Microsoft LifeCam Cinema Windows USB Camera

I do a lot of video conferencing in my job. I often chat with people overseas, so I’m talking from home in the wee hours of the morning in a dark room, as well as in my offices.

I’ve tried several different webcams with mixed results. the LifeCam Cinema is the first one I’ve really been happy with. It works well in low light, it gives great video and still pictures, and it comes with some cute software. The machines I use it on are all Windows 7, a mix of 32-bit and 64-bit. I haven’t noticed any difference in behavior on the different machines, though all are pretty beefy.

The software has some features that are more for a laugh than general use. It lets you distort your face various ways or put objects on your head, e.g. hats, funny hair, stars circling your head. I enjoyed playing with it for a few days for personal videoconferences, but otherwise haven’t bothered.

In addition to video conferencing, I use this camera both to take still pictures (e.g. of something in my office I want to mail someone a picture of) and short videos to help me explain problems with whatever I’m working on (e.g. an issue with a mouse). Taking the cameras and videos is easy with the built-in software, as is adjusting the resolution (before taking the picture/video) so the files are small enough to mail.

Other reviewers have mentioned some problems with auto-focus being hyper-active. I have the same issues sometimes, and haven’t figured out what causes it. Despite this hiccup, though, it’s an awesome webcam especially for the price. I’ve bought four so far (I have a lot of computers and places I work), got two more for my wife and her mom, and will look at these first if I need more for any other reason.

Pro:
– great low-light performance
– takes nice video recordings and pictures of stuff close to your computer
– software is useful for my needs, though it takes a bit of getting used to
– Looks nice
– the flexible metal clamp it sits on adjusts nicely for any size of monitor, or even as a stand

Con:
– the autofocus can be annoying when it starts misbehaving

Overall I love this webcam!

I bought this used and I’ve been pretty happy with it so far. The seller had it delivered quickly and the product was as described.