If you're using a webcam for video conferencing and for ad hoc presentations, then colour balance is important – especially with the varying light levels of an office. To be honest we weren't expecting good macro performance from what is at heart a consumer webcam, so this came as a pleasant surprise.
In a test using Skype video conferencing, we were able to read 7-point text easily, just by holding a document close to the camera. Face-to-face communication needs to be about more than just faces, and the HD-5000's autofocus means it's easy to quickly send images of objects and documents.
While video quality is important, preserving image fidelity is key when using a camera like this for video conferencing.
Commercial telepresence systems require custom rooms to operate effectively, so we were pleased to be able to converse naturally with low cost cameras and free software. Image quality was perceived as good, even at the highest resolutions – something that's important when dealing with the artificial nature of a video conference. Once the LifeCam was connected, we configured Skype to use it and made a few test calls. Oddly the camera defaulted to the US mains frequency of 60Hz on our test system, prompting a quick change to 50Hz. There's also an anti-flicker option which will adjust the camera to avoid mains interference. The bundled control software is easy to use, with tools for picking image resolution and for adjusting the microphone and brightness. You'll need to install the camera software first, and once we'd plugged the camera in we were also prompted to update the device's firmware. We were able to fit the camera to our test set system quickly and easily, using a USB-enabled monitor to simplify connections. It's one of the most versatile mounts we've seen, and seems very robust – more so than the plastic clip mounts we've found on other cameras. The LifeCam uses an unusual flexible mounting to work either on a desk or clipped over a flat panel monitor – or even a laptop screen. One of the latest HD webcams is Microsoft's LifeCam HD-5000, a small device capable of delivering 720p video with a 16:9 aspect ratio at a respectable 30fps. Now we're getting HD quality on our desktops, at a budget price. As camera technology has improved and bandwidth increased, they've added colour and resolution. It's not hard to remember when web cams were little golfballs, sending pixelated black and white images over the phone lines.
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