Customer Reviews

Microsoft LifeCam NX-3000 Webcam - Gray

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This webcam does have good video quality, but the clipping mechanism to hook it onto your laptop LCD is about the junkiest I've ever beheld. If your screen bezel is not absolutely flat or squared off (my Thinkpad has a little lip on it) you'll do all sorts of interesting contortions to find a way to hold it where it's usable.

If you're not sure this will clip on to your laptop screen based on that description, then I'd suggest you pass on this one.

I bought this for my frequent trips to Korea so I can keep in touch with my wife and daughter. The picture quality is very clear. The clip mechanism held on my Thinkpad T60p with no issues. I would prefer if the mechanism wasn't springloaded because I think this will break eventually, but that's hard to tell. The neoprene travel case is very useful for protecting the camera in my laptop bag. The camera worked flawlessly with Windows Live Messenger.

I have a Toshiba Sattelite notebook, but when I bought it, I didn't think a webcam was really necessary, but recently I have found that it is something I wanted, so I found a great deal for this little number on ebay. I looked it up and checked some reviews, but I didn't read anything about this. The clip is made for a screen less than a 1/4 inch wide. Checking with my friends here at school, none of them have a screen that thin; my screen is just about a 1/2 inch wide at the top, where it is supposed to clip onto. Right now, I'm working on trying to make something similar to the mount on the Logitech QuickCam Communicate MP (Black), but right now, I'm using something I rigged up using a nylon cord, a piece of foam, two paper clamps, and the two tabs that lock the screen closed onto my laptop, so I can say the camera works well enough for what I use it for if you're clever enough to mount it in place.

Just ordered this off Amazon from Retail Killer and received it today. I have never had a webcam before but own some great quality digital slr cameras, so I wasn't expecting that great of a feed or still picture. But this camera is great quality for the price. I think it would be great for keeping in touch with loved ones overseas or across the states. I didn't detect any lag at all. I would also recommend using Skype with this, I tried Yahoo IM & Skype, and Skype seemed to have the best quality. There was a little feedback from the mic a few times, but I have a feeling that it was caused by the other users webcam/separate mic set up. This noise can also be diminished by muting the mic, then reactivating it fyi, both users should do this if they experience any feedback. You really can't beat this webcam for the price. I paid 19.95 which included shipping & handling, when Best Buy as of today (10/07/2009) wants $63.99 for it (without shipping).

One draw back that other people have mentioned is the clip, which I agree to. I don't know my monitor depth, but I do know it's bulky, and I did have to adjust it a bit to sit in place. But that's my fault for having a fat monitor. If you have a slim monitor, I don't believe the clip will be an issue at all.

One person that gave a review said this webcam was huge, said it was like setting a mattress atop their PC. That's not true at all, and I was expecting this huge brick in the mail when I read that, only to find out it was pretty tiny. If you want a visual comparison, it's the size a of a cigarette lighter exactly (no bigger, no smaller in height & width). It has the thickness just under 2 lighters stacked.

If you have any issues with lag, just try out the different programs (yahoo, aim, windows live, skype). My friend ordered a rocketfish webcam (with more mega pixels than mine) yet his lag was ridiculous on yahoo (up to 2 minutes delay) but on skype they both worked perfect combined. So you definitely want to try out the different chat programs to see what works best, you may end up assuming the quality is the camera, when in reality its the server you are using.

I would also recommend if you order from Amazon, Retail Killer, due to the fast shipping. I was given a delivery date of Oct. 8th-14th. It arrived Oct. 7th, a day early.

Very happy with this purchase!

This is a nice camera for the price. But keep in mind that it is not compatable with Windows 7, so if you are planning to upgrade anytime in the near future, I would choose a newer model. But other wise it's sound and picture quality are great. I mounted it on a LCD monitor using a little piece of L-shaped plastic and some tape, it looks great!

I bought this for my laptop so I could stay in contact while traveling. It works as advertised and recommend it. The clip that hold it on the laptop is a bit strange but I dont think it will break...if handled with care. Software is basic but I only needed it for the drivers anyway. Works perfect on Skype. Great price on Amazon, way cheaper than local retailers!

This is my first webcam installation. Advanced or experienced PC users can
browse the installation disk, and install only the files and programs on
it needed to enable any functions of the product you want, and leave out
what you don't (like Windows Messenger, foreign languages, etc.)

