good cam for bloggers, but unnecessary for skype or msn as they only transmit VGA as their maximum res

Didnt know that i thought they sent the max possible they could. So a pointless bargain for many.

YouTUBE now has 720p option?

Skype are going HD which will be interesting if broadband connections are good enough to cope.

Am considering getting this cam or one like it so that my parents can see their grandson over the internet as they live a long way from us.

http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/01/05/skype-going-hd/

This gets heat from me. Does well with low light unlike a lot of other webcams. I have the Lifecam Show but if I wasn't a cashstrapped student I would go for this.

was thinking the same thing relatives live on 2 different continents, would be good to use hd for that. what up stream speed do you need for the 720p???

forgot to mention this uses a CCD sensor

Shoots in HD 720p (1280x720 resolution) - NICE!
16:9 widscreen - NICE!
at 30fps - 30fps!? RUBBBBBBBBISH!

You're kidding right?

Can humans even tell the difference between 30fps and above?

the Logitech camera I'm currently using only shoots in 30fps at 320x240 and 15fps at 640x480 so this cant be that RUBBBBBBBBISH!

I picked this camera up at the end of last week, from Amazon - a good deal.

It's an excellent camera but I'd be careful to recommend it to others. The system requirements are listed as requiring at least a 2.0Ghz Core 2 Duo processor and it really does chew through your CPU while running. It also has a high pitch whine over the audio recording (noise cancelling interference) as well as flickering a tad at times. The CPU drain isn't so bad on the lower resolutions.

Now on the plus side:

1. Beautiful resolution and clear image.
2. Works VERY well in low(er) light. The software compensates well making all pictures look brighter and clearer than perhaps they are naturally.
3. Comes with some fairly decent webcam software.
4. Fairly small (glass surface just under the size of a £2 coin and it's as deep as the small edge of a credit card.
5. Autofocus is excellent. Yes it can sometimes take a second to focus but it's much better than the usual webcam lens twisting that you usually have to do to get a clear picture.

At this price, I would HIGHLY recommend it, even if you're not using the full resolution for webcam conferencing it's an excellent all round webcam.

Tell the yanks that 30fps is rubbish. It's not like they've been trying to unsuccessfully achieve it as their broadcast standard for years.

Yes. You'd notice yourself if you ever play games or watch any fast moving cameras or subjects (e.g. sports, racing, etc).

But this is a webcam. Not for broadcasting sports.

30 fps is fine.

I remember what put me off this. I only have a Pentium M 2.0Ghz laptop, it just wouldn't be able to handle the HD resolution. Definately one for desktops or higher spec laptops.

Hi Jamie,

We agree. I'm not one of those saying 30fps isn't fine, in fact I've got one of these cameras sat on top of my monitor right now and the video recorded is as smooth as any live television signal.

I would still recommend the camera even for a Pentium M laptop, it'll just need running at a lower resolution. You'd still get the benefit of autofocus, the clear glass lens, etc.

I wonder, given the CCD sensor, has anyone successfully hooked one of these webcams up to a telescope?

was wondering that my self, seen sites where people has done this with the logitech camera with quite high resolution. might try it one day myself when I get it

Edit:
Just googled it http://ghonis2.ho8.com/lifecam/lifecam1.html

Would this work in Windows Live Messenger in hd mode?. Thanks!.