Microsoft LifeCam VX-3000 (68A-00001) Reviews

• Exactly what I wanted

  
  By A2BMZRO0H7TFCS on 2007-02-25
  My high-end Logitech Fusion webcam never worked properly on a consistent basis with my system. Logitech support wasn't able to help so I finally gave up and decided to try the LifeCam VX-3000.
  
  The LifeCam VX-3000 is my 5th webcam since the late 90's. So far, it's the best I've ever used. My main purpose for the webcam was to communicate with my family in another state, in both video and audio. I have to say, mission accomplished.
  
  The size of the VX-3000 is more dimunitive in size than I expected. I included a photo so people get an idea. It looks a lot bigger in the photos than it really is. It also fits a lot snugger on my Dell 19 inch LCD monitor than did the Logitech. Because of the base design, I can put it flat on the desk or hook it on top of the monitor.
  
  The main review I read from PC Magazine states that the mic did a poor job so I was a concerned as the audio is almost as important to me as the video. The fear was unfounded as I tested it with my family for over an hour and they could hear me just fine with only a slight echo when I placed it too close to my speakers.
  
  The video resolution is 640x480, more than enough for my needs. The VX-6000 has higher resolution, but is also more than twice as expensive. I was very satisifed with the video and the low light support was excellent and worked better than the Logitech Fusion.
  
  The Live Call button on top of the camera is actually a nuisance when trying to adjust the angle of the camera. I don't see myself ever using it and only works with Windows Live Messenger anyways. The cam itself swivels vertically and horizontally. The vertical swivel is actually quite stiff so you need to hold the cam with both hands to adjust. I guess it's a good thing so that the cam doesn't get out of position easily. The cord is also a decent length so if you want to pick the camera up and move it around, it gives you some freedom to do so.
  
  The only thing lacking that I would have wanted is a sliding lens cover, both to protect the lens and for privacy. I went back and forth on wanting the VX-3000 and the VX-6000. The comparison table shows that the VX-6000's only benefits are 3x digital zoom, high-speed USB and a wide angle lens. I know that the video resolution is also higher. For me, I didn't need the digital zoom. Also, I didn't know that there was a difference in USB. I thought all USB 2.0 was "high-speed." The instructions on the webcam recommend connecting to USB 2.0 so what exactly is "high-speed?" The wide angle lens would've been great, but not worth the extra cost. Certainly, the two most compelling reasons to get the VX-6000 is the wide angle lens and the higher video resolution. Based on my needs, the better value was the VX-3000.
  
  The version of the drivers that came on CD-ROM with the cam was 1.1 but I downloaded 1.3 from Microsoft's website. I have to say that after some weeks of using Windows Live Messenger, it has a habit of getting disconnected quite often. My family has observed this as well. Until Microsoft remedies this, I may have to switch over to Google Talk with a video plug-in but the webcam itself, is exactly what I wanted.
  
  
  

• One of the best webcams

  
  By A5JLAU2ARJ0BO on 2006-08-02
  The new VX-3000 is one of the best webcams I've used. I considered the $99 VX-6000, too, but decided it was too expensive for my needs. The best thing with the VX-3000, compared to Logitech and Creative models, is it does *not* install tons of hidden drivers, hidden DLLs, and hidden spyware; the Logitech and Creative installation utilities place tons of hidden stuff on your hard drive. The VX-3000's was a very clean installation.
  
  I use Windows Live Messenger (aka MSN Messenger 9.0) so I get seamless integration, although I've seen people use it painlessly with Skype. It has the best webcam image quality I've seen. Windows Live Messenger has been rated by various PC magazines to be the best video chat client software, and I always had good results with Creative and Logitech cameras in the past (using MSN Messenger, which has been rebranded as Windows Live Messenger, or WLM). The VX-3000 bests them all in terms of ease of use and video quality. The built-in mic is also lightyears ahead of the yesteryear models.
  