I first installed it as a USB Video Device, and USB Audio Device using XP
generic drivers. You need to install some drivers from the disk. Install
the drivers in the NX-6000 folder enables full-motion video and the built-in microphone to work. This allowed me to create and save the video review
you will see here. It is an .avi file, and plays using Media Player v11.

This will not work on Yahoo Messenger unless you can change ColorSpace/
Compression from Microsoft's MJPG to RGB 24. Shame on Microsoft because it
is a good camera and they try to lock you into their IM service. I haven't
found a driver yet on the installation disk to do this yet.

Here the camera settings and characteristics are set at default until the
other drivers to control more features and functions of the camera are in-
stalled and enabled. It looks good to me so far @1024x768 on my CRT and it
can be tweaked more. Hope you enjoy my very first video!

This was made on a Dell Dimension 4300 w/Pentium 4 1.7Ghz, 1Gb RAM with XP
SP3 and Explorer 7.0 using the Microsoft Lifecam NX-3000. WARNING- DO NOT
Autorun the installation disk. This product can be made to work with other
IM programs once the correct drivers are installed. I will have more info
about this next review to help others buying this good VGA webcam. What is
helpful is downloading the amcap.exe program from Microsoft to your desk-
top, then you can open it and change the camera settings outside of IM's
offline. Do you like my homemade wood mounting? The top piece is 1/4" in
thickness, perfect for the rear bracket to mount against a wood block you
can use double-sided foam tape to mount on almost ANY monitor. See product
images I submitted as part of my review. The lens body rotates about 20 or
so degrees up or down. DO NOT PULL OR TWIST THE USB CORD OR YOU'LL BREAK
AN INTERNAL CONNECTION.

We have used this on two different laptops, and the video is always bad. The auto contrast feature doesn't adjust for ambient and/or background light very well. Background noise is picked-up making conversations hard to hear.

My LifeCam arrived this afternoon. The software was easily installed and very user friendly. The webcam sits nicely on top of my regular old Compaq. I love that I can position it anywhere along the top of the monitor. The adjustable lense is fabulous! I immediately tried it on a Skype video call and the quality was great. I also used it with Windows Live Messenger and was pleased there too. The small case it comes with is very handy. I can easily keep the webcam in my purse or laptop bag and know that it will be a little more protected. I may purchase something a little sturdier if I find I travel a lot with it because soft-sided cases are really only good for preventing scratches and nicks.

Since I haven't had it long, I can't say much about it's longevity. I'm definitely hoping it won't need to be replaced anytime soon.

My only small complaint would be that the USB cable is permanently attached. I'd prefer if it was separate so that I didn't have to twist the cord up to store it. But that's a slight inconvenience.

And the price -- excellent. I researched webcams at a few different places and Amazon's price for this particular model was far lower than anywhere else I looked.

I bought this webcam to use with an old IBM Thinkpad R-30 since it is compatible with the old 1 ghz Pentium III processor and Windows XP OS. It is difficult to find cameras that work with the slower processors. The price was good and Amazon.com delivered the product quickly and without problem. The camera installed and activated with no problems with a good quality image displayed on the computer. Sometimes when turned on there is a multiple image with snow displayed that disappears with a reboot - most likely straining the older system that I am using.

The MS Messenger activation button on the top of the camera is rather large and very sensitive, making it awkward to position the camera without initiating the circuit.

I have been trying to operate the webcam with Yahoo IM since my daughters uses this service. Yahoo does not recognize the camera even when I see myself on the screen and states that the "image size" is not adequate for Yahoo IM when the maximum display size is selected in the camera options..

The poorly engineered clip arrangement that is discussed in other reviews is a problem with the Thinkpad as there is not enough travel in the clip to allow it to be attached. Since I am running a clunker laptop anyway, I put a piece of self-stick velcro on the edge of outside of the screen frame about as wide as the camera and a small hook segment on the camera base about as wide as the word "Microsoft" under the word "Microsoft" (pad on laptop, hooks on camera). To support the left side and keep the rotation of the lens unobstructed, I put a small hook segment attached to the pad and left the plastic shield on the adhesive. This acts as a shim and holds the horizontal alignment. It is a cheap, simple fix that works well and the modification does not prevent storage in the case or interfere with the operation of the camera.