| Look and sound your very best with the Creative Live! Cam Optia AF. The advanced autofocus lens, quality 2.0 megapixel sensor, and built-in Live! View technology ensure you'll look sharp in bright sunlight or even in a dimly lit room. The adaptive array microphones go beyond normal noise cancellation to give you the clearest voice chat without the background noise or the hassle of being tethered to your computer. Full featured software makes chatting more fun and safer for your kids. And installation is easy-the true Plug and Play install gets you up and running in popular IM programs like Windows Live Messenger, Skype, Yahoo! Messenger and AIM before you even install the CD. Other features include still image capture at up to 8.0 MP resolution, high quality auto focus lens, video capture at up to 30 frames per second using USB port, smart face tracking with 4x digital zoom, camera rotation up to 270 degrees with auto image flip and privacy mode, parental controls, and plug and chat. |
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 Creative scores a home run with this new WEB Cam - Mac OS X Review |
| Review Date: April 22, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Tarun Chachra, Hillsborough, NJ |
QUICK UPDATE Before you read the review:
The listing states that a Creative headset is included...it is NOT!!!! There was no headset in my box. Come on AMAZON/CREATIVE at-least get the listing right. I would downgrade to 4/5 for that mis-information.
Hello All,
First of all...yes I have received this camera for free under the Vine program at Amazon. However, my review is unbiased and honest. I am comparing this to a Logitech Webcam that I already have.
So it begins. I received the camera this morning and immediately broke it out of the box so I could start using it.
THE BOX INCLUDES:
The Camera, simple one page documentation and a CD with software.
FEATURES:
The Creative Optia AF has an autofocus lens,
A 2mp (1600x1200)sensor which can take photo's at 8.0 megapixels and video at 2.0 megapixels,
A noise canceling microphone.
****(NOTE: Photo's are taken at 2.0mp and upconverted using the software included with the camera. The pictures are captured at 2.0mp.)
This unit was plugged into a USB port on a dell monitor connected to a MAC pro running OS X version 10.5.6. Also, I am comparing this camera to the Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro (Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro for Mac (Black)).
There are sample images attached of one camera taking a picture of the other camera in the same lighting conditions.
First things first, I plugged the creative camera into my monitor and it was immediately recognized by MAC OS X. I used photobooth to take pictures from both cameras. What I found interesting at this point was that when the creative was plugged in, it took preference and was the default camera...even though the logitech was still plugged in. Very interesting.
The pictures: I can tell you that, without a doubt, the creative has better autofocus control and the lighting looks better. The logitech looks 'yellowish'. My untrained eye suggests that the pictures from the creative web cam are far superior. Mind you, both of these units have small lenses and so no masterpiece will come out of them...but as far as web cams go the Creative seems to have more of a natural look and not an overexposed yellowish look.
The video: While I dont think that a web-cam should be used to capture high end video, this unit can be used to capture video at 640x480 and then up-converted to 1600x1200 using the included software. The upconversion is a useless feature for me since I believe that web-cam video at 640x480 is PERFECT for the time being. We are not doing HD broadcasts with web-cams are we? If we need higher video broadcast quality then we should be using real cameras that can send out hq video.
Skype Test: I am sure all of you know what Skype is so I wont get into any details. I made a test call with Skype to my office and made sure that the person on the other end was paying attention to the image detail. First it was the creative and then the logitech. Here are the comments from the other end: "The first video was much clearer and I could see that you have not shaved today, The second video looked like you were sitting in the SUN and hid the scruff on your face. The first was clearly better!" Enough said if you ask me. Now granted this was only one test call..but sometimes that is enough to tell you what you need to know. This was tested over a Cable Modem connection (Comcast) that has about 15mbps down and 2mbps up. A variety of other programs were running while skyping (is that a word?).
Background music was playing at a nominal volume so as to check if noise canceling and adaptive microphones worked properly, it did! The other party did hear the music when I was not speaking but said the music drowned out immediately when my voice was being transmitted.
Physical Aspects:
The creative unit comes on a clear acrylic base which you can simply sit on your desk. It also does however have a curved design at the bottom which allows you to place it on top of a monitor. (The logitech also has these features, but the creative looks sharper!). The camera can be rotated about 270 degrees. It has two microphones to the left of the lens so that it can clearly pick up your voice and cancel out the noise...(this was also tested in the skype chat with background music playing).
Software: I personally do not feel the need to install extra software on my system but I must inform you that is available and adds a few features to the camera. Here are a few of the key points:
1. Parental Control - so you can lock the camera from being used.
2. Avatars - You are able to use avatars and add video and voice effects to your video chats. This feature also allows you to create avatars from your own pictures.
The software is not a necessity on any system that can recognize USB devices, primarily newer operating systems that have camera support built in. However, please note that the software will be required if you want to use the parental lock features and if you want your images to be upconverted (interpolated) from 2.0mp to 8.0mp.
