Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
In case you guys didnt know webcams have entered the realm of 1080p recording now.
Currently there are really only 2 consumer products out there to do this.
The Logitech C910 and the Microsoft Lifecam Studio.
I wanted a affordable means to do video reviews to supplement my written reviews, and with the advent of youtube now supporting 1080p video it seems like a great time and idea to get a 1080p webcam.
The decision of what model to get though however is a very difficult choice. You can find several small user reviews of each unit but usually they are average users with no real means to test properly and very little electronics/computer knowledge. Even if its a good review without the same reviewer having hands on the other unit you cant directly compare the two.
Now I ended up getting the C910 for 2 reasons.
Cost & Availability
At the time of purchase the Lifecam studio was only sold at Best Buy for full MSRP of $99.99 while the C910 was on Amazon for $60.00 after rebate (retail price also $99.99)
However as of now the Lifecam Studio is now also on Amazon and I spotted a business model from stores like Provantage for $75.00
So price of the two is directly comparable for the most part.
Now I want to break into the facts I know about each webcam.
The C910 has dual microphones so it supports stereo recording and it has noise cancellation.
If you are going to use the webcam for your recording/voice it should sound much better than the LC Studio.
The LC Studio only has a single mono microphone with no noise cancellation.
Both webcams can record up to 1080p
However the C910 seems to be locked to record 1080p only with its own software (going to confirm this later by trying virtualdub I know other programs did not work)
The LC Studio however is almost the exact opposite, the included software only records up to 720p and MS tells you to use "some pro software to record 1080p" It just so happens a free software VirtualDub can do this task and does it great.
From mixing and matching the reviews I have seen I can comfortably conceive that the LC Studio offers a sharper and cleaner image.
The C910 looks noisy at 1080p like they are overloading the image sensor with more pixels than it can handle, I say it looks worse than 720p unscaled honestly.
I question if its a real 1080p sensor, and why only the Logitech software can do the 1080p recording via some means of forcing it.
The C910 also seems to not handle colors as well, and dark lighting situations as well.
The LC Studio looks like it handles colors and low light brilliantly.
The software however on Creative side is much more robust offering things like motion detection recording (only record when motion is detected) lots and lots of video effects and even 3d avatars.
A major problem I had was that NONE OF THIS works with 1080p the video effects are totally disabled in 1080p mode, Logitechs answer to me was "this is by design because the average computer can not handle both 1080p and effects at the same time" Im sorry I am not buying it, my computer is not even at 20% load when recording 1080p and enabling the effects in 720p adds almost no extra load maybe 1 or 2%.
I also had calibration issues for the 3D avatars, and a few other problems as well.
I really want a Lifecam Studio so I can run it through the same paces to see how it stacks up.
The units themselves physically.
The C910 uses a strange C clip to go ontop of your monitor, so it can only face directly at you. If you try to place it on the desk with the C Clip it will be unstable and easy to move as well as at a awkward angle.
The LC Studio offers a tripod mount so its much much more versatile in regards to mounting.
Another flaw in the C910 is a "rolling shutter" effect. If you pan the webcam itself while recording the entire picture bends like it was jello. The LC Studio may show this same effect I wont know until testing but the effect was much more sever than I expected.
I know a webcam is not a real substitute for a camcorder and its not really intended for panning around, but its still important to mention none the less.
I mean for $100 or less this is a really great way for people to get quality videos out there for reviews and other basic video tasks. So thats why I bought into it.
I really want to acquire a Lifecam Studio by some means so I can properly do a review and head 2 head showdown between these two units and let everybody know the true pros/cons of both and what webcam is best to buy.
If anybody can help me with that please contact me and let me know, perhaps if you own one just forward it to me for review or something.
On a side note, I am very unhappy with Logitechs support, this is not the first time I have had issues with a product from them. Infact my last webcam also from Logitech had some issues, the microphone would not work in Vista even though it was advertised as Vista compatible.
It took them like 6 months to finally get back to me with the solution and guess what that was?? "The best solution is for you to buy an external microphone to use...." wow! what a great answer.
View my thread about the C910 issues I have: C910 Slew of problems on Windows 7 64bit - Logitech Forums
Issues with my older Communicate STX Webcam: Communicate STX microphone problems in Vista x64 - Logitech Forums
Also another scary thought is the number of post I have seen about people not getting there rebates from Logitech....
So this is my "foot in the door" thread to notify you of these two webcams, give you some basic information about both cameras as well as some warnings.
Also to state my intent to do a true head 2 head showdown between the two cameras if I ever get my hands on both.
Feel free to post here any comments or information you have on either product.
Logitech c910 vs Microsoft Lifecam Studio
Discussion in 'Accessories' started by ViciousXUSMC, Dec 13, 2010.
