Not all webcams will work in Vista, so we examined three Vista-ready models to find the best.
Whether you need to remotely contribute to a business meeting or chat to relatives or friends in far-off places, webcams are easily affordable for all.
While Vista doesn’t include Live Messenger as standard, it’s one of the best applications for making video calls for free. And, you can be sure the competition will release Vista-compatible versions of their software imminently. But using an old webcam could be tricky, as some manufacturers won’t be writing new Vista drivers for old hardware.
Creative Labs Live! Cam Video IM already has Vista-compatible drivers. It’s a VGA webcam with a stand that can sit flat on a desk or hook over an LCD or notebook display. On the front, there’s a manual focus ring; on top is a snapshot button. The modest resolution gives a comparatively blocky image. Colour saturation is fine, but there’s a lot of noise in still images and video. No microphone is integrated; instead, you get a mono earphone/mic, which isn’t good if you want to share a conversation. It’s the cheapest at $60, but not great value.
The Microsoft LifeCam VX-3000 is the latest webcam in the range. There’s a button on the top, which you think would be used to take a snapshot but, in fact, it launches Windows Live Messenger. If you use another instant messenger, this button is redundant. What the VX-3000 does have is the familiar multipurpose desktop/screen stand and manual focus ring.
The software installer checked online for updates, and we were faced with a huge 56MB download. But even with the latest version, image quality was a letdown. The culprit was noise, with the 640 x 480 image ruined by grain. It’s a shame, because there was otherwise a lot of detail, while the microphone captured high-quality audio.
Frame rates were also fast enough to give smooth motion, but the LifeCam simply couldn’t keep noise at bay.
The Logitech QuickCam Fusion is more expensive at $117, but it’s worth considering for its flexible package. Rather than a budget mono earpiece, you get a proper behind-the-head stereo headset with an adjustable microphone stalk, which is ideal for business calls. There’s also a decent microphone in the webcam itself. Plus, with the widest-angle lens, it’s great for getting a whole family in the shot.
We liked the lens cover that offers privacy (although beware that the mic is always on), but the flexible stand wasn’t quite as successful when on top of a screen, where it wobbled somewhat. Still images were sharp, with the best colour saturation here and great detail.
A 1.3-megapixel sensor captures a 1280 x 1024-pixel image with good colour saturation, but you can only capture video clips up to 640 x 480 with the software. The Fusion is a big step up from most webcams, but it’s pricey.
1 Microsoft LifeCam VX-3000
$70
Minidigital
Overall: 4/6
2 Logitech QuickCam Fusion
$117
Minidigital
Overall" 5/6
3 Creative Labs Live! Cam Video IM
$60
Major retailers
Overall: 3/6