Overall this camera has proven to be clearly superior to the Logitech and in my testing the video, still shots, and voice quality have shown vast improvements. Before you make the purchase, make sure you know what you are buying...it is a great WEB-CAM for your computer...it will not replace your digital camera and or high quality video camcorder. If you buy it with that in mind, you will be more then satisfied. However, if you are looking to start broadcasting HD video and High Quality images...stick with your regular hardware...this wont cut it.
I will be using this permanently from today onwards and will be reporting in from time to time.
Please share your comments on this review and ask any questions you may have so that I can investigate and answer them thoroughly.
5/5 |
Awsome Web Cam!
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| Review Date: December 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Jason Harper, Houston, TX |
| Hey if you are looking for a great web cam look no further! Sure there are more complicated ones that swivel and follow you... but if you need that your probably filming something your not supposed to... I have used it on my PC and laptop with ease and it has great software for it too. Right now I have it hooked up to my PS3 and it works great! Could not be happier with another product, almost two years and still works like its brand new with great picture quality!! |
Parental Control!!
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| Review Date: February 17, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Jennifer, MN, USA |
In this day and age, I expect to have parental controls on any device that can connect to the internet. This is the only webcam I have found that offers this feature. It allows you to set a password so that ANY time the webcam is going to be connected to the internet, it requires the password. Awesome!
All the little fun features are strictly for kids and as an added plus, has helped me to get my 4-year-old to sit down for long distance video chats with his grandparents for more than just a few minutes. I'm not sure Grandma is so thankful, however! It is cute to watch him play with the considerable variety of voices and video effects but isn't something most people would use in their regular video calls.
This is the first real webcam we've had in a while. Others have died on us and we've been left with only the one in our little Asus netbook, which leaves much to be desired. It has been amazingly refreshing to upgrade to this great little cam. The autofocus seems to work well and in our test calls we could see the video was MUCH more smooth and clear. I used to joke that we should put up a still picture and see if they could tell the difference. As for the mic, the mic on our netbook webcam has always been a sore spot as I am generally a soft spoken person and always feel like I have to shout for the in-laws on the other line to hear me. The mic on this cam seems to have completely alleviated this issue and I don't get anymore "I didn't quite catch that!"
I've noticed a few reviewers had issues with mounting it on a flat screen monitor but we didn't have any issue. I also really like the look and size of the cam. We've had several that are just big and obvious and ugly and look like some kind of robotic creature. This one has a sleek look to it and I'm looking forward to many years of use. |
AVERAGE WEBCAM DESPITE ITS CLAIMED PREMIUM FEATURES
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| Review Date: May 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Iron Man, |
Finally had the chance to get a review running for this webcam. First of all, let me break down the pros and cons that I have gathered for this webcam:
Pros:
* Software intallation and set up was quick and flawless, had the cam
running in minutes
* It has Parental controls
* The focus is crisp and clear for still pictures
* You have the ability to adjust the resolution
* Have the ability to create your own avatars
* It is backwards compatible with USB 1.1 for older PC's
* Microphone pick up is great with its noise-canceling feature
* It is adjustable with its clip and tilt feature design
Cons: (these are based on my own personal observations compared to using a Logitech webcam and does not reflect on other user's experience with this equipment)
* Noticeable "noise" on the video despite its claimed HD feature,
although when used online, its noise will vary on the strength of
your internet connection.
Despite the video noise, I still gave this webcam a 5-star because the pros feature overwhelms the cons. Noise can never be avoided in any webcam when used online because internet signals are never consistent, it will and can fluctuate invariably. Its 2MP sensor captures great and sharp pictures and the best part, it is auto-focus. No need for you to tinker anything or manually adjust the camera. I also like to ability to adjust the resolution to conform with your variable needs. You can take low resolution photos or videos, then upgrade or upconvert it to higher resolutions with the software. Another thing that drew my liking to this camera is the Parental-control feature where if you have kids in the house, you can prevent them from using the camera. In today's internet sassy world, this is a great feature to prevent your kids from being exposed to internet predators. Overall its a good webcam, better than the Logitech I am currently using. More features for enhanced use.
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Easy to Use and Crystal Clear!
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| Review Date: April 23, 2009 |
| Reviewer: MoMo, San Jose, CA |
Love this camera! I was looking for user-friendliness and good quality and that's what I found. It was really easy to set-up and I was amazed at just how clear the picture was. I mostly use this for Skype-ing with family, so those 'visits' are even better now! I also got the LIVE! CAM Notebook Ultra camera for my Laptop and it's just as great.
On a side note, Way to go Creative for not going overboard with the packaging and making ALL of it recyclable!!! |
Excellent!
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| Review Date: September 12, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Arnold R. Mcgall, Rochester, NY |
| This camera works much better than my $100.00 Logitech Orbit MP. The color is much more natural and the driver is not flaky as is the Logitech driver software. |
love it! ...
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| Review Date: October 9, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Ashanti Christian, New York |
| i love it! received it today! very good cam... its so tiny too! i thought it wasnt going to be so small. |
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