Logitech 720p Webcam Pro 9000
by Logitech
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech 720p Webcam Pro 9000
Customer Review: What Do You Know? I DO Need This!
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Despite being a computer programmer for... longer than I can now apparently remember, I have never been someone with much desire to be on the leading edge of computer technology. Let somebody else try it out, help work out the bugs, and come up with a convincing argument for why I need such and such a thing, and I'll THINK about it... for a few years. Thus, I was late to get on the Internet, late to buy a home computer, and laughed out loud at the thought I might ever want or need a web cam... until now.
As a still camera, the QuickCam Pro 9000 can take better pictures than my old and long gone digital camera, though at maximum resolution you'd better content yourself with emailing them one at a time. However, it is not a complete substitute for it because even with a very long extension cord that desktop will get heavy in a hurry.
As a video camera, the QuickCam Pro 9000 is truly amazing! At maximum resolution people only familiar with older generation web cams will be openmouthed with astonishment, and viewers of the resulting videos will be able to make educated guesses about their dental health. It has a "Face Tracking" feature that can be set to follow one face or multiple faces and will do so quite well no matter how the subject(s) move, though the resulting video is not recommended for anyone susceptible to motion sickness.
In short a person who did not think he needed a webcam now wonders how he ever did without it.
Defects? Well, the software that comes with it is more than a little buggy; you WILL want to download the latest software from their web site, which cleared up my problems. I also don't like the fact that you can select only a single image size for both still and video because only the three smallest image sizes work for both still and video. If you select any of the five larger image sizes for taking still photos, you will have to reset it for taking videos and vice versa, which since the newest version of the software finally saves my settings between runs, is more than a little annoying. (Note: the latest version of the Logitech software has added two more video image sizes: 1.3 and 2 megapixels, leaving only the three largest image sizes as still photo only.)
A nice accessory would be a tiny protective carrying case because it is small enough to haul with you on trips. The original package will do the job, if you opened it carefully enough, but it is too bulky to fit well in a suitcase.
Note: a more expensive Mac version (apparently because certain features available to PC's in software must be replaced by hardware) is now available: Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro. Word is that there is some cross-compatibility, but I wouldn't count on it. Purchase the one that is compatible with the machine you will mostly be using it with.
Customer Review: Awesome webcam !
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I was a Logitech fan for years. Occasionally they put out a product that is not as great as it could be but most of the time they are innovative and the quality of their products is unmatched.
Besides the Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 I also own Logitech QuickCam Orbit AF and Logitech 2 MP Portable Webcam C905.
The most important thing all these webcams have in common is the image quality. The Pro 9000 has a 2-MP HD sensor allowing it to produce high-definition video up to 1600 X 1200. The build in microphone is really good. The people you talk to can hear you loud and clear from across the room with very little noise or hiss.
Drivers are available from Logitech for all Windows versions including Vista and Windows 7 64 bit. As usual with Logitech products, the drivers are stable and offer access to all the Webcam capabilities. Windows 7 recognized the camera without any drivers but if you want to access all the camera features (focusing, zooming, etc) you will need the Logitech driver.
I wish they would also provide MAC drivers for their webcams. They offer a similar camera for MAC called QuickCam Vision Pro which seems to be a Webcam Pro 9000 made for Apple machines but having to buy another camera when all you actually need is a MAC driver is not cool.
I use this camera for Skype video calling and it is one of the cameras that will work with the Skype High Quality Video Feature for frames up to 30 FPS. It is awesome!!!
The thing that I like the best about the camera capabilities is the Right Light technology which allows the camera to self adjust and compensate for different lighting conditions. The white balancing, exposure, brightness and contrast are adjusted to create the best possible image. I was amazed to see how well the image looked in low light. The camera was producing a better image than I was seeing with my eyes. No grainy or noisy images due to low lighting either.
The capabilities I listed above are true for all my Logitech cameras. The orbit AF has also a stand that could be useful and it has the capability of tracking one or more persons.
Also included with any of these cameras is the Logitech Vid service which allows free high quality video calling. Since Skype is so good I did not feel the need to try the Logitech Vid. When installing the drivers, the user has the option of not installing Logitech Vid which is nice.
I definitely recommend this to anyone. All these cameras are expensive but the quality they offer is unparalleled.
The only complaint I have is regarding the MAC drivers. These cameras are just too expensive to buy two versions of the same product, one for PC and one for MAC, they should be universal.
Customer Review: What Do You Know? I DO Need This!
Summary: 5 Stars
Despite being a computer programmer for... longer than I can now apparently remember, I have never been someone with much desire to be on the leading edge of computer technology. Let somebody else try it out, help work out the bugs, and come up with a convincing argument for why I need such and such a thing, and I'll THINK about it... for a few years. Thus, I was late to get on the Internet, late to buy a home computer, and laughed out loud at the thought I might ever want or need a web cam... until now.
As a still camera, the QuickCam Pro 9000 can take better pictures than my old and long gone digital camera, though at maximum resolution you'd better content yourself with emailing them one at a time. However, it is not a complete substitute for it because even with a very long extension cord that desktop will get heavy in a hurry.
As a video camera, the QuickCam Pro 9000 is truly amazing! At maximum resolution people only familiar with older generation web cams will be openmouthed with astonishment, and viewers of the resulting videos will be able to make educated guesses about their dental health. It has a "Face Tracking" feature that can be set to follow one face or multiple faces and will do so quite well no matter how the subject(s) move, though the resulting video is not recommended for anyone susceptible to motion sickness.
