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Technical Details
- Brand Name: Microsoft
- Model: Q2F-00001
- Item Package Quantity: 1
- Hardware Platform: Pc
- Width: 8.00 inches
Product Details
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Product Description
From the Manufacturer
Microsoft LifeCam Studio
Do more things together when you're apart with Skype video calling
The Closest to Being There
Enjoy a superior HD video quality with the LifeCam Studio, which includes a 1080p HD sensor. But great video is about more than HD. Keep your subject crisp with autofocus, from four inches to infinity. Shoot with great accuracy in wide angle with the LifeCam precision glass element lens. And, to make filming even easier, LifeCam features TrueColor Technology, which means your video remains bright and colorful in virtually all light conditions while ClearFrame Technology provides smooth and detailed footage. Use the built-in High-Fidelity Microphone to bring it all together: the vivid sights, colors, and sounds of real life.
Product Features
-
1080p HD Sensor
For superior sharpness and image quality.1
720p HD video chat
For a true HD-quality experience.
High-precision glass element lens
Provides sharp image quality.
TrueColor Technology with face tracking
Automatically controls exposure for bright and colorful video.
Certified for Skype
Do more together in HD, with Skype certified HD LifeCams from Microsoft.
Optimized for Microsoft Lync
Designed to work with Lync, Microsoft's enterprise-ready unified communications platform.
1 Popular video call services support VGA resolution—not 1080p. 1080p HD recording requires: commercial video software (not included); Intel Quad Core 3.0 GHz (or higher) or compatible; and 4 GB RAM. Enclosed software supports 720p HD recording. HD display recommended.
Find a Webcam That's Right for You:
 |  |  |  |  | |
| Webcam | LifeCam HD-3000 | LifeCam HD-5000 | LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks | LifeCam Cinema | LifeCam Studio |
| Product | HD Video | Good HD Video | Mobile HD Video | Better HD Video | Best HD Video |
| Video Resolution | 720p (1280 x 720) | 720p (1280 x 720) | 720p (1280 x 720) | 720p (1280 x 720) | 1080p (1920 x 1080) |
| Lens | Plastic Element Lens | Plastic Element Lens | Plastic Element Lens | Glass Element Lens | Premium Glass Lens |
| Microphone | Digital Microphone | Noise Reduction Microphone | Noise Reduction Microphone | Noise Reduction Microphone | High-Fidelity Microphone |
| TrueColor Technology |  | | | | |
| Auto Focus | | | | | |
| 360° View Range | | | | ||
| ClearFrame Technology | | | |||
| Aluminum Body | | | |||
| Carrying Case | | ||||
| Lens Cap | |
System Requirements
- Computer/Operating System
Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 (SP1) or higher, Windows XP
VGA video calling: Intel Dual-Core 1.6 GHz or higher, 1 GB RAM
720p HD recording: Intel Dual-Core 3.0 GHz or higher, 2 GB RAM - Other
1.5 GB free
USB 2.0
Windows-compatible speakers or headphones
Product Description
The closest to being there. Experience the amazing clarity and detail of HD video. With brilliant color and crystal-clear audio, this webcam with a 1080p HD widescreen sensor and high-precision optics bring your far-away friends and family closer than ever before.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
376 of 409 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
|
Length:
3:15
Mins
I have been using a Microsoft Lifecam Cinema for several months now, with good results. The "Cinema" is quite similar to this "Studio" webcam, except that its highest resolution is 720P rather than the 1080P offered by the "Studio" webcam.
First disappointment: the "Studio" webcam does not really provide 1080P video. A footnote on the box reads "1080P HD recording requires: commercial video software (not included); (...) Enclosed software supports 720P HD recording."
In other words, you have to buy more software before you can capture 1080P video. I am unable to extract details of this software from the Microsoft support representatives. I must say, I find it rather puzzling that Microsoft did not include software that exploits the full resolution of their hardware.
The "Studio" webcam has a problem with autofocus that is not present in the older "Cinema" webcam. It will hunt for the right focus, resulting in a hopelessly blurry appearance for about two seconds. Irritating.
I have gone back to using my old "Studio" webcam. Because of the autofocus issue, it is a better product.
I have attempted to attach a video clip which demonstrates some fun features of this webcam. Unfortunately, I was obliged to transcode this video to a lower resolution. I did this in order to get the video uploaded to Amazon.com.
First disappointment: the "Studio" webcam does not really provide 1080P video. A footnote on the box reads "1080P HD recording requires: commercial video software (not included); (...) Enclosed software supports 720P HD recording."
