Good Cam, EZ Price
Written: Oct 06 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Low price, easy installation
Cons: Mediocre image quality in low lighting conditions
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| randomaccess's Full Review: Ezonics EZ-302 Web Cam |
The EZCam USB, available for as little as $29.95, is a great buy, and is indicative of how dramatically PC hardware pricing has dropped over the last few years.
My first cam was a black and white Quickcam that worked through the printer port, and, through a pass thru cable, took its power from the keyboard port. The picture was only passable, and used a fairly high amount of system resources. It also cost more then $100.
I decided it was time for an upgrade and was amazed at the numbers of different cams being offered, at prices ranging from $25 to well over $100. Another option was buying a video capture card and using a camcorder, but this uses a PCI slot and also ties up the camcorder.
The Ezonics caught my eye at a computer show, and the price was low enough to warrant taking a chance on it. Installation went smoothly. Win98 recognized a new USB device and asked for the software drivers, and in a few minutes the cam was up and running.
Picture quality in bright light is very good, but only fair in moderate lighting. The unit sits on its own permanently attached base and has a manual focus thumbwell on top. It draws its power from the USB port. There appears to be no appreciable drag on system performance when the cam is active. I have since upgraded to Windows ME, and the cam runs fine using the Win98 drivers.
The only software I installed with the cam was Intercom Live Express, a multimedia control panel that lets you capture video at up to 30 fps, and you can create executable video files you can email or give to friends on disk. The cam worked well with a variety of communication packages, including CU-Seeme, and Netmeeting.
If you are in the market for a webcam, the EZCam USB is definitely worth taking a look at, and it won't make a big dent in your wallet.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
randomaccess
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Member: Bob
Location: NJ
Reviews written: 53
Trusted by: 9 members
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