Customer Reviews

Microsoft LifeCam VX-5500 (White)

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Length:: 6:19 Mins

This is me talking on the webcam - it's VERY easy to install, VERY easy to use, but I didn't find it necessary to install all the bells and whistles.

The Lifecam 5500 is a cute little webcam that's extremely portable and has a nice long cord. It even comes with three different colored faceplates - dark red, blue, white-- so that you can integrate it into your 'look'. Built-in microphone, of course.

Technicals:::

Size: 1.75-inch-by-1.75-inch square
Connect: Uses a Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin Type A
OS: Microsoft Windows Vista , Microsoft Windows XP SP2
Min. Processor: 1.8 gHz
VGA sensor that captures 640x480 video and still 1.3-megapixel images.
Warranty: 3 year
License: extensive rights assertion


I tested the VX 5500 on an older PC running XP/home. The first thing that I noticed, besides the fact that there seemed to be a lot of packaging, was that there was a tag on the USB that said that the software should be installed before the camera is plugged in.

I did NOT, however, follow that advice because I could not agree to the Licensing Agreement. [For more on that, See the Con's.] Instead I just plugged it in and waited to see if the software I had previously loaded for my Gigaware webcam would work. It did. Perhaps it is because I used other drivers that I ran into no installation problem like others have commented on. I just plugged the cam in and it worked.

RESULTS:::

Pros :::
o Plugged right in and worked on our XP Home system.
o It works with non-Microsoft drivers.
o It worked with Google video chat.
o It has a Great stand. You can use it with a laptop or PC. (The Gigaware cam we purchased is only for laptops)
o 3D effects (requires software and internet downloads)
o It handles dim lighting conditions well. [Contrarily it tends to wash out in bright light.]
o Cord length is a nice 6 foot. (Longer than the Gigaware webcam by a foot!)
o 3 year Warranty


Cons :::
o The camera tends to wash out in bright light; it does better in dim light.
o Not compatible with Macs
o Invasive User Agreement (EULA) enables automatic updates and data collection.

Generally speaking, this is a nice webcam. It compared favorably with the Gigaware cam and the 5500 dealt with dim light conditions much better. If you are into such things, there are 'fun' 3D effects like hats and what not that you can download.

I'm going to give this product 4-Stars because it's reasonably priced and does a good job. HOWEVER, if a draconian EULA bothers you I would recommend the Gigaware Webcam as an alternative. It is roughly the same price, slightly higher resolution and the EULA doesn't give Gigaware unlimited access to your computer.

This webcam is very small and folds flat. It's a great idea for travelling with a laptop when you want to keep in touch with your Paltalk friends.

Pros:
Picture quality is excellent (see Cons).
No focus needed. The depth of field is 21 inches to around 60 inches which is a great trend for the webcam product segment.
UVC support so you don't need a driver unless you want extra features.
Works in Linux due to UVC support.
Cool blue LED and interchangeable faceplates.
Hand-waving latency is very low (see Cons).

Cons:
Even with USB 2.0 the hand waving latency is very low but the frames per second is way less than 30.
Fast movement will blur your image which is something I did not expect. This doesn't happen on comparable Logitech or even the older Lifecams.
Your computer does all of the processing so it will slow down your computer a little bit more than the prior generation of Lifecams did.
A word about the fixed focus: the depth of field ends at 60 inches, not infinity. It's not suitable for monitoring a room or objects that are more than 60 inches away. It's intended to sit on your screen or desk.
The cable is thick and puts so much weight on the camera it pulls the camera off your screen if you're not careful.

Due to the poor motion support this camera is not worth the money. This camera does not compare well to the cheap, generic UVC models I got at my favorite local computer store.

This is very easy to install and use. You can install the drivers included with the CD, but I recommend that you install the latest ones from the Microsoft website (currently at v2.04). Also, make sure you install the drivers before connecting the camera.

The image quality is amazing. The autofocus works great, so you don't have to adjust the focus every time you change position.

Software integration is good. The webcam works best with Live Messenger (obviously, since they are both developed by Microsoft), but other programs, such as Skype or Yahoo Messenger, work fine as well. I have found that the picture quality is better on Live Messenger, however the video is smoother in Skype (especially when either user has a slower internet connection). This is probably due to Skype downscaling the image quality in order to make the experience smoother, while Live Messenger keeps the image at the highest quality at all times. I haven't used Yahoo Messenger much, but I did test it in there and it works.

The integrated microphone is extremely convenient as well. It captures my voice even when I am talking from another room, and the sound quality is perfect.

Overall, I highly recommend it.

Having compared this to the VX-5000, I definitely prefer it but it is more costly and for general usage the cheaper model gives you roughly the same audio/video quality from what I could tell. The video quality is more than acceptable for a webcam in this price range. The audio quality via the built-in microphone is pretty righteous considering the cost. But again, the same can be said about the less expensive 5000.

