Customer Reviews

Logitech QuickCam Pro 5000 WebCam

5 star:		(114)
4 star:		(56)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

Trust me, you don't want to waste your money on a cheap webcam. The price for this item might seem a little expensive for a webcam, but you get what you pay for: it's much better quality, design, smooth video, and extra features.

The Quickcam Fusion uses a CMOS sensor, whereas the Quickcam Pro 5000 uses CCD. Fusion does use a higher CMOS sensor compared to low-end webcams, BUT low quality webcams also still use CMOS technology. Most will argue CCD as being better than CMOS. Granted, the results also show (read on further).

- The Quickcam Fusion can tilt 90 degrees back, but it can't tilt forward AND it CANNOT swivel from side to side.
- The Quickcam Pro 5000 can tilt 45 degrees up, about 10 degrees down, AND 360 degrees to the sides. The Quickcam Pro 5000 wins in terms of mobility.

The rubber tail is much more flexible on the Quickcam Pro 5000. You can straighten the tail to lay flat on a desk or on top of a CRT monitor; or bend to put it on your LCD monitor. Unlike the Quickcam Pro 4000, the 5000 does not come with a second base to attach; I mean, there's really no need for it since you can just adjust the tail.

If you plan on taking lots of STILL pictures with the webcam, then the Fusion would be a better choice. The Quickcam Fusion is true 1.3 mega pixel; whereas the Quickcam Pro 5000 is 1.3 mega pixel INTERPOLATED -- meaning it is software enhanced to create a high resolution still picture. However, the whole point of a webcam is for video, anyway; they have digital cameras for taking still pictures. So, in terms of video, the Quickcam Pro 5000, overall, has a clearer video with more vibrant colors. However, bright light will look washed out in white. The Fusion doesn't do a good job with fast motion, as it will blur -- but it does, however, do a better job in low light conditions.

The Logitech Pro 5000 has a wide lens of 63 degrees; the Fusion has a wider lens of 78 degrees. If you plan on using the webcam with lots of members, then the Fusion would probably do a better job of fitting everyone on the screen; however, if you plan to use it alone more often, the Logitech Pro 5000 would be a better choice.

With the Logitech's top-line webcams -- Logitech Quickcam Pro 5000, Quickcam Fusion, and Quickcam Orbit -- includes the Logitech Video Effects. With only those Logitech webcams, you can add cool special effects on yourself, like glasses or gas mask, while you chat with your friends. Like the face tracking feature -- as freaky as this may sound -- it will try to recognize the position of your eyes, nose and mouth and add those special effects on you. I really like this feature and it makes chatting a lot more fun. However, don't expect it to work 100% perfectly: moving around too much would make the special effects disappear and the camera would need to detect your face again; it can be a pain for many, especially when it complains that there isn't enough light to detect. It'll probably work better for people with distinct big eyes and lips. I am Asian but it still worked for me. (Um, whatever that means.) Just remember not to move around too much. You can also choose different avatars, such as a 3D shark, that will follow your movements. The Logitech Video Effects is an extra feature, which some may not really appreciate, but when it works, trust me, it is a lot of fun. You can download more video effects from Logitech's website. Along with the video effects, you can also record video at 640x480 and save it as a (somewhat) compressed AVI.

You can adjust the exposure, brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, white balance, gamma, mirror horizontal/vertical, etc. The microphone is located above the green LED on the webcam, and it does a really good job picking up sound.

If you prefer a more modern look then you'd probably lean more towards the Fusion, whereas the Quickcam Pro still has the early round eye-ball webcam 1.0 look. But personally, I like the black finish and silver rings on the Pro 5000; it goes well with my black monitor. However, what's more important is the video performance. Overall, the Quickcam Pro 5000 is one of the best webcams out there today. Don't settle for a cheap webcam - it's just a waste of money.

IMPORTANT: The software CD inside the package might be outdated (most likely), so don't use it if it is. Just download the latest from Logitech's website. And make sure you install the software first, before connecting the camera, to avoid any further issues.

I've used this webcam with 3 different people so far, and they all report good image quality. One person said that, when the video is viewed full screen, the picture quality is almost as good as a standard definition TV. From my perspective, I could only judge the picture quality of the other parties, and they were pretty poor, probably because they used cheap webcams that were a few years old.

I have used 2 different instant messaging software, MSN and Skype 2.0 beta. While the picture qualities were similar, Skype had significantly better frame rate, and hence motion was not as jerky. However, neither system even came close to 30 frames/sec.

One tip I have is that if your room is dark or you have strong backlighting, you should switch on the low light setting in the software.