  In short, this is a great webcam that won't disappoint you (unless you are a fanatical anti-American or anti-Microsoftie.)
  
  

• Good Camera - Some Issues Though

  
  By A11HCOMW94I9AU on 2007-02-05
  I bought this webcam for both audio and video functionality. What I like about this webcam is:
  1. Good picture quality (you can set low light mode from software settings if you want to use this webcam in average room light).
  2. Tracks your face (This is not very well built feature though and can create some issues in video)
  3. Good quality audio with room & speaker noise cancellation.
  4. Good price point.
  
  What I didn't like:
  1. This is not a plug and play camera (as one of the other reviewer claimed it is). I like plug and play cameras because I can use them between different computers without loading 50MB software in each one.
  
  Over all if I had to I will buy it again - its worth every cent.
  
  

• Very frustrating experience on XP, hard to troubleshoot

  
  By A2AZWD0TGY6F43 on 2007-09-02
  This so far is the most frustrating USB-connected hardware I've dealt with.
  
  As soon as I installed the software from CD, I was able to see the image while going through the config wizard but soon the image froze and half a minute later the computer crashed with BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death) diagnostic, that said it was an USB related STOP condition.
  
  I searched MS support KB and found suggestion on limiting the USB bandwidth used - by unchecking "Auto" in configuration and decreasing the speed manually (I brought it from 6mbps to 3). After that the camera seemed to work more reliably and I could use it from Skype and Yahoo messenger.
  
  Funny enough, the MS own provided LifeCam software wouldn't work with the camera. After I start it, I could go to the settings and preferences just fine, but the main window shows timeout message and all buttons are grayed out.
  
  In a hope software update can solve the issue, I went for it. The software it came with on CD is v1.10, after installation checks and asks you to download an update that bumps it to v1.20. No good. I checked on Microsoft Hardware site and lo and behold, there is v1.30, which they offer you for the vx-3000. OK, so I install it - tough luck, LifeCam still doesn't work. At which point I decided that LifeCam is a heap of manure and uninstalled you - not to worry, the webcam drivers remain installed for use with Skype/Yahoo/other less fertilizing programs.
  
  Here is a troubleshooting advice I learned from MS KB as well: if the camera doesn't get recognized anymore - which needless to say happened to me too, unplugging and re-plugging registers it as Unknown device and "Update Driver" couldn't recognize it anymore. In such a case go to Device Manager and delete anything under "Universal Serial Bus controllers", then let Windows rediscover and re-install the devices (eventually restart).
  
  Tip #2: annoyed by the button on top always trying to fire up MSN messenger which you never use? No nice way to turn that off (what! dare you think of not using Microsoft's Live Messenger?!). So here is a hack: go to Program Files/Microsoft LiveCam directory, find and rename icepick.exe to icepick.ex_ . Ta-da - no more annoying popups while you were just trying to adjust the camera angle and hit that big button. Really advanced users can find in registry to path to icepick.exe and change it to a more useful program, like Skype.
  
  Caveat emptor: the tips provided assume good knowledge of what you are doing, for example if you don't know what Device Manager is to return the camera and buy one that is not so darn difficult to install.
  
  

• Some driver info for techies

  
  By A2J8K8PYCEYBW4 on 2007-09-30
  This is to provide "techies" with information on the LifeCam drivers. If you are not a techy and are not interested in the nitty-gritty details of the LifeCam drivers (whether to help your buying decision, or to ease installation/updates), your time may be better spent reading others' reviews, with the exception of the paragraph immediately below. Please do not give this review an unhelpful rating if VX-3000/LifeCam driver info isn't what you're looking for!
  
  Users on dialup or without internet access should know that Microsoft is not allowing download of the 'driver only' (you must download the whole installer "CD" anew each time), so for dialup/no internet users, short of somehow getting a new driver CD sent to you by mail (good luck), you may be out of luck for driver updates, which could be a very bad thing. If you are on dialup or don't know someone with hi-speed and a CD burner, or you can't download/burn at work, I'd recommend against purchasing any LifeCam webcam, because a 120MB download would take days over dialup. (You may ask why someone without hi-speed would purchase a webcam, and the answer is to record videos and stills, or to use for security.)
  
