Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX by Logitech
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List Price: Our Price: $5.96 You Save: $44.03 (88%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX
Digital camera Review: Awesome Webcam!
Summary: 5 Stars
Very easy to install and use! Has been a great way to stay in touch with family and friends! I don't know if you need one with all the bells and whistles. Great product for the price!Digital camera Review: Bad with Skype
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this camera to use with Skype. Unfortunately, it has performed rather poorly thus far. On a two year old computer with all non-essential processes turned off, the video is laggy, but there is no lag in sound. The video quality is fine, but the sound quality horrible. It sounds like a garbled AM radio transmission.
I recommend looking elsewhere for a camera to use with Skype.
Digital camera Review: Basic Plus.
Summary: 3 Stars
A cliché applies regarding this webcam as, basically, it is what it is. It's no great triumph of technology though. When I talk too fast the picture gets real blurry and my mouth gets out of sync with the words I say; however, I should point out that I only paid 29 bucks for mine. Essentially, I view this product as being about what you'd expect for the price. You're not going to get taken if you buy it but it's a long way from being professional grade. I'm going to get an upgrade soon so I'll post a review on that product which I hope will have 1.3 pixel resolution. Like some of the other folks here, I had problems with the sound so I went out and picked up some headphones which make for a better recording. If I had it to do over again I probably would have pony upped more cash for a better model than this one. You can't fault something this cheap for not being great though.Digital camera Review: Best webcam I've used to date
Summary: 4 Stars
Simply the best webcam I've used to date. Love the clamp for mounting to a monitor and I absolutely LOVE the privacy shade. I hate nothing more than wondering if my camera is recording me when I don't want it to. Shade solves that paranoia. :)
I did have some issues setting up the software for it. I'm still suprized webcams aren't totally plug-and-play at this point.
I'd totally recommend this to someone else looking for an inexpensive webcam.
Digital camera Review: Blurry Motion
Summary: 3 Stars
This camera definitely has crisp picture, but the images are way too blurry during movement with low frame rate. I wasn't sure if this was due to the computer I was running it on (above minimum but slightly below recommended specs) or the camera itself.
I happened upon a Logitech UltraVision (which is Logitech's top-of-the-line webcam) for only $79. On the box, both the Communicate STX & UltraVision have the SAME minimum & recommended system requirements. But the UltraVision when installed on the same computer had no blurry images during movement, with obviously better frame rate, and better performance overall. Very odd, I thought, since UltraVision is at least 3 steps above Communicate STX in the model level, and is assumed to require greater system resources.
So my conclusion is that the Communicate STX, for whatever reason, does indeed have an unacceptable blurry motion image and ridiculously low frame rate (well below the 30 fps that's advertised on the box & elsewhere). The picture itself is crisp and handles low light well, but there is lag time in the movement, and the audio and video do not sync well. Be warned if that's a concern. Some people are more forgiving of this than others, but I personally can't stand it, and if you've ever experienced a webcam that actually responds to you instantaneously, it's really hard to settle for anything less. The built-in microphone, by the way, is excellent and very sensitive, and the unit itself is quite attractive in its silver & black.
As for the UltraVision, I believe the Rightlight2 technology (for this particular model) does not work well in low light (definitely too dark), but it can be corrected manually by increasing the gain. Hopefully, this flaw will be corrected permanently with a software fix at some future date (how hard can it be to write code that would kick the gain up a few notches when the light level falls below a certain point?). The picture on the other hand is the sharpest I've ever seen in a webcam. As for the concerns of it being a resource hog, I didn't experience that, and I don't see how people can say that when the system requirements are the same for the Communicate STX, Pro 5000, & Fusion. They may just be assuming this, since it is the most expensive camera in the line. All four of them basically use the same software as well. UltraVision is no more a resource hog than the others mentioned, in my opinion.
On a side note, I noticed a blue tinge in the skin tone when using the UltraVison in lower light. I realized that this was due to the blue illuminated ring around the Logitech logo while the camera was on. Since there was little light, the blue ring actually served as a lighting source, thus making the skin tone somewhat blue. Now if they'd just make that ring a little brighter & white in color......
Hope this helps if you were wondering about the Communicate STX's blurry motion video, or the UltraVison's capabilities. I would not buy the Communicate STX. If I had to get a Logitech, I would spend the extra money and step up to the Pro 5000 (or any of the other models with 'true high-speed' USB 2.0), which must have better frame rate and smoother video, just as the UltraVision did.