You get what you pay for!
Written: Dec 02 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Cheap, Easy to install
Cons: Poor framerate, Poor Quality
The Bottom Line: Cheap, but it really is true when they say "you get what you pay for!"
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| aurigus's Full Review: IBM PC Camera Webcam |
Let me start out straight out: this camera was an impulse buy on my part, and I will never do that again! I thought, $30 for a webcam!? How can you go wrong? Well, I did. It really is true, "you get what you pay for."
This camera is meant for beginning webcammers. I wasn't expecting too much, but I had seen webcams in the past so I had an expectation of it working fairly well. You know, 30 frames a second, relatively clear pictures, etc etc. Well it failed both of these tests. Even on the lowest setting and quality I can't seem to get it over 5 frames a second or so. This is pretty annoying. Plus, each frame seems to be a composite of some kind so if I make any movement at all it ends up as a big blur on the camera. THIS IS THE MAJOR DRAWBACK!
Now, I don't know if the following is a result of my inability to set up the camera right or if the software is just bad, so bare with me!
First of all, I couldn't get it working under Windows XP until I installed the driver that said "Xirlink PC Camera." I have no idea who Xirlink is or whatever, but thats what it says. It also seems to cause XP to crash, maybe due to immature drivers. I'm not quite sure. I also have problems getting this camera working in certain programs in Windows ME. I haven't even tried it in linux yet, and frankly I'm sorta scared to. So I won't even go there.
I guess I should focus on the positive things. If you are using Windows 98 or ME, this camera should be a 'snap' to setup. Just don't expect a high quality picture or anything. It's also cheap. Maybe people got it from BestBuy free (with rebate) when they had their Black Friday specials. It *might* be worth it then because, hey you arent paying for it. Just the pain of getting it to work and the embarrassment when someone sees you on it.
To sum things up, you might say that this is a good beginners camera. I say it's not. Unless you are on a severe budget constraint, spend the extra $20 and get a decent camera like a logitech or creative webblaster. Please send thanks to aurigus@yahoo.com :)
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
aurigus
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Location: Coatesville, PA
Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 6 members
About Me:
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