Customer Reviews

Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(52)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I just want to confirm that this camera is indeed compatible with a Mac, and works reasonably well with Skype. My set up: 1.5 GHz Powerbook G4, Mac OS X 10.4.8, Skype 2.5.0.85, macam 0.9.1 driver. The refresh rate is not that high, subjectively at about 10 fps. Mic on the camera does not work, but the Powerbook built-in mic works very well. Headphones are not necessary but desirable to eliminate echo. The camera produces good focus and depth of field, and auto adjusts to different lighting conditions. Overall, video quality is not outstanding, but pretty decent and quite usable with Skype.

Length:: 0:44 Mins

This is my experience with the Logitech Quickcam Communicate STX. Maybe I got a bad one, but nothing helps. Settings, lighting, tried all suggestions. Time for a trip back to the store. I've always like Logitech, but this one didn't impress me.

This camera definitely has crisp picture, but the images are way too blurry during movement with low frame rate. I wasn't sure if this was due to the computer I was running it on (above minimum but slightly below recommended specs) or the camera itself.

I happened upon a Logitech UltraVision (which is Logitech's top-of-the-line webcam) for only $79. On the box, both the Communicate STX & UltraVision have the SAME minimum & recommended system requirements. But the UltraVision when installed on the same computer had no blurry images during movement, with obviously better frame rate, and better performance overall. Very odd, I thought, since UltraVision is at least 3 steps above Communicate STX in the model level, and is assumed to require greater system resources.

So my conclusion is that the Communicate STX, for whatever reason, does indeed have an unacceptable blurry motion image and ridiculously low frame rate (well below the 30 fps that's advertised on the box & elsewhere). The picture itself is crisp and handles low light well, but there is lag time in the movement, and the audio and video do not sync well. Be warned if that's a concern. Some people are more forgiving of this than others, but I personally can't stand it, and if you've ever experienced a webcam that actually responds to you instantaneously, it's really hard to settle for anything less. The built-in microphone, by the way, is excellent and very sensitive, and the unit itself is quite attractive in its silver & black.

As for the UltraVision, I believe the Rightlight2 technology (for this particular model) does not work well in low light (definitely too dark), but it can be corrected manually by increasing the gain. Hopefully, this flaw will be corrected permanently with a software fix at some future date (how hard can it be to write code that would kick the gain up a few notches when the light level falls below a certain point?). The picture on the other hand is the sharpest I've ever seen in a webcam. As for the concerns of it being a resource hog, I didn't experience that, and I don't see how people can say that when the system requirements are the same for the Communicate STX, Pro 5000, & Fusion. They may just be assuming this, since it is the most expensive camera in the line. All four of them basically use the same software as well. UltraVision is no more a resource hog than the others mentioned, in my opinion.

On a side note, I noticed a blue tinge in the skin tone when using the UltraVison in lower light. I realized that this was due to the blue illuminated ring around the Logitech logo while the camera was on. Since there was little light, the blue ring actually served as a lighting source, thus making the skin tone somewhat blue. Now if they'd just make that ring a little brighter & white in color......

Hope this helps if you were wondering about the Communicate STX's blurry motion video, or the UltraVison's capabilities. I would not buy the Communicate STX. If I had to get a Logitech, I would spend the extra money and step up to the Pro 5000 (or any of the other models with 'true high-speed' USB 2.0), which must have better frame rate and smoother video, just as the UltraVision did.

I'm very happy with this web cam. It rests fine on my laptop's LCD or on my CRT monitor. The software gets installed first, and the first thing it does is call home to do a new download of all the software and drivers. This took some time (using DSL, maybe 20 minutes), but I was glad to have the "latest and greatest". The camera image is very clear and the software gives you control over things like white balance. I keep most things under automatic control, but I do find I have to adjust the white balance so images don't look too bluish. Still, this is a quibble. I really like the integrated microphone! With the echo canceling software, I can talk without a headset and neither end of the connection hears echos. There are also some "filters" that can distort your image for fun. They are good for a few laughs, especially with kids. I don't see any negatives to this product at all unless you are trying to take really good pictures with it. Use the right tool for the job; if you want fine still pictures, use a real digital camera. If you want to video conference via Skype (or whatever), this web camera works quite well.