  I hate bloatware, huge drivers, etc, and unfortunately, the 'big 3' webcam manufacturers (Logitech, Creative Labs, and Microsoft) are known for their bloaty drivers/included programs.
  
  Especially suspicious of Microsoft, since they have access to their own code and who knows what they could do to your OS or require you install/upgrade, I decided to download the web drivers to see the size. The latest as of this writing, LifeCam version 1.4, is 120 Megabytes! Yeowch! You need that much code to make a USB webcam work? I knew that the actual "driver" inside is very small. But wait--it gets more interesting.
  
  I was able to change the lifecam driver download from an .exe extension, to .zip, and extract the files. To prevent use of not-techy-enough users, I won't provide the full path. But suffice it to say that the actual "driver" and .inf installer file is located in the "driver32" or "driver64" folders (depending on your OS). From there you have the choice of the four LifeCam models currently being sold by Microsoft. There are two inf's for each model, say vx3000.inf (apparently for the camera) and vx3000m.inf (apparently "m" for "microphone"). I haven't actually purchased this model (yet), but knowing I can try using it installing the driver "only", makes it more encouraging for me. I don't really mind downloading the 120 megs--it's 'installing' it which bothers me.
  
  The direct source of Microsoft's LifeCam driver download (which may otherwise be difficult to find) is [at microsoft.com] /hardware/digitalcommunication/downloads/default.mspx . The directory structure of the downloaded LifeCam driver suite mirrors the CD... complete with "autorun.inf" in the root directory. You could just burn the unzipped archive straight to CD for a non-techy friend and they'd have a fully functional updated Driver CD, which they could install on their own.
  
  About a quarter of the CD/downloaded drivers is taken up by silly "themes", or png's of, let's say, a cartoon butterfly 'flying' across your webcam screen, or cartoonish leaves falling. It looks like the animations were drawn in an advanced art class of a Chinese prison (the themes do have an Asian feel to them, but not cute like Japanese, just really cheesy/lame). You'd have to be extremely easily amused to find any of that useful.
  
  59 of the unzipped megabytes is dominated by DirectX 9.0c, which has its own folder in the archive. It's ridiculous to force people to download this if they already have it, as this is available from Microsoft as a separate download.
  
  Unzipped/unpacked, the drivers actually grow to 265MB. So between the 120MB for the installer archive and that, you now have 385MB used on your hard drive just for your webcam, not including the installation itself. Not a huge deal, but still brow-furrowing for a webcam.
  
  Strangely enough, I can't find Windows Messenger in the drivers. That appears to be a separate download(?). I'm not sure yet if it's necessary to have that installed to use, say, Skype successfully. I'll report back if I find out. I'm also worried about whether the cam needs to have the latest Windows Media Player or any other proprietary OS components updated (which would be a dealbreaker for me), but it appears not at this point.
  
  I've seen reviews which states XP users need SP2 to correctly run the camera, but that may be incorrect because the readme.txt gives a specific Microsoft KB update for USB driver updates for SP1 users which may do the trick if needing SP2 is a dealbreaker for you... your mileage may vary, but the readme.txt does imply that SP1 with that KB update should work. Lifecam v1.4 appears to have properly-updated Vista drivers. There were a lot of Vista issues originally with these cams. I would be surprised if that has not been all sorted out by now.
  
  I keep seeing Windows Messenger as the best video client, closely followed by Skype, and though I hate windows messaging products, I might be willing to give it a spin if it's as smooth as people say it is, though I am a pretty good fan of Skype already. As stated in a previous review, you can disable the "LifeCam" button by finding and renaming "icepick.exe" in the program folder.
  
