Logitech 2 MP Webcam Pro 9000 with Built-in Microphone Review
My laptop has a built-in camera, but since the laptop is across the room and connected to a flatscreen, I wanted a portable webcam that I could center above the TV for Skype calls. When I first launched Skype, the video picture was dark, and way off center. It took me a minute to realize that I needed to select the camera I wanted to use, since the default was the laptop camera. I found the pulldown menu and selected the Logitech 9000. WOW! What a difference. I suddenly had a tv studio in my living room! The software allowed me to adjust for light, although the auto adjust feature worked fine. I could also zoom in, tilt and pan the image using the video control panel. Note that this camera does not have a PTZ motor and does not physically move. This is all done with the image by the software. If you are sitting close to the camera, those features would be more limited. The nice thing about this is that I can sit on the sofa across the room and zoom in for a better picture to my video callers. I even tilted up and zoomed in on the people in the kitchen with amazing clarity. I haven't had a chance to test the audio quality of the built-in microphone from across the room, so I don't know if I will get a room echo or clear sound. I have used the camera and mic on my office computer, up close, and it worked perfectly. In fact, the person I called commented on the sounds of me shuffling papers, drinking an ice tea, and typing on the keyboard, so the mic picks up everything.
In addition to being a great camera and microphone, the Logitech software comes with a number of fun animated avatars, (such as an alien, a cat, and a robot, etc.) you can use if you don't want your face to be on camera. The camera software will analyze your facial features and then impose them on the avatar so that it moves when you do. It's not perfect, but it is a funny effect when you talk, blink and tilt your head to make the animation move. Kids will love it. You can also use any number of supplied images in place of your face, or add your own. I dropped in the classic 1950's tv test pattern as a test and it works great. These gimmicks will be fun for a while, but as video calls become more typical in our household, I'm sure this quality web camera will become valuable asset.
Logitech 2 MP Webcam Pro 9000 with Built-in Microphone Feature
- Ships in Certified Frustration-Free Packaging
- Ultra-smooth AutoFocus with Carl Zeiss lens system for sharper, fluid video
- HD video recording and 2-megapixel sensor capture detailed 16 x 9 widescreen videos and up to 8-megapixel photos
- RightLight2 Technology adjusts brightness for perfect images, even in dim light
- Premium built-in microphone with RightSound Technology for crystal-clear conversations
Logitech 2 MP Webcam Pro 9000 with Built-in Microphone Overview
Interact with family living abroad in razor-sharp quality with this Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 webcam!Thanks to its Carl Zeiss optics with premium autofocus and native 2 MP HD sensor, the 960-000577 webcam lets you look at the world with crystal clear video. Plus, the Webcam Pro 9000 lets you take snapshots at up to 8 MP (software enhanced).With Logitech Vid, video calling is free, fast and easy for you and anyone you want to talk to. It's built into your webcam setup, so you can call right away! Smile, because your friends and family will be able to see you in widescreen HD video quality (720p)!The Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 webcam is compatible with the most popular instant messaging applications such as Skype, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, and more so it's easy to stay in touch! Feel free to chat in low lit environments. With RightLight 2 technology the camera will intelligently adjust to produce the best possible image. With its USB 2.0 interface and 6-foot cable setup is a breeze! Order today!
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Customer Reviews
Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 - Jean S. Kirkpatrick -
This webcam is very easy to use and creates good quality pictures. I"m very pleased with it.
Great Web Cam - Christine - PA
This is a great Camera, however, my 4 month old puppy chewed on the cord and now the camera does not work anymore.I have to replace it, since the cable can not be replaced by itself.
I never used the build in microphone - for some reason I could not get it to work. But then again, I'm at times technacially challenged. So I used my headset instead. The picture quality was really good and even in a low light setting it was still good.
I'm ordering another logitech, but a newer version. Lets see how this one will work :-)
Useless, and downright harmful - Evac156 - Seattle, WA United States
First, let me say, I am a longtime user of the Logitech webcam line. I have been happily using a QuickCam Pro 4000 for about 6 years now. I have easily installed it half a dozen times, moving from one PC to another, or after a rebuild, and have never had a problem. When I finally decided to upgrade, I immediately decided to go with the best Logitech was currently offering, so I went with the Webcam Pro 9000. It was a huge disappointment from start to finish.
For starters, the physical: compare it against the 4000. The USB cable on the 9000 is about 4 feet shorter, which makes a huge difference. While the 4000 had a steady, flat base, the 9000 has a weird folding one-footed arrangement that tips over any time the desk is jarred or the cord is nudged. Apparently it's supposed to hang over my monitor, which is simply stupid...even if there was room there, I prefer not to have my view of the top part of the display obstructed. And even though it's a minor thing, the 4000 had a nice little flip-down "privacy hood," which has been omitted from the 9000's design.
Second, the instructions. What instructions? Three pictures and three sentences are the entirety of the setup instructions: (1) Place your webcam. (2) Install the software. (3) When prompted, connect your webcam. That's it. The whole thing. Third, the installation. It asked me if I wanted to install something called "Vid HD." Usually I don't like the extra junk applications that get bundled in with most products, but I figured I would give it a try. Big mistake. It hung partway through the installation. Hung bad. Hung so bad that even Process Explorer couldn't kill it, and I had to do a hard reboot. (This could be where the rest of it started to go south.)
Fourth, the functionality. How to say this? The thing simply doesn't work. Or rather, it works on its own, snapping photos and recording video, but not with any other programs. Google Chat refuses to acknowledge that I have a webcam at all. With Yahoo chat, it's intermittent, working occasionally but not often in "show webcam" mode, and never working in "place video call" mode. Another web site, for whatever reason, likes to run at low-res for a moment and then switch to higher resolution. With the trusty old 4000 this was no problem. The worthless 9000 just shuts off completely at this point. And, the microphone does not work at all, in any mode, with any application. All of these things worked just great on the 4000, and do not work with the 9000.
Now, I could just get rid of the 9000 (and probably will), but that doesn't take care of the worst problem. This little sweetheart uninstalled my audio drivers (for Creative X-Fi), and all attempts to reinstall them have failed. Or actually, the drivers seem to reinstall okay, but any attempt to use audio tells me that there is no appropriate device installed. I know Logitech and Creative are competitors, but this seems a bit extreme. Good thing Logitech doesn't have an axe to grind with NVidia, or I might've lost video, too.
Maybe it's because I'm running an archaic system (a vintage 2006 Dell XPS-700 with Windows XP Pro) that the darn thing refuses to work right, but there are no system requirements listed in the so-called instructions. I've always had good luck with Logitech products before (several headsets, a wireless keyboard and mouse, the good old QuickCam 4000 Pro, etc.), but this camera is a worthless piece of junk, and downright destructive to my system. I'll have to replace it...probably with something made by Creative.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 14, 2010 04:00:52
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