Logitech 720p Webcam C510

My wife's family lives in Europe so we spend lots of time on Skype - especially since we have a 4 month old baby. Our Acer laptop has an OK webcam built in, but I wanted my mother-in-law to feel "almost there" when she was seeing her granddaughter. So I researched HD webcams looking for the sweet spot between price, portability and quality. The C510 hits the mark. It is reasonable in price and is very compact with a nifty storage case for when we are just using the built in webcam. Initially, I was dissapointed when there was no noticable increase in video quality while Skyping. I soon learned that the problem was not with the webcam itself, but with my research (and Skype). Currently, this camera will not work as an HD Skype camera. If you want that, you need to buy a webcam with a built in HD encoder, which are more expensive. Otherwise, Skype will be a low-def experience. I don't understand why Skype has this requirement when so few webcams have an encoder. I suspect that as more and more HD cams hit the market, we will see Skype change its restrictive policy. Fortunately, the solution is easy. If you want full 720p HD video chats, look no farther than the Logitech C510 installation disc. Logitech was smart enough to create a very simple, yet high quality video chat program called HD Vid. Once you install it, you send an invite through the program to anyone who you want to chat with. They simply accept and auto intall the software on their computer and you are in business. They don't even need to have a HD webcam. They will still see you in HD, while you will see them in standard-def. And if they don't have a webcam, they can still see you in HD, while you will hear them - so this program is very compatible and much easier than anything else I have used. My 80 year old dad even installed it when he accepted my invite, not that he knew at the time. And he was thrilled to see us in HD the next time I called. So all in all, this is a good buy and the software is heads above Skype in regards to video quality and simplicity. In fairness, Skype does much more beyond video chats, but if you don't need the added features, the included HD Vid software is a huge value added feature that comes with this camera. Sweet! I recommend this webcam, especially with the bundled software. It's a great set up for a great price. Read more

The media could not be loaded. 5 month update (late January 2011): How much did I end up liking this webcam? Enough to buy two more..to supplement the built-in webcams for two laptops..even though they had integrated cameras. Our family is currently adding Skype to all of our mobile computers (two laptops and a netbook) because of an imminent need to add VOIP to our long distance communications options. Unlike the mobile computers, my primary computer, a desktop, obviously did not have an integrated video capture capability. The Logitech C510 was a surprisingly easy solution. Installation on a Windows 7 machine took approximately five minutes. It immediately recognized and became integrated with the existing Skype software (which can then be lauched either via the Skype program or from a Skype button on the webcam user interface). The folding base sits steadily in the edge of a flat panel monitor. In addition to readily capturing video, it has some other fine features: -"face follow"; if your head moves within the camera's field of view, it will automatically adjust the tilt and pan settings to try and keep the subject framed in the picture. -an integrated microphone. -it works well in a variety of lighting conditions and even in relatively low indoor light. -in addition to enabling online multimedia communications, it can capture video for editing, emailing or one-click posting to Facebook and YouTube. -captures still images (8 megapixel resolution). -motion activated recording (with our without included audio). The user software is very intuitive, and also includes bundled masks and avatars. Although they don't add to the basic functionality, they are both silly and fun. You can spend much less or much more on a webcam; this one is priced right considering its ease of use and wide array of features. Read more

The video and still shot quality of the camera and microphone are excellent. The Camera and Built in Microphone work with Skype on my Windows 7 System without issue or manual configuration and do a great job. The applications that come with the camera add several cool functions to the camera like adding avatars, distortions, and uploading directly to facebook and twitter, but at least on my Windows 7 installation it inititially has had some bugs that crash the application when trying to upload to online services like facebook and when trying to play the recorded video from within the application. I have not bothered to fully troubleshoot this issue yet and may be related to the specific configuration of my system since I have installed on my system various versions and various different products that may or may not conflict with the camera's software, but it is actually a minor inconvenience since the video does record and save to the camera's folder and so do the still pictures and can then be uploaded and manipulated at will. It is the seemless operation from witin the Camera's Internal Application that has the bugs and is crashing. Overall a good, high quality HD WebCam, Still Shot Camera, and Microphone, that easily installs and works seemlessly with skype and has the added feature that it is very mobile and even comes with a little pocket sized carry pouch. I recomend this Camera as a WebCam and Skype Cam, but you may need to upload the High Quality HD videos taken on this thing to services like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter through the traditional means and not through the integrated Application that comes with it. Read more