  
  
• Mediocre Video... Disappointing Picture Quality... With Too Much Juvenile Oriented Software
  By A39TUZC9L17OHD on 2006-07-25
  I've tinkered with all of the "Dashboard" settings in various combinations, & I find that while the video properties aren't completely absent, they are sparse & spartan. I discovered that its "live video" option looks a whole lot like the "1.3 megapixel, interpolated" setting (ie. "digital guesswork") to the point of being undiscernable. Each looks equally grainy, even in normal daylight. And unfortunately, no amount of photo software enhancement will ever clear up & edit out the grainy, pixellated, digital mess it makes of the still shots in the .jpg images it grabs. Sharpening the grainy pictures mine takes tends to sharpen the pixellation vs. clarifying & refining the overall image. I'm embarrassed to email these pics out to friends. Also, there are a number of frequently used lighting settings that could be added that are not present in the driver software, such as settings for incandescent & flourescent lighting. Logitech included a home security recorded motion detection aspect to its software for the Quick Cam Pro 3000 which was handy & useful. I'd rather they scrap the pointless kiddie stuff in the software - the Dashboard is dominated by cartooned plants & candy & bugs, ect. while useful features are buried in a pull down menu - & include some practical software with this camera that serves a real purpose.
  
  Some features the MS LifeCam has in common with my old Logitech Quick Cam Pro 3000 it replaces are... It falls over just as easily on it's stand due to the weight of it's own cord - & the way the cord out of the back raises the center of gravity too high causes it to constantly get jerked around way too much for its own good - just like the Logitech did. On that point, it's just like old times. Except that I can't unscrew the base & attach it to my tripod to get away from this chronic design problem, like I could with the Logitech Pro. I don't plant a web cam in front of my face & leave it there indefinitely. I like to move the camera around at times & set it near my pet, or capture the view from the window. I don't have the type of monitor I can snap a camera onto, it would set on top at an unsafe angle. The weight of the cord wants to tug it off of anything I set it on. So I hot glued the base to a heavy marble coaster at the lowest setting so as not to damage the base - dramatically increasing it's stability & ease of adjustment. Whatever you do - do not try to take out the screw that attaches the camera to its base to see if it is capable of reattachment to anything else - this camera is not made for attachment to professional tripods or any other device, & once that little screw lets loose - tiny, delicate parts will fall apart at you that go back together in a way that is a real adventure to reassemble.
  
  One extremely irritating aspect of the MS LifeCam is how easy it is to hit that click button on the top of the camera - during repositioning, focusing, & when its own cord unbalances it yet one more time, pulls it over, & I have to pick the cam back up again. Instead of the button taking an instant picture, as did the Logitech if its camera software was open - LifeCam starts up "Windows Live Messenger" - & there seems no way to disable it from launching this program, or reassigning the button to a different task. The solution was uninstalling it, which I did in less than 24 hours. It's an annoying program with gaudy buttons, flashing graphics, & tons of paid features plastered all over it to bait sales. So far as I can determine, Windows Live Messenger does nothing Skype & other Windows messenger programs can't do much more practically & peacefully with a more streamlined, non-sales oriented, less trashy appearance. Now whenever the top button is accidentally hit, it displays an offer to reinstall the WLM junkware - vs. automatically loading it to the screen. I wish there were a way to disable the button altogether.
  
  Some features I do like about this camera are... The automatic light adjustment. As the light brightens or dims in a room (ie. time of day changes, turning on an overhead light) - the camera automatically does the opposite video to compensate & maintain more even lighting. Also, the video flicker some older cameras had to manage is absent in the LifeCam. The manual focus ring is a real plus. Because after you get frustrated with the randomly chaotic tracking feature & finally give in & shut it off, you'll need to use it if you want to reset your focus. Some aspects of the camera don't work very well, such as the automatic face tracking feature...which keeps tracking off with movement & zooming out & then back in on irrelevant, at times embarrassing points. The best thing about the auto tracking is that it can be turned off. After which the manual focus feature then becomes indispensable if you're going to relocate your cam. To it's credit, the audio is actually decent in the .wma audio files the MS LifeCam 3000 generates. The Logitech Pro 3000 was always tinny, loud, & distorted in chats except at the lowest settings. Decent audio is certainly worth something.
  
