Comments on: Microsoft Webcam

By: Santiago

Santiago — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:22:57 +0000

I bought it for a test-run,this has got to be one of the crappiest webcams ever made,and i’m not just saying that after updating drivers,using it with as low resolution and quality as possible on a 3Ghz processor,2G RAM,top of the line PC,and tweaking among the nerd-iest ways this nerd knows how to get the most out of it,believe me ,you’ll regret buying it,or at least for all other webcams out there at there with LOWER prices and better performances,,,right now i’d recommend you using anything from Creative,and never trust Microsoft again.

By: Howard Mass

Howard Mass — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 07:49:18 +0000

Being in the streaming media business for… well let’s just say since before Real was called Real. (remember Progressive Networks) …back to the point… I’ve tried nearly every webcam that has come out over the last five years, and then some. :)

I’ve had an NX-6000 for about a year and rate it AVERAGE.

I don’t currently use it, however I didn’t have any of the technical issues reported here. I can make some recommendations based on my knowledge of typical causes of many A/V problems.

Use the latest drivers. The drivers on the CD that ship with ALMOST ALL peripherals are OLD.

Update to the latest version of Direct X or at least version 9.0c

Update AUDIO drivers! Especially if using onboard audio!

If you’re using an older computer don’t expect much if it doesn’t have USB 2.0

GENERAL WEBCAM TIPS:

Lighting is more important to image quality than ANYTHING else!!!

In case you missed TIP 1 LIGHTING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

The quality of the imaging chip is more important than resolution. Try and find a webcam that uses a CCD instead of a CMOS chip. (I still use my 3+ year old Creative Live Ultra) People always comment on how INCREDIBLE the video looks.

DON’T use the zoom or other digital “features” on your webcam.

Oh and LIGHTING IS MORE IMPORTANT than ANYTHING ELSE :)

One last thought… If you have a DV camera download WebcamDV and that should blow away any webcam. http://www.orangeware.com/endusers/webcamdv.html

By: ted doran

ted doran — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 06:26:08 +0000

i have the NX 3000 and the cam part works great. it has an awesome picture but when i try to use the mic, no matter what i do to adjust the settings, no one can hear me. either on messengers or in chat rooms with webcam and mic capabilities? what am i doing wrong?

By: Peter

Peter — Sat, 05 May 2007 23:15:31 +0000

Just got one myself, and ended up here for the same reason as Glenn, because the audio and video are way out of sync, and I see no way to fix it.

Bye bye Lifecam , you’re going back to the shop.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 19:15:59 +0000

Can anyone get theirs to take a still pic? I click the take a pic button and hear the whirrrr and then no file is created

By: Glenn

Glenn — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 02:23:33 +0000

Sorry Chris,
I ended up here because I’m researching advice on why my lifecam is such a hunk of junk. I truly regret this purchase. I’ve tried everything I can think of…reducing the res, trying different mic’s etc…my laptop comp specs are healthy, but this microsuck camera is not any good. Audio to video is a full second out of sync.
I see you gotten mixed reviews here…but everywhere else I see most people are having trouble…and that’s because this camera is a pile of….well, you know.
I will return mine…have you purchased something else?
Glenn

By: ian

ian — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 06:55:36 +0000

Just got one at BestBuy. This is by far the best notebook webcam i’ve used so far… I had a Logitech Notebook Pro webcam that failed after just one week! The pop out lens protects the optics and it comes with a small carrying case. I use it all the time talking to my wife and the kids while on the road. highly recommend it if you are looking for a notebook webcam.

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 20:35:27 +0000

I have it. Love it. Easy to use. Great image (size, color, sharpness). Motion and voice synch well. So much better than the old, jerky, postage stamp images of past webcams.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 06:47:48 +0000

I just bought it. It’s crap:

1) The clip won’t fit on a Thinkpad. (I mean, c’mon!)

2) The software is lousy and hogs memory.

3) At 320 resolution, it’s out of sync; anything larger is way out of sync (audio/voce), and noisy.

4) When you go to make a video clip – just to send in an e-mail – the first four seconds are lost as the camera adjusts for lighting.

5) Microsoft tech support confirms they’re starting to get calls on this. They told me it’s not a hardware problem with my computer (XP pro SP2, 2 gigs of RAM, 1.7 gig Pentium III processor,) but with the camera.

6) I bought this to replace a Logitech laptop pro (the little black one,) and it’s nowhere near as good.

In short, I got hosed by this thing. Proof again that you should always let somebody else buy stuff first.

By: Andy Brudtkuhl

Andy Brudtkuhl — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 21:17:21 +0000

So have you bought it yet?

I am interested myself for vlogging / podcasting

By: Seb

Seb — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 16:55:07 +0000

Sweet, but will it work with Vista? No mention of it in the specs…
And since I’ve not been able to use any other cams in Vista, I’d rather not be the first one to try it out.