In other words, you have to buy more software before you can capture 1080P video. I am unable to extract details of this software from the Microsoft support representatives. I must say, I find it rather puzzling that Microsoft did not include software that exploits the full resolution of their hardware.
The "Studio" webcam has a problem with autofocus that is not present in the older "Cinema" webcam. It will hunt for the right focus, resulting in a hopelessly blurry appearance for about two seconds. Irritating.
I have gone back to using my old "Studio" webcam. Because of the autofocus issue, it is a better product.
I have attempted to attach a video clip which demonstrates some fun features of this webcam. Unfortunately, I was obliged to transcode this video to a lower resolution. I did this in order to get the video uploaded to Amazon.com.
73 of 75 people found the following review helpful
By YSC
Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Let's get one thing out of the way: you probably can't use this at 1080P resolution with the software you currently have, unless you really go out of your way to prepare for this. The camera is capable, but the computer may not be able to process it fast enough. Moreover, MSN and Skype doesn't currently support HD resolution as high as these, and most of time you will just end up seeing VGA resolution on your chats. Those capability will come to be more widely available, but as of now you do need commercial software and expensive hardware to achieve full 1080p potential offered by this web camera.
Pros:
-excellent build quality--the camera has a aluminum barrel and end cap that's 1mm thick. It has coated glass lens and coated lens filter glass. I cannot find manufacturing defects with the unit I received, not even a single hairline scratch.
-It's very portable: much more portable than many other competitive HD cameras out there, particularly from industry leader like Logitech. The rubberized foot/mount is also much smaller than those from similar Logitech offerings. Some may claim it reduces stability, but I found it working rather well clamped on top of my LCD monitor or sitting on the desk without the much added weight and bulk of other "more stable" designs.
-There's a tripod mount on the camera base. It seems like a minor point, but when you think about the capability of this camera, it's better than most of the DV cameras we had just a few years ago or even many of the digital cameras. There is in fact a good reason to consider using this little webcam as a studio camera, where the tripod mount can easily be appreciated.
-Excellent image quality: the sensor of this webcam is clearly larger in size than most(and also claimed by the description without going into the specific size) as it performs very well in low light. Field resolution is also very evenly sharp across the field, excellent for a web camera. Now auto focus is another story (see cons), but in terms of low light sensitivity and general color saturation, this camera compares well with the best webcams out there, if not already the best.
-wide angle coverage: its field of view is 71 degrees, or equivalent to a 24mm lens for a 35mm film camera. Wide angle on a webcam is very desirable and this one is not done at the sacrifice of image quality; and it is capable of focusing down to only 4".
-Microphone is extremely sensitive and has a full range sound pick up. It can detect very minute sounds across the room. You can also hear the entire frequency spectrum like none of my other contemporary Logitech is capable of. However, it is not without faults (see cons).
Cons:
-Auto-Focus -- I own another MS webcam from the latest line-up. This one also suffers from the atrocious AF problem. To say it is minor would be lying. I have had this camera for months, gone through two firmware updates, and the AF hunting issue remains (I can't believe MS isn't fixing it). What it does is that it will scan the entire focus range to hunt for subjects, and sometimes (if not often) it misses the foreground subject and instead focuses on the background, or even mis-focuses all together. It goes through the very annoying routine when the subject moves, adding to the irritation. This problem is more severe under low light conditions, though unless you are basked in sunlight, most indoor situations can be considered low light. None of the Logitechs I tried have this problem, and it's quite an Achilles heel for this otherwise excellent camera.
-Image sharpness: Not quite by the effects of Clearframe, which is what MS calls its image noise reduction technology, there's somehow a lack of sharpness. Don't get me wrong: the image is very saturated and clear, but when you put it next to a Logitech C910 for example, it is not difficult to see that image from C910 is sharper. Now that could very well be software sharpening effects from the Logitech, though *by comparison* the MS cam almost looks smeared. Some software control/adjustment would be nice and could potentially solve this.
-The microphone--on the box description MS said that there is noise reduction. However, it is very easy to notice that the camera microphone picks up EVERYTHING. If there is really noise reduction applied, it surely didn't work at all. There is no software control that lets me adjust/switch noise reduction, a feature that would be sorely appreciated particularly if you are using this for video conference.
-No 1080P recording capability with the enclose software--Granted, 1080P recording isn't quite ready for the masses and still require some expensive/powerful hardware, but to me it would make sense if the enclosed software should be ready to support it even if my hardware isn't. As of now the enclosed software only supports up to 720P recording, and in my experience it is more resource hungry than the Logitech. Logitech also includes HD video chat software called Vid, whereas here you will instead download MS's own Windows Live messenger to take advantage of video chat that's marginally better than VGA.