  And, it does have a very classy silver & black with chrome design. As far as looks go, it looks professional, even if it doesn't operate as such. It fits right in with the rest of my hardware & other electronic equipment, & would look nice in any office or professional environment. There are plenty enough gaudily colored plastic cams out there that look just like the junk they really are - & this is not one of them. I'll leave the gaudy looking cams to kids to marvel over.
  
  One peculiarity unique to the LifeCam 3000 is that odd bright electric green pixel that constantly appears in the upper right quadrant of the video screen that turns up in all the live streaming or recorded video & still shots...that never goes away on any setting, nor with any camera positioning/lighting, & cannot be cleaned off the lense or altered in the environment. It's about the color of the LED light on the front of the camera, but I don't think that's the source, there is nothing in the environment reflecting it back into the lense no matter where it sets.
  
  There is a MS Life Cam VX-6000 model of this same camera coming out soon for twice the price of the 3000 - & one would hope paying twice the price will get the end user a better quality web camera from the manufacturer. I paid $50 retail for mine. Don't pay that price... At the risk of sounding "un-American" as someone said (what? did I put down the war somewhere...??) - it's just not $50 worth of technology.
  
  
  PS --- Oh yes, & I also would mention "the LAG" in the camera's recorded a/v input...!! :) And the very jumpy, disjointed, rough start each & every .wma video begins with which shows up on playback. Setting the picture resolution below 640x480 before recording helps to make this effect, & the grainy image, less pronounced.
  
  
• Great for the price!
  By A2W3VCUDYSY3Q1 on 2008-08-06
  Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R37KYGB82WDC30
  
  
• another unhappy customer
  By AJQAPKHE0VYY5 on 2006-09-11
  Here is a lesson, don't buy anything(especially MS stuff) without checking the review on Amazon.
  
  I was feeling lucky and bought the LiveCam VX-3000 from a retail store, but it is going back tomorrow. The problem is the driver software shipped with package does not work at all. I have Windows Media Center 2005 update 2, everything up to date.
  
  Does not work if I install through the setup or manually tring to upgrade the driver through Device Manager(couldn't find the driver from the CD in the pacakge). Everytime you plug in your webcam, windows does not recognize it. The LifeCam software successfully installed but won't work, because simply it cannot find the webcam although it is pluged-in and the USB port is just fine with other devices.
  
  The worst part is that, you cannot even find the driver software from microsoft web site. Looks very very fishy.
  
  My conclusion, the driver somehow will not work for certain people's XP. Saw another reviewer's comment here(I feel you, buddy!) and several others in circuitcit* reivew as well, so I am not alone. Maybe there is conflict in system, maybe there is mispackaging with wrong software version. And maybe you are the lucky one as well, so don't buy it.
  
  Okay i didn't talk to their support, because i don't want to waste my time. It is over. The buying experience of this product is just BAD, even if there is workaround now or future, I won't recommend it.
  
  I cannot believe for a big company like MS will sell such a product, even if this maybe just some random packaging mistake. Bill, learn it from Intel, you have to play the pink slip game to make sure your people are awake during work.
  
  
• Best value for money I found
  By APUHMOI938OG on 2006-06-29
  This webcam is great, just bought it and am excited!
  - SHOCKING quality / resolution - picture is crystal clear
  - Fits all kinds of monitors
  - Funky video effects from inside Messenger - very cool
  
  They could produce it in nicer colors like white, blue or green...
  
  Denitely recommend it!
  
  
• You gotta be kidding me
  By A31VCSVO23TF1I on 2006-09-01
  I want my four hours back.
  