In short a person who did not think he needed a webcam now wonders how he ever did without it.
Defects? Well, the software that comes with it is more than a little buggy; you WILL want to download the latest software from their web site, which cleared up my problems. I also don't like the fact that you can select only a single image size for both still and video because only the three smallest image sizes work for both still and video. If you select any of the five larger image sizes for taking still photos, you will have to reset it for taking videos and vice versa, which since the newest version of the software finally saves my settings between runs, is more than a little annoying. (Note: the latest version of the Logitech software has added two more video image sizes: 1.3 and 2 megapixels, leaving only the three largest image sizes as still photo only.)
A nice accessory would be a tiny protective carrying case because it is small enough to haul with you on trips. The original package will do the job, if you opened it carefully enough, but it is too bulky to fit well in a suitcase.
Note: a more expensive Mac version (apparently because certain features available to PC's in software must be replaced by hardware) is now available: Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro. Word is that there is some cross-compatibility, but I wouldn't count on it. Purchase the one that is compatible with the machine you will mostly be using it with.
Customer Review: Expensive for a webcam but well worth it
Summary: 5 Stars
When the built in webcam on my notebook died, I opted for an add-on usb webcam. Naturally I looked to my favorite peripheral maker, Logitech for a replacement. Initially the price ($99) sounded like a ridiculous price to pay for a webcam especially when much cheaper models started at under $20 but believe me, this webcam is well worth the price of admission with an astounding feature set.
PROS
Astounding still image and video clarity - most webcams claim 1.3 megapixel sensors that often display poor and very grainy images but this Logitech in particular has a 2 megapixel sensor capable of taking 8 megapixel still images and hd quality video at 30 fps in 720p. I use this cam primarily for Skype and all of my contacts at amazed at how clean and clear the picture quality is.
Auto-focus - once this mode is set to on, the Webcam Pro 9000 will re-focus your image when you move closer to or father away from the camera itself. I will personally never go back to a webcam with manual focus ever again as this sure beats having to focus the camera each time I switched position. This mode can get slightly annoying though as it camera seems to also make micro adjustments for any movement I make at all.
Face tracking feature (up to two faces simultaneously) - This is a fun little feature that I haven't really found any practical purpose for but it's nice to have if that's your thing. Despite the fact that this camera has no wide range of motion, it is somehow able to keep focused on my face regardless of where I am positioned in front of the screen. Amazingly, it is able to do this with more than one face as well.
Auto Light Adjustment - Even when I'm sitting in a poorly lit room, the camera auto adjusts to give the best image possible even despite the poor lighting conditions. This feature is not a gimmick and works really well.
Cons
Very expensive for a webcam
Much larger than expected
Not designed with laptop screens in mind - though I have in fact been able to set this up successfully on a notebook screen, it is hardly ideal and is somewhat awkward.
Not very adjustable - this webcam does not have a very wide range of motion though I think this is compensated by the Carl Zeiss lens which has an extremely wide range of view. Because of the design of this webcam though, you absolutely cannot twist the unit left or right and you can only just barely move the camera upwards or downwards.
Even despite the high cost, I am truly impressed with this feature rich, and very high end webcam. Even if all supporting features were removed, I would still have purchased this camera if only for the astounding images and video feeds it produces.
Customer Review: The Best Consumer WebCam @ this time...
Summary: 5 Stars
Excellent "build" quality. No cheapness about it.
If you are thinking of keeping in touch with family and loved ones using a webcam, this is a good model.
Just realize a few things before going into this project.
1.) The dream you have of enjoying clear, full screen, webcam "visits" with your Mom who lives far away, is just that. Dreamland, probably from watching too much sci-fi. Note: The picture quality you get on your own live, at home screen, is HD sharp. But things change (degrade) when you send and receive over the internet during a WebCam session!
Sure, you can expand the viewing window, but the picture quality goes from slightly fuzzy (that's the best), to completely unusable. (Huge chunky pixilization).
But let me tell you, to be able to sit around the dinner table using a webcam on both ends, and sharing "dinnertime" together with relaxed, pleasant conversation, even with a smaller viewing screen than you expected, is PRICELESS!!!
The screen size isn't that bad, just not the perfect, HUGE, High Def, screen that the Star Trek Enterprize has on the Captains Bridge.
OK? Get over it!
2.) Computers on both ends need to be newer, faster models. There will be
limitations on either side. Mom won't be able to use certain features because she doesn't have a dual core processor. Or the same software won't appear identical on both computers because she has Win XP and you have Vista. You may not be able to explain to Mom how to adjust her picture, because her software interface doesn't have the same controls.
(TIP: I use free LogMeIn software to control her computer from my house.)
3.) I tried ALL the main-stream free webcam programs, i.e. Skype, Windows Messeger, etc., etc. Nothing worked perfectly on both sides. (You need to use the same program on both sides.)
Perhaps this was because Moms computer WAS slightly lacking in horsepower.
(Both sides NEED high speed internet, by the way!)
This process took hours of installing, going through the Joining Up and Activating phase, experimenting, then uninstalling and loading the next program on both computers, to try again!...(by the way, I live in Hawaii, my Mom lives on the Mainland! So if I can do it over the internet, you may be emboldened to try it!)
The only program I got to work perfectly on both computers, was ooVoo.
So, YES! We now enjoy very nice WEB Cam visits!
The Logitech 9000 PRO has the best quality picture. Even allowing extreme close-ups.
Mom can now show me her TV remote, and I can see if the bateries are installed correctly.
Other webcams don't have the same sharpness to start with.
Just read the reviews!