Logitech launches “premium” 2-megapixel webcam for Mac

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 28 July 2008 18:56

Opinion and Analysis

Logitech also boast that despite a “compact, lightweight design”, they’ve still been able to ensure the lens meets all of the Carl Zeiss requirements, calling their arrangement “exclusive”, although Nokia do use Carl Zeiss lenses in its N-Series phones, which software can transform into a webcam should you so desire.

Actually it’d be interesting to see Logitech license its “voice coil motor” to phone manufacturers, if those phone companies can’t get them already, perhaps they can be used to give more phones a real “zoom” capability, although autofocus and zoom are two different things.

Ah well. Onwards: Logitech also spruiks its “RightLight 2” technology, clearly now in version 2.0, which “enables the webcam to adjust intelligently in dim or harshly backlit situations.”

So, what about that promised video quality? Well, Logitech have managed to get 30fps VGA-quality video to work not just with Skype, but with Apple’s iChat software, saying it’s “four times as sharp and twice as smooth as any other video-calling solution – at no additional charge.”

Of course there IS an additional charge – if both parties want to enjoy the four times as sharp goodness, be prepared to stump up AUD $179.95 times two. But yes, once you’ve paid the money, there’s no more to pay... beyond increases bandwidth usage charges such a higher quality video stream will deliver.

And don’t forget – if you buy this webcam, don’t suddenly expect to see the people you’re talking to in “four times higher quality” – it’s they who will see YOU better, not the other way around... unless they get the new Logitech webcam too, of course.

That said, you can use the webcam to capture video at “720p HD), although only at a 960x720 pixel resolution. If you play that video back, you will see the benefits your sharper webcam provides, but then that’s not quite the same as making a live video call.

Logitech are also claiming a win in the style stakes, saying the webcam “presents a black-and-silver profile with a prominent built-in silver microphone.”

Arriving in August, it will appeal to anyone that regularly makes iChat or Skype video calls on their Mac, has fast broadband and can convince all their friends to buy one, too!