  Driver shipped with unit doesn't match device. Device is detected but windows device manager doesn't think the driver files that came with it have anything to do with the camera. Maybe they changed their rom ID without updating the driver? Dunno, and neither does MS apparently.
  
  It takes a half hour to get through to MS, (didn't know they were routing their calls to India now, dont get me wrong, I love Indians but the phone reception wasn't good at all and some of them were a little hard to understand.) They get nowhere in an hour long call and tell me they will research it and call me back,,, they don't. When I call them back finally they put me on hold again and go to 'research.' They come back on the line 20 minutes later and tell me that their 'specialist' will call me back in 2 days.
  
  No thanks guys, why dont you try testing your products before you ship them. This thing shipped with driver version 1.0 and it was almost a year old, no updates available on the website. They are launching a brand new product with a driver that is a year old?
  
  So let me just some up:
  
  Video Quality - Five Stars! or so I have heard
  Sound Quailty - Four Stars! supposedly
  Frustration Factor - Eleventy billion
  
  I guess maybe that annoying, smug kid in the Mac commercials has a point.
  
  
• No Problems At All
  By A1MOH3SJMAKA4M on 2006-09-02
  Bought this for Windows XP. Works Great. My computer is actually a bit out of date (533 mhz!), doesn't seem to be a problem though. Sound is great. Brightness/contrast excellent. Video slightly choppy (probably cos my computer is ancient) Otherwise, It's a great product. Does the job!
  
  
• Video good - audio has hum
  By A3O3PSR1VRQWYL on 2006-12-05
  Just purchased and configured the cam. Configuration was more laborious that it should be but it worked.
  The camera is fine but the microphone picks up a distinct and annoying hum when the camera is active. I am returning this item and do not recommend purchasing it if you plan to use the microphone and camera at the same time.
  This defect is written up in usenet and elsewhere - so I suspect another camera of this model would have the same problem. The video circuitry must be generating interference to the audio circuitry.
  
  
• Easy Install, Lousy Product
  By A3G73C55XOQW2Y on 2006-12-14
  The low price was the main driver behind my decision to purchase this product. However, once I got it installed I was less than impressed with the "crystal clear" audio that the box claimed the camera had. The sound was muddled and the volume control had to be cranked up to the maximum in order for it to pick up my voice.
  
  Also, any attempt to optimize the settings really dragged down performance. Audio and video quickly became out of synch. I thought I was watching an old Godzilla movie.
  
  So why the two stars in my rating? Cute snowflakes and other graphics to animate the video. However, that didn't cut it and I returned this in exchange for a Logitech product which has been fantastic. Spend another $15 and you can find something better.
  
  
• MICROSOFT LIFECAM VX-3000 has terrible quality
  By A22RE7V8QZFICW on 2007-07-15
  I took it back after a few minutes. For a cam that costs $50, both the SOUND and VIDEO quality was terrible and grainy. I installed it correctly and I use Windows XP. Should have no problem but it was a major disappointment. ...the CREATIVE LIVE! CAM which was only $29 works a LOT better.
  
  Bottom line--Mcrosoft LifeCam VX-3000 has both BAD PICTURES, and BAD SOUND. You have been warned.
  
  
• not compatible with windows 2000
  By A37B7YJD40YB9O on 2006-08-17
  I guess I should have known better than to buy a microsoft product. They didn't even bother to write drivers for Win2k. God knows I wouldn't expect it to work with my Mac, but their own operating system? Now I'm stuck with a camera I can't use.
  
