1. Plug & Play
In Windows 7, the webcam was with me immediately detected and could be used in Skype. Since this work completely without a problem and restart the computer, which gives me a half star.
2.Design/Verarbeitung
This webcam is very slim, small and kept in glossy black. This piano lacquer look with this sleek design makes her a lot and goes well with my slender simple monitor that is kept well in this look.
The processing is very solid and the hinges of the retaining clip had no little game.
In the design and processing there for me personally nothing to complain about. These things are top on this product.
Therefore, there is for an entire star from me.
3. Installation
The bracket / mounting the clip is unfortunately not suitable for modern flat screens. I could this webcam on my monitor not fit firmly, because this is about 1 cm thick, but a monitor bracket of 3-4 cm thickness requires so that it securely holds. Here you would definitely be able to consider a better support, which is provided for example with a flexible fixture.
But since the webcam holds the rubber strip on the clip to thicker objects well, but there's still half a star for my part.
4. Resolution:
This is definitely no HD camera! Although it is a webcam and no HD camcorder, but as mentioned in the preface, made my ancient Webcam from Logitech a better picture at a resolution of about 240p. This webcam here in Plug & Play, she interacts with the Windows 7 supported drivers, even 240p. The "default mode" of Cam 720p is therefore not supported with Plug & Play and Win7 default driver. These things I have tested with the video editing software from Magix. But since you and play great advertises the product with Plug support, is something just a complete no-go!
Below is the front of the packaging bold "5,7MP *" and the search for that associated "*" on the packaging designed with difficulty, since this "*" with the note at the bottom of the package is kleingedruck. There is then only that this 5.7 megapixel would be zerzielt only by software ("software enhanced"), but so and so's bullshit, because there is no software in the world out of a bad starting material (1 megapixel), the quality of a good can produce feedstock (5.7 megapixels). Nowhere is that only a 1.0 megapixel sensor was built into this webcam. For this enormous deception and lack of indication of the actual hardware-based pixels, there is no star on my part, but rather one more star deduction.
5. image quality (sharpness, sensitivity to light, noise)
The image quality in pure Plug and Play mode is catastrophic! The picture is extremely blurred / out of focus, even if one increases the sharpness by 200-300% in the options of the standard plug and play drivers.
In addition, the webcam is extremely weak with respect. Photosensitivity. In normal average room lights can be seen on this webcam next to this blur otherwise hardly what. To deal with this in the room light yet to ever see what I had with me in Room 400 still my turn on watt uplight. Although this uplight illuminates my room very bright, the picture quality of the webcam was still not really good. This still showed a strong red tint and the image rustled extremely (!!) strong. That modern webcams from well known manufacturers can so strong noise in the image, I would definitely not think because I'm used to it from my notebooks ago, hardly a perceptible noise effect occurs even in dim light, although one MP at this 1.4 Notebook Cams then hardly can recognize what sheer darkness.
How does this all behaves in daylight, I can not say because I only after dark'm at home in the winter and then just so must use a webcam with room light. Therefore, it may be that this webcam could provide a noise-free image in daylight, but for me personally, that's irrelevant, because as I said I want a Wabcam also can use at night with room light.
Enclosed generate bright light sources in the room on this webcam strong light reflections like a bright mist lie down across the image. Such lighting effects, I know only by older video cameras, which are obliquely oriented to the sun side.
So if the light source is behind a side, you at this webcam an extremely strong "light mist" within one-third of the image area. My notebook camera here has more than just a bright spot of light in the background, but nothing more.
For all these reasons there is no star for me. Ultimately, I'm more inclined to also deduct a star for this again, so I definitely go back by initially (Punk 1 and 2) two stars back on a star.
6. Drivers / Software
That's the worst part about the whole thing!
I thought after all these tests with the webcam, that it could be better, if I now but down load my driver from the manufacturer's site, although all this is supposed to work immediately after Creative properly without driver. Nungut, so I went up to the product side, sought there the driver and started to download.
The driver is about 380 megabytes in size ... 380MB for a driver ?! oO Are you fucking kidding me?
This is the largest driver that I've ever experienced in my PC-Freak-life for an input device.
To this was then that I, despite a 50,000 VDSL line only about 50kbps could load from the manufacturer of / from the server, so that I would have needed more than 2 hours to get this driver.
Since I was too stupid, I stopped that and decided to give this webcam back.
In addition, the software was great about this webcam also about 300MB, so I would have to wait to the 5 hours until I perhaps with better more convincing quality could use this webcam.
At this point I was just definitely clear that I will return this webcam, I incidentally also does not want to install 500-1000 megabytes of data on my hard drive, only being able to run around as a webcam reasonable, recognized as Plug and Play without the need for driver installation becomes.
Conclusion:
I was this webcam not only not convinced in their quality in the price range of 20-30, but also lowered the previously good picture of Creative and its products from an initial 95 100 points 30 of 100 points. If Creative had settled at least one CD for their nearly 400MB big driver for this Webcam and more than 300 MB Software, my sentence could have been better for this product, provided that this webcam could come with appropriate drivers a much better picture quality. But as it is, this webcam earned with effort and great kindness on my part just as a star of 5 This star is just even the very good desing and the solid processing owe.
My Recommendation:
If you only with natural light in a room with many large windows works and no emphasis on HD quality, you can possibly even be happy with this webcam and thus something to work fairly reasonable. Webcams, meet these demands, it also already receives for the 10 and with drivers that are not 380MB in size.
Otherwise, I strongly encourage from buying this webcam because truly almost every notebook webcam better than it is here.
Addendum of 26/05/2015:
Since I was looking for a different webcam for this disappointment and also found, I want this also briefly mentioned as an alternative for almost 4 months. These are to:; redirect = true & ref_ = oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00
This webcam works Plug & Play without any problems and it also offers a razor-sharp HD (720p) image and many settings and Featueres, without any drivers or software to have to download zustätzlich. Even under Linux it is recognized without any problems and can be adjusted and operated fully comprehensive with relevant software packages. Likewise, you can see in this webcam, even yet what if the room is completely dark and only the monitor will brighten your own face. The whole even almost no noise. Under these extreme Bedingungenen only the FPS go far in the basement. Under normal conditions, the built-in 2-megapixel sensor makes knotless clean images in actual HD level.
There are also the autofocus, which is a bit sluggish, but even sharper macro shots possible. That was impossible with the Creative webcam!
So for 10-20 more you get a webcam that need to be deserved called HD-Cam at Logitech. Of this I am certainly very excited and convinced, especially since I no for 700MB of software and drivers had to download, but all went immediately .. plug and play. Even in Skype!
Therefore, my current Conclusion: Dear 10-20 spend more on a Logitech C525 HD Webcam, because their money is also definitely worth it.