-The included rubber lens cover is an afterthought of an afterthought. It doesn't even stay on the lens, for some mysterious reason.
This is a very good effort at HD webcam, and has some of the key design principles covered: it's small, portable, well built, quality wide angle lens, sports a large sensor that's great at low light situations and a very sensitive microphone. However, the auto focus hunting problem is the 800lb gorilla in the room that's impossible to ignore. It's in my opinion the first thing MS should strive to solve before this camera can achieve its full potential, and so far that hasn't happened with 2 firmware updates already. A bright and saturated image would be as good as ruined when it is constantly going out of focus, wouldn't you agree?
Pros:
-excellent build quality--the camera has a aluminum barrel and end cap that's 1mm thick. It has coated glass lens and coated lens filter glass. I cannot find manufacturing defects with the unit I received, not even a single hairline scratch.
-It's very portable: much more portable than many other competitive HD cameras out there, particularly from industry leader like Logitech. The rubberized foot/mount is also much smaller than those from similar Logitech offerings. Some may claim it reduces stability, but I found it working rather well clamped on top of my LCD monitor or sitting on the desk without the much added weight and bulk of other "more stable" designs.
-There's a tripod mount on the camera base. It seems like a minor point, but when you think about the capability of this camera, it's better than most of the DV cameras we had just a few years ago or even many of the digital cameras. There is in fact a good reason to consider using this little webcam as a studio camera, where the tripod mount can easily be appreciated.
-Excellent image quality: the sensor of this webcam is clearly larger in size than most(and also claimed by the description without going into the specific size) as it performs very well in low light. Field resolution is also very evenly sharp across the field, excellent for a web camera. Now auto focus is another story (see cons), but in terms of low light sensitivity and general color saturation, this camera compares well with the best webcams out there, if not already the best.
-wide angle coverage: its field of view is 71 degrees, or equivalent to a 24mm lens for a 35mm film camera. Wide angle on a webcam is very desirable and this one is not done at the sacrifice of image quality; and it is capable of focusing down to only 4".
-Microphone is extremely sensitive and has a full range sound pick up. It can detect very minute sounds across the room. You can also hear the entire frequency spectrum like none of my other contemporary Logitech is capable of. However, it is not without faults (see cons).
Cons:
-Auto-Focus -- I own another MS webcam from the latest line-up. This one also suffers from the atrocious AF problem. To say it is minor would be lying. I have had this camera for months, gone through two firmware updates, and the AF hunting issue remains (I can't believe MS isn't fixing it). What it does is that it will scan the entire focus range to hunt for subjects, and sometimes (if not often) it misses the foreground subject and instead focuses on the background, or even mis-focuses all together. It goes through the very annoying routine when the subject moves, adding to the irritation. This problem is more severe under low light conditions, though unless you are basked in sunlight, most indoor situations can be considered low light. None of the Logitechs I tried have this problem, and it's quite an Achilles heel for this otherwise excellent camera.
-Image sharpness: Not quite by the effects of Clearframe, which is what MS calls its image noise reduction technology, there's somehow a lack of sharpness. Don't get me wrong: the image is very saturated and clear, but when you put it next to a Logitech C910 for example, it is not difficult to see that image from C910 is sharper. Now that could very well be software sharpening effects from the Logitech, though *by comparison* the MS cam almost looks smeared. Some software control/adjustment would be nice and could potentially solve this.
-The microphone--on the box description MS said that there is noise reduction. However, it is very easy to notice that the camera microphone picks up EVERYTHING. If there is really noise reduction applied, it surely didn't work at all. There is no software control that lets me adjust/switch noise reduction, a feature that would be sorely appreciated particularly if you are using this for video conference.
-No 1080P recording capability with the enclose software--Granted, 1080P recording isn't quite ready for the masses and still require some expensive/powerful hardware, but to me it would make sense if the enclosed software should be ready to support it even if my hardware isn't. As of now the enclosed software only supports up to 720P recording, and in my experience it is more resource hungry than the Logitech. Logitech also includes HD video chat software called Vid, whereas here you will instead download MS's own Windows Live messenger to take advantage of video chat that's marginally better than VGA.
-The included rubber lens cover is an afterthought of an afterthought. It doesn't even stay on the lens, for some mysterious reason.
This is a very good effort at HD webcam, and has some of the key design principles covered: it's small, portable, well built, quality wide angle lens, sports a large sensor that's great at low light situations and a very sensitive microphone. However, the auto focus hunting problem is the 800lb gorilla in the room that's impossible to ignore. It's in my opinion the first thing MS should strive to solve before this camera can achieve its full potential, and so far that hasn't happened with 2 firmware updates already. A bright and saturated image would be as good as ruined when it is constantly going out of focus, wouldn't you agree?