I've tried several different webcams, and the Logitech 5000 by far has the best image. Its especially good under low light conditions, where the other cameras I tried didn't work very well. I use the 5000 regularly for videoconferencing via Skype, and it works very well with this service.

The software, however, is downright awful. When trying to set the audio, for instance, the whole system will freeze up completely. I couldn't kill the process at all, and I couldn't even reboot - I had to physically hit the power switch on the computer to restart it. As a programmer, I can tell you that it takes some pretty bad coding to completely lock up a system like that. As a workaround, I had to change the settings on my microphone manually in windows Control Panel and then never ever touch the Logitech camera settings program.

In scanning the web, I've noticed that many other users have had similar problems with their Logitech software. Its a shame that Logitech would release such a nice piece of hardware with such horrible software. So, if you buy this product, cross your fingers that their software will work with your system.

Read the great reviews here so I bought two Pro 5000 webcams. Installed with the included software (v9.5) and got the notorious BSOD (blue screen). Tried on 2 different boxes, both nearly new mid-range Dells; same result. Software installs fine but as soon as the computer detects the webcam hardware it barfs. Forums on the web (including Logitech) show that this problem has a high occurence rate and not just on Dells.

There is a new version (10.0.0 Build 1439) downloadable from the Logitech website; surprisingly, it installed cleanly and smoothly with no problems. BTW, there is no upgrade path from v9.x to 10.0, it has to be a new install.

Performance: works quite well (at least with Skype 2.0), especially in low-light settings. For high back-light issues, override the automatic setting under Advanced Settings and adjust the gain. Face-tracking was bothersome, too distracting with all the zoom-in/zoom-out movement, I eventually disabled it. Automatically recognizes resident software that could use the webcam (Skype, MSN/AOL/Yahoo/Windows Messenger). If you opt to not use the headset you will find that the echo cancellation works well. v10 software records in wmv format, not avi (v 9.5), for those who care. Avatar concept is interesting. Not happy that the included software didn't work but pleased with the final outcome.

My advice would be to create a system restore point (XP) before you start this process because there are some very frustrated end-users reporting unresolved problems with v9.5 and v10.0 ranging from corrupted OSes, BSODs and 100% CPU utilization(v10.0). Most of the problems seem to be with the newer machines running XP. My CPU utilization rate is high (50%) for the quickcam10.exe process, this is on a Pentium D820 dual core running XP SP2. Easily met the system requirements and one would think that with the CPU resources allocated to this process I would get the advertised 30 fps, not so, there is definitely a noticeable lag when moderate movement occurs.

Bottom line, works very well on my 2 PCs with Logitech v10 software. I would give a 4 star for performance, however with the reported problems and potential user research time for compatibility issues I will downgrade to an overall 3 star rating.

I have purchased five of these cameras for distant family members, all of whom are seniors and largely casual computer users. In every case, they have reported that installation of the camera's software and hardware went smoothly and without incident.

The Quickcam works seamlessly with instant messaging software freely available on the Internet. This software enables you and your correspondents to know when each other is online and available to engage in a video conversation. We have encountered some difficulties with MSN Messenger. Navigating the maze of commercially-oriented distractions, in order to acquire the necessary .NET Passport, which is a prerequisite to downloading MSN Messenger itself, can be a challenge. Downloading and installing Skype, on the other hand, is as easy and simple as installing the camera.

The QuickCam provides superbly sharp images, adjusting itself automatically to maintain the right exposure level. Color balance depends on available lighting and is not automatic. For those who want to tweak the balance, rather than change the lighting, the software provides a means to adjust the balance to obtain the most pleasing color tones.

The QuickCam Pro comes with a built-in microphone, but I can't comment on its sound quality. My family had already been using headset microphones to carry on audio conversations, with Net2Phone and Skype. We split the audio signal coming out of the computer's sound card, with a duplex adapter picked up at Radio Shack. That way, we can hear through both the headphones and the speakers; turning down the speaker volume, if necessary to avoid echoes, and turning it up to share the conversation with others in the room. With the Quickcam Pro, we have so far simply continued to use the headsets, rather than change over to relying on the computer's speakers and the microphone built into the camera. If one keeps the speaker volume down and arranges their placement relative to the Quickcam's microphone, to avoid feedback, one could eliminate the fumbling around we now go through in locating, disentangling the wires and putting on the headset when a call comes in.

