Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision Webcam Hands-on

http://static.filmloop.com/looplets/flash/v2/looplet.swf

I just got in the QuickCam Ultra Vision and I was taken aback. It seemed pretty beefy, and once I took it out of the box, I discovered it was even beefier than I initially suspected. This is thing is big, but it’s nothing if it’s not well balanced. The main camera tube feels solid while the arm that holds it in place weighs about 8 ounces.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjoCaZCmbB8]

The Ultra isn’t quite a portable webcam. It’s small enough to stuff into a bag, but it owes an aesthetic and design debt to the iSight and other more stationary webcams while still holding its own in the looks department. The barrell is completely chromed-out and has a nice, hefty feel to it. There are buttons on both sides and the Logitech logo lights blue when in use.

Enough about the superficial stuff, you’re probably wondering how this thing performs. Well, first off, this is a 1.4-megapixel webcam. Although most transfer protocols can’t yet support that kind of bandwidth, the image quality of the Ultra Vision is quite good, even in low light. Finally, the built-in echo cancellation and RealLight 2 combine to improve recording quality immensely, even in my dark, dingy dungeon of a basement.

Overall, this feels like a premium product. At $129.99, the price is about on par with anything you’d get elsewhere, but the unique design and sexy features–including the ability to appear as an animated character using the bundled Logitech software–are pretty fun. No real complaints, though recommending this webcam over any of the myriad other devices out there is hard, but not impossible. It’s a good camera at a good price and if the bone white and chromed-out finishing match your curtains, then you’re in business.

A special added bonus – talk to me today, Friday, August 25, via MSN Messenger. I’m john at bigwidelogic dot com. Initiate a video chat and see dino face in action.