Logitech HD Webcam C270, 720p Widescreen Video Calling and Recording (960-000694)

I had suspicions the quality would be poor and grainy, but I was very pleased once I got it plugged in and running.

The quality is very good, and it has all kinds of neat features. You can set it to detect and record motion with or without the green light on for up to fifteen minutes. It has a follow face option which will track your motion to ensure the other person sees you even if you get up and move around, which can be set on and off. Right light ensures great quality even in darker rooms. My only complaint is that the adjustable tabs to keep it atop the screen are a little goofy. I struggle to keep it on top of my laptop screen sometimes, but that issue seems to common with all web cams.

I suggest it to anyone looking for a great web cam at a good price.

I bought this webcam after struggling for months on what model to purchase. Very pleasently surprised! Not only was this one of the cheaper models in cost, but it was super easy to install and worked excellently right out of the box. I used Skype on a high frame rate setting and it was all too easy and a great video call. Definitely the right camera for simple broadband video calls.

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Note: the quality of of the .wmv format video this camera captures is MUCH higher than what this video review can depict. I had to use a lower resolution/lower quality setting in order to keep the output video file under Amazon's size limit. That and this site's own reformatting mean the full HD output can't be easily shown in a video review here.

The Logitech C270 webcam offers users easy-to-use HD capability at a very reasonable price. If it's time to replace an aging webcam or upgrade from the typically low resolution hardware integrated into many laptops, this is an excellent choice at this price.

Installation presented a small issue. Upon loading the software on the install CD (version 2.1, on a Windows 7 64-bit laptop), the language option failed to show language choices. Instead instead it showed strings of numbers. A visit to the Logitech website offered the updated version (version 2.3), which then offered a correct language option dropdown and then installed successfully. If you go online for the updated version, you'll have to choose between the "full" download (132 MB) and the "smart" download options (6 MB). I'm not sure what the difference is; I chose full, but your connection speed will probably drive your decision.

The system software loaded in approximately five minutes, and offered an optional install of Logitech's proprietary video chat application (which I declined). The software detected that Skype was already installed on my laptop, and offered an option to launch the webcam controller software with Skype (which I accepted).

I encountered a second issue with the camera software after install. At the beginning of each video recording session, I receive a "no microphone detected" warning...even though the microphone is appearing in Windows AND recording audio. If you get a similar warning, You'll figure out quickly enough that it can be ignored.

The camera software offers immediate sharing options for sharing via Youtube and Facebook. In addition to real-time video conferencing, it will record video (.wmv format) and take still photos.

The install bug was a one time annoyance, the erroneous microphone detection area is persistent (and the pop-up can be canceled).

The camera works well in low light, and has software-driven "face-follow" and "motion detection" modes whose overall utility escapes me, but may be useful to more powerful users. It also has software-driven zoom controls.

High def video for less than forty bucks. Even with some software annoyances, it's hard to go wrong at this price.

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The price point for this camera really makes it a great product. To begin, the set-up was quick and easy, and the software installation was incredibly simple. Altogether it took no more than five minutes to have the camera fully set-up and installed. Although the camera only balances on top of the monitor, it has rubber grips that keep it steady and there is no fear of it falling off. The camera pivots so it is easy to move into different positions. The quality of the video and sound is excellent; everything is crisp and clear. It automatically worked with my Skype account, and after a few weeks of use I have yet to encounter any difficulties. I would definitely recommend this product at the price point Logitech has put it up for. Additionally, Logitech's customer service is excellent, I've had problems in the past and they did their best to provide me with second to none customer service.

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This did work plug-and play right out of the box. Although, the thing forced an install of the Logitech software (not just drivers but that typical crapware every device installs).

There is software to make computer to computer calls but if you have Skype or use Google Hangout you don't need it. I think the other person has to have the same software,

The picture quality is good, just good. Sure it's 720p, and it has some optimization features, but I don't notice much of an improvement over my buit-in webcam.

My least favorite feature is the stand/laptop attachment. As a stand it works fine, but it is very loose when you want to stick it on your laptop. It will fall right off if jostled.

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