83 of 87 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I'll start by saying that this is a very capable web camera. For standard web cam communication through services such as Skype or Yahoo, this camera will do everything you need it to and more. And the picture is great quality. As noted in some of the other reviews, there is more to be desired by the camera's low-light functionality. In low light, it tends to go into a full length focus at random intervals. So you'll have to wait a second or two for it to grab focus. Since this is not so much an issue if you have a light near by or in the background, keep one nearby. And the microphone is very worthy - clear, crisp sound.
The camera certainly looks cool and is sturdy in structure - especially compared to some of the flimsy plastic competitors. I'm not a huge fan of the prop stand - it is not a clamp or stand. It is designed to just rest on top of an item of your choice, and also has a tripod bolt hole. It takes a bit of adjusting and it certainly won't hold onto the top of a laptop if you want to walk around. At the price, maybe they could have thrown in a nylon bolt, suction cup, or a true stand to make it more versatile.
The software is very clean and organized, and simple to use. After a quick install, you are good to go. It even coordinates well with 3rd party apps such as Skype. You can take full advantage of the special effects (which are cool, but there could be more) and the different resolutions (low res to 720p). Full 1080p requires special software (not included) and is pretty resource intensive, so you'll have to have a pretty powerful system to keep up in regards to frame rates. 720 is crisp and smooth for me though.
Lastly, the 3 year warranty is nice peace of mind.
All in all, this is a great little camera, that may need to drop in price a bit before it finds a place in more homes, but I would recommend putting it into the side by side comparison for those looking for a high-quality web cam.
The camera certainly looks cool and is sturdy in structure - especially compared to some of the flimsy plastic competitors. I'm not a huge fan of the prop stand - it is not a clamp or stand. It is designed to just rest on top of an item of your choice, and also has a tripod bolt hole. It takes a bit of adjusting and it certainly won't hold onto the top of a laptop if you want to walk around. At the price, maybe they could have thrown in a nylon bolt, suction cup, or a true stand to make it more versatile.
The software is very clean and organized, and simple to use. After a quick install, you are good to go. It even coordinates well with 3rd party apps such as Skype. You can take full advantage of the special effects (which are cool, but there could be more) and the different resolutions (low res to 720p). Full 1080p requires special software (not included) and is pretty resource intensive, so you'll have to have a pretty powerful system to keep up in regards to frame rates. 720 is crisp and smooth for me though.
Lastly, the 3 year warranty is nice peace of mind.
All in all, this is a great little camera, that may need to drop in price a bit before it finds a place in more homes, but I would recommend putting it into the side by side comparison for those looking for a high-quality web cam.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Need additional software to record at 1080p
I purchase this camera to record 1080p and I find out this camera records 720. If you want o record 1080p, then you need to purchase additional software. Read more
Published 8 days ago by cafierro
4.0 out of 5 stars
Better than expected
Purchased this to stream our church service to a homebound member. Super easy setup on Windows 8 Pro. Excellent tools like pan, zoom, etc. Sound quality is great. Read more
Published 17 days ago by Jeremy Coleman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good product at a good price
Camera works well, has good field of view and good video output. Easy to set up and interface with Skype. Bought another for our son and would recommend it to others.
Published 29 days ago by Robert A. Mauceli
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent. No 1080 video.
I've bought two of these so far and sold both because I don't really video chat much. It's a great camera, though. It has a very clear image and does up to 720p video. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Chad Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars
For a referb, this works great
I have no complaints. I purchased this camera to help improve my personal webcasts/webinars. The great news is, it works great. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Joseph Forbes
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
This is my first web camera, i shopped around for a week before deciding on this one. the auto focus is great, if it goes out of focus just put your hand up to it and pull out... Read more
Published 2 months ago by jacob kleinow
5.0 out of 5 stars
perfect!
a fantastic find, i use this microsoft lifecam everyday to skype with friends and family from all over. works great.
Published 2 months ago by Dana Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars
Webcam
Unbelivable quality both up close and in a room around a conference table. as for sound it is good too. Nice to have
Published 2 months ago by JT
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Webcam!
This is one that was recommended by co-workers from work so she (my wife) decided that she wants one too and asked me to look and order one for her - so I did and she is happy.
Published 2 months ago by Jimmy Mui
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cheap and best quality
With one on linux you can pull in high quality video, but something with it reserving a lot of bandwith on the USB bus, when you go to two, you are limited to 800x600 or less on... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Leland T. Snyder
