Page 1: Quickcam Vision Pro
Intro:
Logitech is a company that should be well known to the readers of ASE Labs. The company specializes in computer peripherals which include their line of mice and keyboards all the way to webcams. The focus of the review is the newest webcam from Logitech, the Quickcam Vision Pro which is billed to be Mac ready with ease. In reality, it works on every operating system.
Box:
The retail packaging for Logitech's products usually contains white and green and this product is no exception. What is interesting is that it targets Mac users specifically. The product was demoed to the press on a Macbook at an event in NYC. It certainly caught my attention.
Specs:
The Quickcam Vision Pro is a UVC webcam. USB Video Class is basically the USB Mass Storage of video devices. It is a write one driver, support multiple hardware type of standard. I'm very glad Logitech uses UVC in their devices. UVC support is built into Linux, Mac, and Windows.
Parts:
Aside from the webcam itself, you basically get a quick start guide and that's all. It is plug in and go on any operating system.
The Vision Pro itself is fairly small and comes in black with silver accents. There is a status light on the outside of the Logitech logo that tell you when the camera is active. It is basically a ring of white light.
The Vision Pro comes with a built-in clip for use with laptops and other screens. You can also rest the clip on a table or any other flat surface. It is fairly sturdy and won't easily slip off due to the rubber feet on both sides.
The head is adjustable to many different positions. You will get the shot you're looking for is you use this webcam. Remember that the target use is attached to a screen and it does this perfectly. There really isn't much more to say about the webcam itself, let's get right down to the testing portion.
Testing And Use:
As most readers should know by now, I'm an Ubuntu Linux user so everything I test must work with Linux (or it gets a bad review!). I'm very happy to report that the Quickcam Vision Pro is a UVC device which means that Linux supports it right out of the box. The unit was detected as a Video4Linux2 device and was usable for taking snapshots and video. What better way to show you how the unit works than with a video.
The Quickcam Vision Pro handles everything at the hardware level. It needs no software to handle lighting conditions or focusing. The video shows that the camera can focus on near and far objects on its own and can handle highly differing light levels with ease. The camera has great optics and the audio input is okay (for a webcam).
The webcam can shoot 960x720 video and 1600x1200 still images. That's very impressive for a webcam.
A word of advice about audio, don't scream into the unit. Once I found that after (after shooting the video), the audio comes out much nicer and clearer. Even so, if you want better audio clarity, a standard microphone is the way to go. Even so, the Vision Pro handles everything well enough on its own. The fact that FFmpeg can use it as a recording device makes me very happy. I used it for this review and the »previous one. Granted, it isn't a standard video camera, but the quality is excellent for a webcam.
Conclusion:
What can I say? I love the Quickcam Vision Pro. It uses a proper standard so all operating systems support it out of the box and has great clarity and resolution to boot. The fact that the unit auto focuses is one of those features that makes you wonder why it isn't done all the time. The Logitech Quickcam Vision Pro retails for $130 and it is a great purchase if you're looking for a webcam. I highly recommend it.
I'd like to thank Sarah from Logitech for supply the webcam for review.
Logitech is a company that should be well known to the readers of ASE Labs. The company specializes in computer peripherals which include their line of mice and keyboards all the way to webcams. The focus of the review is the newest webcam from Logitech, the Quickcam Vision Pro which is billed to be Mac ready with ease. In reality, it works on every operating system.
Box:
The retail packaging for Logitech's products usually contains white and green and this product is no exception. What is interesting is that it targets Mac users specifically. The product was demoed to the press on a Macbook at an event in NYC. It certainly caught my attention.
Specs:
- Carl Zeiss optics: Get more detail and clarity from Logitech’s glass lens designed in collaboration with Carl Zeiss, the global leader in camera optics.
- Premium autofocus: Your images stay razor-sharp, even the most extreme close-ups.
- HD video: QuickCam Vision Pro is a high-performance webcam capable of delivering 720p high-quality images up to 1600 X 1200 pixels.
- Higher megapixel performance: Images never looked more real, thanks to a premium quality 2-megapixel sensor.
- RightLight 2 technology: Adjusts intelligently to produce the best possible image, even in dim or backlighted situations.
- Integrated microphone: A high quality microphone provides excellent, hands-free audio.
- Compatibility: Enjoy lifelike video on iChat or Skype - up to 30 FPS VGA quality. QuickCam Vision Pro also works with most leading instant messaging applications and delivers superior image quality compared to standard webcams.
- Universal monitor clip: Mounts easily on any type of display or notebook computer.
- 6 foot USB cable.
The Quickcam Vision Pro is a UVC webcam. USB Video Class is basically the USB Mass Storage of video devices. It is a write one driver, support multiple hardware type of standard. I'm very glad Logitech uses UVC in their devices. UVC support is built into Linux, Mac, and Windows.
Parts:
Aside from the webcam itself, you basically get a quick start guide and that's all. It is plug in and go on any operating system.
The Vision Pro itself is fairly small and comes in black with silver accents. There is a status light on the outside of the Logitech logo that tell you when the camera is active. It is basically a ring of white light.
The Vision Pro comes with a built-in clip for use with laptops and other screens. You can also rest the clip on a table or any other flat surface. It is fairly sturdy and won't easily slip off due to the rubber feet on both sides.
The head is adjustable to many different positions. You will get the shot you're looking for is you use this webcam. Remember that the target use is attached to a screen and it does this perfectly. There really isn't much more to say about the webcam itself, let's get right down to the testing portion.
Testing And Use:
As most readers should know by now, I'm an Ubuntu Linux user so everything I test must work with Linux (or it gets a bad review!). I'm very happy to report that the Quickcam Vision Pro is a UVC device which means that Linux supports it right out of the box. The unit was detected as a Video4Linux2 device and was usable for taking snapshots and video. What better way to show you how the unit works than with a video.
The Quickcam Vision Pro handles everything at the hardware level. It needs no software to handle lighting conditions or focusing. The video shows that the camera can focus on near and far objects on its own and can handle highly differing light levels with ease. The camera has great optics and the audio input is okay (for a webcam).
The webcam can shoot 960x720 video and 1600x1200 still images. That's very impressive for a webcam.
A word of advice about audio, don't scream into the unit. Once I found that after (after shooting the video), the audio comes out much nicer and clearer. Even so, if you want better audio clarity, a standard microphone is the way to go. Even so, the Vision Pro handles everything well enough on its own. The fact that FFmpeg can use it as a recording device makes me very happy. I used it for this review and the »previous one. Granted, it isn't a standard video camera, but the quality is excellent for a webcam.
Conclusion:
What can I say? I love the Quickcam Vision Pro. It uses a proper standard so all operating systems support it out of the box and has great clarity and resolution to boot. The fact that the unit auto focuses is one of those features that makes you wonder why it isn't done all the time. The Logitech Quickcam Vision Pro retails for $130 and it is a great purchase if you're looking for a webcam. I highly recommend it.
I'd like to thank Sarah from Logitech for supply the webcam for review.