Microsoft LifeCam VX-5000 Webcam (Red Accent)

Sure, it’s meant to be PnP (plug and play), but even I was surprised with the lack of documentation that comes with this entry level webcam.

And as far as entry level webcams go, for this price point, you really can’t go wrong with this pick.

Straight out of the box, the contents are three: 1) Camera, 2) ver 2.0 software on CD, and finally, 3) little quad-fold english/spanish intruction sheet. Really? A small plug and play instruction sheet? Yup, that’s it. Not that I’m a huge fan of overly complicated and awe inspiring manuals, but for the juggernaut that is MS, I was a but dissapointed with the lack of a written manual. It seems on something like this, it would be a no brainer to include even an abbreviated manual for non-techies to understand how to operate once installed. No, you’re on your own by visiting the MS web page and sifting through thier documents.

Also, out of the box I recommend, (like another user suggested), to go straight to the support site and download the newer software and not even use the enclosed disc. It ships with v2.0 software, but as of my writing 2.04 is available.

The camera itself is pretty impressive. In my office, the picture looks good under low light conditions, it’s picture clear, the built in mic does it’s job once configured (an important step you should not skip). The base, while a nice idea, isn’t as robust and sturdy as the box copy proclaims, but adequate enough to do the job. Some may find themselves using a piece of tape or other weighted object to keep it still….a clamp option would have been nice.

But the reason I’m knocking this down a star is based on the lack-luster descriptions and “how-to’s” for the software. Once you download and get the camera operational, again, you’re on your own to figure out how to record, what your effects options are, what file extensions are used and default storage. For intermediate and advanced users, this may seem like a no brainer or intuitive, but for beginners….you can feel a bit lost. It’s as if if MS says “Here you are…here’s your webcam” and walks away.

Some of the bundled software or apps you can optionally load seem like aesthetic window dressing…for fun…Take effects for example: There are plenty of cool effects, but some are pretty lame, and the icons really don’t help explain what they are until you click and discover for yourself. Some nice toys to play with, but they lose their novelty value fast.

I was really hoping for some documenation or pointers on video blogging, atleast the basics…but again…you’re on your own. Looks like I’ll be printing out or buying additional manuals later, but what do you expect from a sub $30 price point? A little more consideration to the entry level user would have easily given this 5 stars. Overall a good camera in a sea of over-priced mediocre ones.

This is my first webcam. My main requirement was a better picture quality than I’ve seen from friends’ cameras in the $15-20 price range, so I looked at some reviews and chose this model. The webcam arrived yesterday, it installed very easily, and I used it for 3 hours on Skype. I was really pleased with the picture quality, and my contact didn’t mention any issue with the built-in microphone. I checked my image many times, and there was no distortion or freakish looks. So far, I’ve only used it in the evening with a 60 watt lamp placed 4.5 feet to my left supplementing the ambient light from the monitor, and it was plenty of light to see me and the room itself in detail. The picture was also visible with no light other than from the monitor, though skin tone was darker. The mount is a flexible, rubberized bracket, and works extremely well on my flat panel monitor. It can be aimed, repositioned, and re-aimed easily by hand; but on the potential down-side, it merely ‘sits’ upon, rather than being ‘secured’, so if someone knocking or jarring the monitor could be an issue in your environment, I suppose the cam could be knocked off. [I didn’t test this.] This is not an issue for me, however, and the ‘belly’ side has some traction-ridges, while the front below the cam itself has a small bar that catches the front of the monitor. It can also be placed to sit on the desk, etc. The cam can also be re-aimed and zoomed in or out using the software included, via a simple screen interface with directional arrows and +/- buttons. Overall, there is nothing that could make me any happier with this webcam, and in my opinion it is an excellent product and value for $34. [It does sell for more in some stores, so I recommend purchasing it from amazon.]