  
• vid cam review
  By AIYSLCRQYOSLI on 2007-04-04
  hello. anyone reading this, will be interested in the details of actually having this item. I ordered this from amazon, after some personal debate, going from website to website, searching. finally decided on amazon. first get this home, out of the box, you start to run the software, and it asks you to install the MSN software FIRST. after you get through MSN, you get to go back to the cd-rom, to install the rest of the cd that comes with this. of course, if you do not wish to have MSN on your system, you can go to add/remove in your control panel. after I got it all installed, and started to run it, it has an auto-update in it. THIS took a LONG time to download, but I finally got it done. and I picked out my victim for trying it on first on my yahoo msngr. they say it looks good, and it sounds good, with the built-in microphone.
  all in all,..I like it.
  it is fairly cheap to buy, easy to install, and easy to get started.
  all the others claiming they had an issue with the cam base, must be doing something odd. mine seems to sit still and I have had no issue.
  I gave this a perfect 5...but maybe I am too easy to please.
  of all the reviews of video cams, the vx-3000 was my favorite to pick and I am not sorry.
  
  
  
• A satisfy customer and a nice product
  By AT8FSHAP776S1 on 2006-09-30
  It is an excellent web cam . Video is clear and sharp, and software installation is painless easy. Sound quality is excellent. I have no problem install it on my windows xp professional and media center version machine. The reason I purchased this web cams is that Logitech web cams does not work on my media center xp machine. Vx-3000 can easily integrate with Skype. I am so happy this product.
  
  
• Cheap, Simple, and Works Great
  By A30WDK20ETXEI6 on 2006-10-16
  I live in the West, family lives out East. I bought three of these and had them all working within an hour at different homes. My other family members are not so computer savvy yet were able to do the installation without my help. Once installed, and hooked into Windows Live Messenger, the video calling is very clear and the sound is good. I'm not expecting perfect for the price, but this is well worth it. I now get to virtually visit the family weekly. Recommended for a cheap and easy solution to see distant friends and family.
  
  
• Very nice video quality
  By A2XOL8PQBN6SFT on 2006-11-10
  I bought this as a full-VGA upgrade to my old QIF IBM Webcam. I also needed to fix some annoying feedback problems with the Labtec microphone on Windows Live Messenger, and judging from the reviews the LifeCam should help. The feedback problem was fixed with one of my Messenger contacts, but it wasn't fully eliminated with another contact.
  I always hit the Windows Live Call button on top of the webcam by accident while repositioning the webcam, but I haven't figured out how to disable or remap it to something benign. The video quality is very nice, and I'm impressed with how well it handles low light, especially when the low light mode is selected. It integrates well with Windows Live Messenger, and that's all I use it for.
  It has met my expectations, and I would have given it 5 stars if given the ability to remap or disable the Windows Live Call button.
  
  
• Good cam with reasonable price
  By A22ENRV7CKQQ8O on 2007-04-05
  This is my 3rd web cam, and at last I can say I made a good choice this time. The frame rate is quite good and voice quality over the cam mic is amezing. It works "ok" in low light but not that amezing as they promise, which made me to give 4 stars.
  
  
• Absolutely Perfect
  By A10D9DIUVFID2T on 2007-06-17
  This is a great webcam, words don't even do justice you just have to see it for yourself.
  
  The low light setting is extrememly useful when you want to cam at night even with no lamp available as long as your computer screen is bright it will work like a charm (but of course would be even better if u have a little light next to you like any other cam). I recently tried that out on yahoo messenger the other day and i was amazed at the quality and so was the person i was talking to.
  
  The built in mic is good, i've made a couple of videos so far and i can always hear myself and others in the room.
  
  Pictures are VERY clear, just adjust the nozzle to the clearest setting and your good to go. I always have people amazed that i actually took some of my pics with my webcam and i direct them to this one on amazon.com.
  
  Nice and small, fits anywhere and the circle at the bottom of the cam opens up to to a sort of latch hook position to sit on top of a Laptop or Flat Screen Monitor.
  
  It has a great variety of settings for the camera so you can adjust it to your liking. Like i said words alone can't do justice for this webcam. I'm surprised it's selling for so cheap. If you're not convinced by the reviews, just get it and see for your self.
  