I bought this webcam after first trying an older one (a different brand) I had laying around the house. The older one was difficult to install & get working properly, & required a registry edit to get the IM program to see it, & also the use of a separate microphone. I went to a local retailer (sorry Amazon, but you don't sell this one yet) to see what options were out there, & figured I'd give this one a try. Cost was a little under $60 before tax. There were others that appear to have the same or very similar specs & cost a little less, but I chose this one because I've been happy with every Logitech product I've used in the past. Setup was quick, easy, & completely painless. Installation was done in about 5 minutes & it worked flawlessly right away. I'm now going back out to buy another one to send to my son, who's out of the country. I can hardly wait until he gets it so we can talk to each other face to face.

Overall I like the device. The sound quality is not as good as a headset, but it's clear enough for what I'm using it for (Skype). The mount is really geared to flat panels or laptops, I had to tape in down to my monitor. Other than that it's a good CAM, works well enough.

I bought this camera despite reading in the reviews that it has a low frame rate. Thus, I wasn't surprised to notice it indeed provides very low frame rates.

The picture produced by the camera is OK, but some pixels seem to be stuck to grey under some conditions. Even after putting the lid on and letting no light reach the image sensor, the pixels remain grey.

The low frame rate is the most annoying problem however. I researched the problem a bit on Logitech's forums. I found that the frame rate is related to the "Exposure" setting in the camera's properties.

Here is the relation: Exposure = 1/FPS

Where FPS is Frames Per Second. Under most lighting conditions, the exposure will be 1/5 of a second. Thus, your FPS will be 5!!! Five frames per second is a far cry from the 30 FPS advertised for the camera.

To get a better frame rate, go in the advanced properties of the camera and uncheck "Low Light Boost". You will then typically have a frame rate of 15, but will lose all the advantages of the "RightLight" technology.

You can further increase the frame rate by unchecking "Automatic Gain Control" and setting the exposure to whatever you wish. But, you will need strong lighting to see anything correctly.

It would seem to me that one should not have to do this kind of tweaking for a webcam to work properly. Either the image sensor should be more sensitive to light or a decent image processing solution should be applied to the input.

Because of this, I cannot recommend this camera.

This camera has a good microphone, and outstanding video for a fairly inexpensive webcam. It worked out of the box in Linux (Kubuntu Feisty), both sound and video. Works great with poor light in the room, and it focuses just fine, both close and distant objects.

A cliché applies regarding this webcam as, basically, it is what it is. It's no great triumph of technology though. When I talk too fast the picture gets real blurry and my mouth gets out of sync with the words I say; however, I should point out that I only paid 29 bucks for mine. Essentially, I view this product as being about what you'd expect for the price. You're not going to get taken if you buy it but it's a long way from being professional grade. I'm going to get an upgrade soon so I'll post a review on that product which I hope will have 1.3 pixel resolution. Like some of the other folks here, I had problems with the sound so I went out and picked up some headphones which make for a better recording. If I had it to do over again I probably would have pony upped more cash for a better model than this one. You can't fault something this cheap for not being great though.

I've been webcaming for 5 plus years, started with Windows 98SE now using Windows XP desktop--using Skype, MSN Messenger to Windows Live Messenger. My first Logitech webcam was the Pro 4000. About year and a half ago I purchased the STX (because it was on sale) and wanted a backup just in case the Pro 4000 gave up the ghost---this December (2008) had to retire the 4000 and installed the STX. Wished I had installed the STX sooner because the STX has a far better picture/video and sound/audio quality over the 4000.

I've read here, in the user reviews, where some people are having "issues" with their Logitech webcams not working correctly after installation and with Skype, Messenger, Yahoo etc.---maybe I can provide some helpful info to correct those problems.

First, when installing the Logtiech software from either the CD or directly from the Logitech website---if it asks you if you want or has a checkmark in "Logitech Desktop Messenger" say NO or UNCHECK it (if you find that it was installed then un-install/remove Logitech Desktop Messenger) there is "something wrong within it" which will cause your webcam not to perform correctly---I discovered this while doing some research on the Logitech forums.

Secondly, after the installation, when you are done selecting your webcam's video/audio settings to your liking---and you have any of the "video chatting" programs (Skype, Windows Live Messenger, AOL, Yahoo etc.) then go to each individually and do the webcam settings (audio/video) to make sure audio/video is working correctly and that that program RECOGNIZES your webcam---do this BEFORE making your first "video or audio chat".

Hope these helpful hints help those who maybe having problems.