Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 28 July 2008 18:56
Opinion and Analysis
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Why would you need an external webcam for Macs when they all come with
a built-in webcam? Because of better picture quality, a better lens,
better autofocus and VGA quality chat sessions that are four times
sharper than the standard experience – or so Logitech is promising!
You’d think it would be a tough sell to convince a Mac user that he or she needs a new webcam when one is built-in as standard, but given that Logitech creates interesting products that are often a cut above the rest, its new “QuickCam Vision Pro for Mac” could well be a hot seller for Mac users that want it all.
Bandying about terms like “premium autofocus technology”, “Carl Zeiss Optics”, “image-perfect details” and “exceptional video calling with iChat and Skype”, and you can see that Logitech definitely are going after the Mac user that wants and expects quality – and as you might imagine, there’s a price tag to match.
Far from being your $50 webcam cheapie, this new Logitech model comes in at AUD $179.95, so you really do need to want the better quality it offers to take the plunge away from your built-in model.
Gina Clark, general manager and vice president of Logitech’s Internet Communications business unit was quick to spruik the benefits, saying: “With this new webcam for Mac computers, we’ve integrated our most advanced video technologies to truly enrich your video-calling experience.”
Clark continued: “The lens and autofocus, the sensor and the lighting software all contribute to create image-perfect detail and clarity. Whether you’ve used a standalone or an embedded webcam in the past, you’ll be amazed at the difference in quality our new webcam makes.”
Of course, you’ll probably need to see it to believe it, but having seen the difference in quality myself that a pair of Logitech 2 megapixel webcams connected up to Skype, on a fast broadband connection and the “High Quality” video setting, I’m confident that Logitech aren’t telling any porkies.
Logitech have gone to the trouble of explaining how its autofocus system is different from others. Intead of using a “stepper motor”, they’ve sprung (so to speak) for a voice coil motor instead.
The claimed benefit? “Fast and fluid” focusing which is “crisp even in extreme close-ups only 10 cm from the camera lens.”
In addition, the autofocus “compensates for changes in image-edge sharpness and refocuses images in less than three seconds.”
Continued on page 2.