  
• Overall quality fair to middle
  By A3T0C8SMG7HLFY on 2007-11-18
  I purchased two of the LiveCam VX-3000 as my granddaughters moved out of state. I have relatively high speed DSL from AT&T (3000) and my daughter has Comcast Broadband. I installed the supplied software ver 1.3 on my daughter's Dell laptop with XP and on my desktop with Vista Home Premium. The install recommended that Windows Messenger be downloaded and installed which I did. The initial video quality was very bad, jerky, and the audio was no better. The audio also had some feedback.
  
  I installed SKYPE and got no real improvment. My local Computer Store said that one of the ISP's might be "filtering" the signal to save bandwidth. In reading the reviews of this product, I found a review with the same problems that were solved by going into PROPERTIES and deselecting AUTO from the USB Bandwidth and changing it manually from 7 to 3. I also went into RESOLUTION and selected 320 x 240. This made a somwhat useable image with SKYPE. I have not tested it with Windows Messenger to see if it is better. As far as the audio, I just turn off the sound and use the telephone.
  
  A big problem is the LAG IN THE VIDEO. No matter what you do, the video lags about a full second. Therefore, no syncronization to the audio.
  
  I tried to install the software and cameras on my new HP laptop with Vista Basic. Ver 1.3 failed to install the drivers. I downloaded ver 1.4 and got the same failure. The only message that I got from Microsoft was that they were working on the problem. This is unacceptable for a Microsoft product that is made to work with VISTA.
  
  Am I pleased with my purchase? Not really. Do I think I can do any better with a camera from another manufacturer? Probably not. Therefore I am keeping the cameras so that I can get some crude pictures of my granddaughters as they grow up.
  
  
• So easy a 5-year old can use it.
  By A37TFWNXHFHRZN on 2007-11-28
  I bought two of these webcams, based on the reviews I read here. I installed one of them on my son's computer (running Vista Home Premium) so my 5-year-old grandson in Washington state could video call me in Ohio. Installation was a snap. It's so easy--just a push of the button on the webcam, and my grandson's video call comes through on Windows Live Messenger. The image and voice are very clear.
  
  I installed the other one on a computer running XP. Again, installation was problem-free, and my sister is thrilled with how easy it is to use. I recommend this inexpensive little webcam for widespread family members everywhere!
  
  
• A very Senior's opinion
  By A2HLL8L5QELLLO on 2008-02-11
  Hi folks, I am certainly a challenged computer person but one of our grandson's who is now residing on the west coast of Mexico--we think they are legal residents !!--- requested that we get a webcam so we could comunicate via Skype. In fact there were several requests because I did not think I wanted more electronic gadgets to try and learn to operate. Well, I finally did order the vx-3000 and found that it was a pre-school exercize to get it set up --WOW ! I think it is awesome and highly recommend it!! Doyle
  
  
• Just received the Livecam 3000
  By A33GFDW9PVR42O on 2007-10-25
  I read a lot of the reviews here on amazon about the livecam and decided that it would be the one that I would go with. I ordered it from an outside source. I was working with an old intel cam so I am pleased that I got livecam.
  
  The photo/video quality is much better than my old cam. The software cd installed quickly. Once I had the cam up and running, I got notice that there was a software update so I updated that. It took a little longer to run but did update successfull. I use windows XP.
  
  The only downside to this cam is the built in microphone. I had read where others had issue with the "buzzing" noise and mine was no exception. I moved the cam in several locations thinking that it was my computer fans interferring and it did not change. After reading some inital info on the web, I think i found a solution.
  
  I went in to the control panel and then to devices and selected the livecam. Went in to either voice or audio and selected the livecam and muted the microphone. I then plugged up my stand alone mic, tested the cam again and it worked like a charm.
  
  So overall for video quality the cam is great. Just mute the microphone if you experience the the buzz and it should work like a charm.
  
  
• couldn't find driver
  By A1QUZTNQE91YK on 2006-11-25
  needed a simple webcam to communicate with extended family. It installed easy enough, but our extended family was not using windows and that took some time to figure out. Worked fine till we shutdown our computer, never worked again. When we started the computer it no longer recognized the webcam. