Purchased July 2002, $85 (now sells for around $50)
Cute very small camera that is good for video conferencing while on the road. I was sold by the size of the camera and its carrying case. This is the only camera I have seen which doesn't have a permanently attached cable, but uses a small USB connector on the bottom.
The case has turned out to be a great protective cover. I carry this camera in my notebook case and if not for the camera's protective case it would have long ago suffered major damage.
I have been disappointed with the quality of the image however. In low light conditions, the picture is very poor. It has a decent image in bright light, but if you expect to use it at night such as in hotel rooms, or under normal home lighting conditions, you should look further.
Screen shot of camera configuration settings
Video Quality
| Sample images showing how this camera performs under different lighting conditions |
See a
640x480 image taken under plenty of light.
Pluses
- 640x480 CMOS sensor (unusual for a portable camera)
- f/2.8 Multi-Element Glass Lens
- Cute, small, very portable
- Comes with a nifty hard carrying case
- Image quality fair in bright light
- Removable 18 inch cable for travel
- Uses a standard small USB connector on bottom of camera
- Rotates vertically over a wide angle range
Minuses
- Can only be used mounted on your notebook
- Plug goes into the bottom so it can't stand on its own
- Will only fit on thin screens, 3/4 inch maximum, won't fit on my large notebook
- Can't be rotated horizontally, only faces directly in front of notebook
- Pretty useless in dim light, fuzzy, dark, poor color
- Few controls in Twain driver
- You can buy longer cables; however, since it won't stand on its own, I haven't been able to use the 10 foot cable I bought for the purpose