a ten dollar rebate. This might not be offered in the future, but this would be a definite plus if your buying one of these.
The other thing that came with the Logitech QuickCam Express is a game called Reality Fusion. This is a virtual reality kind of game. Your picture is brought up with the webcam and then its left up to you to compete in sports such as basketball and volleyball. No mouse is needed, nor is the keyboard for this kind of play. Simply waving your hands around is enough to keep the ball in motion. My kids love this!
In My Opinion
With some of my family and friends far away, its nice to send them emails of the kids. I had my first videoconference using Yahoo one night, and that was really nice. We were able to talk with each other and it almost felt like we were in the same room.
If your in need of a high quality, great picture, fantastic looking webcam...I don't know what to recommend. But if you just want to have some fun and share yourself with family and friends, the Logitech QuickCam Express webcam is a pretty good place to start. And you'll be up and running in no time.
Thanks for reading!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
crazyglue
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Member: Kathie
Location: Kingdom City, MO USA
Reviews written: 47
Trusted by: 25 members
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~~Happy Halloween!!~~
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