Customer Reviews

Logitech Clicksmart 310 Dual Cam ( 961189-0403 )

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I just recieved this product in the mail last week and started testing it out. The camera is very affordable in comparison to pretty much any other digital camera out there and it has more than one function, which is a very nice feature. I will review the two main features of the camera:

Webcam: Here is the camera's strong point. As a webcam, this camera works very well and seems to really hit the target for all of your webcam needs. It has a simple to use interface and does the job.

Digital camera: Here is the camera's weak point. The resolution on the digital pictures is not good at all. Very low quality, and if you try and take pictures in low light, you might as well not even bother. The camera has no flash so that is a low point as well.

Some other tidbits about the camera: The software that the camera comes with is very childish and unprofessional looking. Now, I'm not saying that you shouldn't buy the camera because of this, but it's something to think about. Also, the camera turns itself off after 30 seconds of being "on" This feature saves battery power but can be EXTREMELY annoying in certain situations. (Like if you are trying to line up a picture or something just right, then boom! the camera turns off)

If you're in the market for a webcam and that's your main motivation to buy this product then I recomend it, However, if you're buying this product mainly for it's digital camera function I suggest you look elsewhere. A good webcam with a bonus feature of being able to take low resolution dig. pictures. That's the jist of it.

This isn't a replacement for a real digital camera. It only has a small amount of built-in memory, has no screen to view your pictures on and only takes them at a very low resolution. However, it is worth while for quick snapshots for friends and family. In good lighting conditions, the camera gives surprisingly high quality pictures, given the caveats above, but suffers quite a bit in low light.

As a webcam it works fine, but again low lighting hurts the picture, even with the lighting boost turned on. Installation is as easy as it possibly could be and if all goes well (which it did for me) you should be using it within about five minutes. Pictures you take away from the PC are downloaded very quickly via the USB connection and getting them from the camera to the PC is simply a matter of plugging in and clicking one button.

It's a worthy buy and I'm very happy with mine, but don't expect miracles.

I got this for my son for his ninth birthday....

Anyway, as a kids camera it is wonderful. Kids love to take pictures but you can't afford to keep them in film and processing for what they want. If you buy them a film camera it feels like you are forever fighting them: "No honey, no one will want to see a picture of our mailbox." You are too worried about wasting film and processing.

With this approach you can turn them loose and you don't have to worry about anything. If they do take a picture they want to share, they can email it, and that's superior to what they can do with a film camera anyway.

I gave my son this as a point and shoot camera and purchased rechargeable batteries for him. He can click away to his heart's content and it doesn't cost me a thing.

The pictures upload easily to the PC where he can view them. It's also easy to email them to anyone.
It even takes small video clips you can email to others.

It also comes with some neat software. If you hook it to your PC it supports time lapse photography -- you know the pictures spread over hours or days that show you plants growing. Or if you want to produce your own claymation epic, there is a neat stop action photography option.

Here is the fine print on this camera. As a digital camera, it only records 320 x 240. It has no flash and its fixed focus.
Truthfully, the quality is not very good. Unless you hold it still (tough for him) it's easy to get blurry pics. Even when pics are clear they are at best web quality it's not anything you would want to make prints from. So this is definitely NOT adult quality. However, for kids the goal is to get a recognizable picture, not a piece of art. As a cheap way to let him take lots of pictures it is wonderful.

In summary, this is NOT a digital camera for adults, but for kids it's much better than any film camera you can buy.

Logitech has been excellent in coming out with innovative products. I feel their keyboards and mice, combined with their cordless technology, is simply second to none.

With their success, they've ventured into coming out with new products, such as speakers, headsets and unfortunately, digital cameras.

As you can tell from the title of my review, I am extremely disappointed with this camera. I actually bought TWO! And I really want to just chuck them out now.

The webcam quality is so grainy and dark (it needs a lot of light to give just marginal picture quality). I've used 3 different webcams in the past, but this by far is the worst. It doesn't even let you manually focus the lens, and the picture really looks out of focus.

For those hoping to get a decent webcam, I'd recommend the old (but fantastic) IBM PC Camera Pro.... Not many webcam these days can boast 640x480 CCD (not CMOS).

In camera mode, the ClickSmart's resolution drops automatically to half it's webcam size. Needless to say, if in webcam mode, the quality was already bad, you can forget about photo and video clip modes.

I would say the only people who would be able to have some fun with this camera would be kids, under the age of 10.

Also, if you are using this as a camera or video, make sure you download them quickly into the pc. The slightest knock on the camera would momentarily break the contacts of the batteries causing the camera to lose all its internally stored pictures/videos.

Even though I bought this camera at a [good price], I still think it's not worth my trouble at all....