Another plus for the Quickcam Pro is that it works with both Windows and Mac operating systems. Two qualifications, however. First, before you purchase a Quickcam Pro 5000, check your computer's specifications against the system requirements listed on the box. Your computer must be using a recent version of its operating software and have a processor speed faster than 500 MHz. The Quickcam Pro software will not install on a computer that can't handle the processing demands of streaming video images with 1.3 megapixel resolution. Second, for a social experience which is not constantly distracted by the breaking up of sound and images, it is really necessary to have a high-speed connection to the Internet. If these two conditions are met, you can look forward to endless hours of free, "almost as good as being there" visits with family and friends.

Lots of people do not know the difference of CMOS sensor and CCD sensor... and that is the biggest impact on the quality of the images they will have with their webcam...

The QuickCam Pro 5000 has a CCD (which is the best sensor) and this means a great light sensitivity.

I had the QuickCam 4000 and since I was impressed with the quality, and all of my friends stated that the image of my webcam was really great (compared to the cheap ones), I decided to give my 4000 to my parents and get the new one.

Acctually, there is not a whole lot of difference between both of them, and I keep most of the coments I had for the 4000 to the 5000...

I was amazed with the quality of this camera, and believe me that all my friends mention the same thing... This is perfect for Web Conferences... I use it on Skype, MSN, and to record some movies with the software that comes with it.. Quality is Great !!

The Microphone on it good as well... It may pick up the background noise, depending where it is located of course.. but in the overall it has a good quality...

Another simple but real handy feature is the plastic cover that goes over the lens and will prevent it from beeing on and filming when you really don't want it...

Also, it comes with two goods monitor (or shelf) stands..
CRT or LCD...
The list goes on with Face Tracking, Zoom and other stuff...

You will Love this camera... Just as I love mine...
And I must say I am a fan of it since the 4000 :-P

Good image quality. average sound. you may expiriance a problem to install software and then device itself from CD, which has older version of the installation software. Fortunately there is a latest version of installation package on Logitech support website. I was looking primarily for image quality and I'm quite satisfied.

In the box you will find not only the webcam, but also a headset for use while using Skype or other internet phone / chat services. The webcam has a flexible support that you can conform to your LCD monitor for a secure fit.

The webcam itself is pretty nice and I understand the good reviews that it has received for the quality of the video. I plan on using the webcam with Skype and the hardware is exactly what I needed. However, the software that comes with the webcam is horrible.

The first time that I tried to install the software onto my computer, I used the installation CD that came with the webcam. I followed the directions and after rebooting, I plugged in the camera per the instructions. Instead of finding the webcam, my computer showed the blue screen of death. Unnerved by this experience, I restored my computer to a time prior to the software installation and downloaded the latest software from the Logitech website.

The downloaded software installed without crashing my computer. However, during the installation process, I got numerous errors from Windows stating that the hardware was not compatible with Windows XP Pro. I was given the option of continuing the installation which I did, but why was I getting these errors at all? The camera seems to work just fine, but how long till my system suffers a crash?

Another complaint that I have is that the installation will put several programs onto your computer that startup when you start your computer. I good piece of software will give you the option of whether or not you want it to start when Windows starts. However, the only way to prevent the webcam software from starting every time you start windows is to edit your registry. I run some processor intensive programs on my computer which is why I don't want random programs running when I am not using them. If you don't mind all of the Logitech programs running in the background, then this last point is probably not a big deal to you.

In summary, it seems like a descent webcam and the face tracking option is pretty cool. However, I am concerned about the compatibility with Windows XP Pro and the numerous programs that Logitech will have running on my computer. Do not use the CD that came with the webcam. Instead be sure to download the latest version from the Logitech web site. I will be returning this camera to find one more compatible with my needs.

Image wise, this cam is probably the best in the market, period . However, Logitech needs to solve some incompatibility issues with windows xp. After installing the Quickcam 5000 my computer would only boot up to a black screen. A quick web search found many others around the globe having the same problems. Apparently it has to do with some audio features of the cam, nonetheless I had to go back to my old cam until Logitech comes up with a decent solution. Some people seem to have had a smooth ride though, so try at your own risk.

Camera looks great, but crashes system every time I plug in to USB port. I am running Windows XP SP 2 on a 2.4 GHz P4 with 1 GB memory so there should be no system issues. I downloaded the updated software from Logitech and this didn't fix the problem. I plan on returning the camera.

Also, according to the support email I got back from Logitech, which was no help, "The Logitech video cameras are compatible with the USB 2.0 specification, but not compliant. This means the Logitech camera will function properly when plugged into a USB 2.0 port, but the webcam feature will function with the USB 1.1 specifications. The biggest difference between the two USB specifications is speed. So the webcam will work and have full functionality, but it will run at the maximum 12Mbits/sec speed of the USB 1.1 specification."