Microsoft LifeCam VX-7000 Win USB
Saturday, October 23, 2010
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Share your life with the LifeCam VX-7000 and Windows Live ™ Messenger. Take instant messaging to a new and exciting sight, sound and comfort. The LifeCam VX-7000 offers easy online sharing of your videos and photos, high definition 2.0 megapixel video sensor, and a sleek design that complements your flat screen monitor. It is now easier than ever to see, hear and share life experiences with friends and family.
Additional features:
* Wide angle lens
* Glass lens provides clear video quality
* Automatically adjusts for low light conditions for superior video quality
* Video Effects
* Crystal-Clear Audio
Built-in unidirectional microphone with acoustic noise cancellation
Technical Details
* Share and swap photos in real time with friends and family using Windows Live Messenger in the video call window!
* 2.0 megapixel offering a crisp, clear quality video sensor
* Built-in microphone automatically picks up your voice with remarkable clarity
* Universal Attachment Base, fits most laptops, flat screens or sits directly on your desktop
* Get superior video quality with automatic low light
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Customer Review
>> See all 55 customer review
I'm very pleased...,
I bought this webcam to replace an extremely old (circa 1999) Logitech WebCam. Some of the other reviews here indicate that this webcam is junk, but I am very happy with it. Here's a few observations with respect to my own use and some of what I've read in other reviews here.
o Video Quality - I have no problem with it and have yet to have any "freezes". My guess is that freezes are more associated with network latency. I have not tried this over a LAN (very high speed local), but over a cable modem that is 7MBit down, 384k up. You have to take that into account before you blame the webcam. My 384k up is not very fast, for a cable modem, but that's Time Warner for you. Up north (NY/CT area), my peers enjoy 3Mbit upstream! Ugh!
o Software Install Location- Another reviewer brought this up. Who cares? This isn't a 4GB first person shooter, it's a few megs of drivers that mostly need to go under the windows folder anyhow. Non-issue.
o Software Install "eXPerience" - glad to say I had no issues. Install the software, plug in the camera when it asks, and I was good to go. I'm running XP Pro on a 3GHz "single core" (old school? heh) CPU.
o Application Compatibility - It's working great with both Windows Live Messenger and Skype (latest version, 3.8.0.115).
o Built-In Mic - This was a nice surprise for me. I recently purchased a SUB Logitech ClearChat Pro headset, but the built-in mic of this webcam lets me be headset free. I ask everyone I videochat with, can you hear me okay? (Answer: Yes), and do you hear feedback or your voice? (Answer: No). So I am very pleased. Of course, you can set Windows Live Messenger and Skype to use a headset microphone or other device, you don't have to use the built-in mic.
o "The Software" - Okay, the software that comes with the webcam is very basic. But if you want something better, you can get it for free from Microsoft. XP has "Windows Movie Maker" built in, you don't NEED to use the webcam software. Or go install the Windows Media Encoder, that's another free option. I've used both no problem.
In summary, I am very pleased with the performance of the VX-7000. You can record video at 640x480 or 800x600 without problem, and that's pretty good in my opinion. After all, 800x600 is better resolution than DVD video (720x480). If you need more, I don't think you should be looking at a webcam! I think, bottom line, this product is meant for and good at its intended use - video chatting over the internet. I would buy this again.
Decent webcam with great stand,
If you wanted to use the excellent NX-6000 but were put off by that webcam's small clip (it's really meant for notebook screens only, even desktop LCD's are too big) then this is the model you are looking for - almost. While the NX-7000 has a far more flexible stand (it will work on top of about any monitor and even folds in to a desktop configuration) it doesn't have the slide-out camera feature of the NX-7000, nor for that matter any way of physically blocking the lens - yes, it lights up nice and blue when in use, but some people are put off just the same by an open camera lens staring them in the face all the time, just ask any Macbook user. Still, it's a minor quibble.
Unlike the previous review states the resolution on the NX-7000 is in fact exactly the same as the NX-6000; aside from the differences I mention above they are essentially the same camera. I own both, one for use on my wife's laptop, and one (the 7000) I use with my laptop and take back and forth to work, where I use it on my LCD screen. Quality is very good for a webcam, assuming you use Windows Live Messenger, which has a built in video codec that supports these models well - I noticed that other video call IM's, such as AIM, didn't show as good a picture, although it was still more than adequate. Whether this is due to codec support or just built in Messenger tools I can't say.
For me the bottom line on this camera is this - it's a decent all around webcam with any application, and if you are tied in to Microsoft's Windows Live services it's easily the best webcam you can buy.