This camera is about as simple as they get. I gave this camera to my daughter who is 9 and she loves it. She has it hooked up to her E-machines Celeron Win Xp system and uses it as a web cam for yahoo IM. As a webcam it gives good images and works well (better than quickcam express USB). As a digital camera it can take 40 352 x 144 pixel photos or 160 176 x 144 pixel photos. It can also take 15 seconds of video. It runs on 4 AAA batteries as a digital camera or off the USB power as a webcam. The digital camera even has a timer and a multisnap mode that will snap off 5 shots at one second intervals. It provides a counter for the photos and battery status indicator. I would suggest going to Logitech's web site and downloading the most up to date software and installing it rather than starting with the supplied CD. Mine had ver 5.6.3 supplied but version 7 is out now. With the supplied software you can even set up the webcam to be a motion sensor camera and take shots when it senses movement. Overall it is a good cheap webcam with the option to remove it from its cradle and take some low quality snapshots. If purchased on sale with rebate it should be a good deal.

DO NOT get this camera if you are looking for a webcam. OH GOD! This is the LOWEST quality picture I've EVER SEEN on a webcam (and I've owned 5 in 3 years). In fact, don't get this camera if you want to take pictures any where but outside in daylight. And even then, the images are extremely blurry.

Two thumbs DOWN!

use this outdoors and get OK pictures. don't use it indoors. i have a hospital-like light in the living room and still, the pictures indoors turned out horribly dark and grainy. hospital lights are bright.. so think about that when you're fixin to purchase one. i regret buying mine, do not buy this product and expect wonderful pictures. INTEL cameras are best if you're looking for cheap ones =) (both the pocket pc and the digital pocket pc. i have both and i love them.)

There is nothing positive I can say about this camera. The pictures are dark and blurry. The software is cheapy and horrible. When used as a webcam the quality is garbage. My advise to other shoppers out there: Spend a few bucks more and buy some other model.

I purchased this camera from Amazon with the linksys router bundle. Coupled with a $10 Amazon[.com] coupon,$10 Rebate on the router, and a $20 rebate on this camera this was an unbeatable deal for $20. My family in India can now see me as I type in front of my PC everyday. The video quality is horrible and so is the picture quality when taking still shots but it definitely serves its purpose for the price I payed :D.
I had a little trouble installing this on my WindowsXP machine. Keep in mind that you have to install the drivers before you plug in ANY USB device on Windows.

At first I was having a hard time installing the software that Logitech provided. Turns out that the cd is out-of-date (my OS is Windows XP Prof.). So if you're having troubles with the webcam actually showing up on the monitor (mine was pitched black >_<) I recommend downloading their latest software from their site! ^_~

You need good lighting! Taking webcam pictures while the sun is up is highly recommended. Make sure your blinds/drapes are open in your computer room. Pictures taken when it's dark outside and using your ceiling's light may not look great compared to the ones taken in the day (at least from my experience). It looks more 'pixelly' during the night compared to the day.

I find taking pictures on a somewhat cloudy day is the best results! If it's too sunny the face looks too contrasted and makes your face (especially the nose) pale and blurred out. Of course, you can edit the setting but for the usage as a 'digital camera' you won't be able to tell the lighting quality.

The webcam pictures aren't exactly great. They say you can take pictures with a resolution of 640x480 but the quality isn't that great at all (2/5). Lots of pixels and your face is really blurry even if you freeze and hold your pose for those 3 seconds to *click* =P. Personally, I only use the lowest resolution 160x120, because it takes the best quality out of the three resolution options.

If you're thinking of using this as a digital camera *snicker* I wouldn't recommend you buying a Logitech's digital + web camera. =P This model does NOT have the LCD preview in the back so you don't know what you're taking with a *very* steady hand. Even with a steady hand the pictures end up blurry!

If I could return this back I would and pay the difference for the ClickSmart 510 webcam because that one contains a flash so the pictures will at least turn out with some good lighting. For this model, you really have to check your lighting and make sure you freeze as long as possible! lol.

I guess the only pros. about this webcam is that it's small, light, and cool-looking! ^_^;; However, this may be a con for someone with large hands as it may not be as comfortable as an actual decent digital camera! =P I love the stand because it's easier to slip in and out BUT it's also easy to knock-over. I've knocked this webcam out at least 3-4 times onto the floor, and it still works. Though, the "digital camera" memory function does not work that well, but since I do not use as an actual digicam, it's not a big deal. This is a great webcam if you have great lighting and the design is *cool*.

It's great for playing around kids, tweens, and teens. But for adults umm why not get an actual webcam and a decent digital camera? Don't cut corners because even though you are saving quite a lot of money, the quality of the pictures are what you pay for. Best of luck in making the decision for buying a webcam/digicam. ^_^