There are some additional features to distinguish it, including a 3-D video effect. I didn't mess around with it too much, but it is there if you like tinkering with distortion effects and the like. There's also a feature where you can share videos with other LifeCam users if you both have Vista on your computer. I don't, so it makes it hard for me to do backflips over this. But again, if it is something you're looking for - it's available with this unit.

We recently bought two Microsoft LifeCam VX-5500 webcams - one for us and one for my mom so that we can do online video calls with her and our daughters. After reading the reviews, we opted to not install any of the software that came with the cameras and are glad we did since they work beautifully without any additional software. I have XP on my laptop and my mom has Vista. My mom isn't very computer savvy so my younger brother set it up for her; however, she definitely could have done it herself - just would have needed a little extra coaching that my brother didn't need. Here are my favorite things about this product:

- Easy set up with no software needed.
- Perfect sound and video quality for online video calling.
- Folds up quickly for easy storage.
- Stays put on top of laptop screen easily without much effort.
- Face plates make it more matchy-matchy depending on the look of ones computer.

Overall, we have been completely satisfied with our purchase.

Microsoft VX-5500

This is the second Microsoft Webcam that I've gotten. The first being the VX-3000. While it is not substantially different I'm happy to see they made some refinements to the design of the button and the base.

Overview-
Physically it's a nice looking webcam. It even has a detachable faceplate with red, white and blue faces. Squareish in shape with a "windows live" button up top. The fact that they shrank the button is a big plush from the VX-3000. With that cam every time you tried to adjust the cam you ended up hitting the windows live button and being prompted to install/launch windows messenger.

The base is integrated and kind of a wire frame assembly. It is substantial enough to ground the cam. The back cord is not so thick/stiff that it makes positioning the cam difficult. For laptop use the base unhinges in the rear to form something like an "L" turned on its side. At the front there is a small lip at the top of the L that will catch on the top of your screen and then the bottom of the L provides the support.

Installation
Installation was fairly straightforward. Make sure to put the disk in before hooking the cam up. They have that mentioned in several places in the packaging. The disk runs automatically and does the install. I did a standard install on a Dell 630 Laptop and it took about 15 minutes for the actual install and downloading of the latest drivers. I thought that a bit long but to be fair all operations involving the CD/DVD seem to take longer on that machine.

After installing the hardware I plugged in the cam and it was quickly recognized. Went through the adjust your volume wizard and then it was ready to go. It was recognized by Yahoo IM and I was chatting away.

Performance
The best I can say about the performance is it's a webcam. Very average. I've seen better, I've seen worse. It works. I've got webcams that are WAY older with lesser system requirements that do better.

As part of the software they have some "cute" features where you can distort your face or overlay it with hats, sunglasses or other gimmicks. It's an interesting novelty for my kids, it kept them focused on it longer than they would have otherwise because I could make their face funny in a different way every few minutes. But for a regular conversation...no.

So to summarize

Pros-
Easy to install
Easy to use
Flexible mounting
Cons-
None really, seems to be very standard

Conclusion
If you're looking for a decent (not exceptional) webcam this will do the job.

Length:: 1:23 Mins

This video shows the video quality of the camera. Recorded on a Mac Pro, using Quicktime Pro software. Encoded for upload as FLV video at high quality settings.

I purchased this webcam based on good reviews listed. I have Windows XP (SP2) and I had the same issues as another reviewer with XP who said it 'stalled' their computer and they thought maybe it was their internet service. That's what I thought because my computer kept shutting down - just on its own. A local computer service company (took a different computer from my office for service, not the one I had the Lifecam hooked up to) advised me this is a common problem with Windows XP and MSN Live and Lifecam. I uninstalled MSN Live and still had the shutting down problem. Unplugged the Lifecam - still the shutting down. Then I uninstalled Lifecam completely ~~~~ no more shutting down problem. It could just be an XP/Lifecam incompatibility issue or not. However, since completely uninstalling Lifecam - my computer works just as good as it did before I installed it. Also, my computer service guy advised me not to install Service Pack 3 on my Windows XP system or I would probably experience the same shutting down problem except you cannot uninstall SP3 - just a tidbit for XP users. Hope this helps someone else -it really was a waste of my money even though it said XP compatible.

I followed the instruction to install the software and connect the webcam. But the image I got from the webcam flickered, regardless of which messenger I used (e.g., Windows Live, Gmail, and Skype). I went to Microsoft's support website and downloaded the update, which did not solve the problem. I do not recommend this webcam; the sound quality is not consistent either. Also, I bought it from a third party here, which made it impossible to return. The third party company had very strict return policies. Always buy from Amazon; it has a really friendly return policy.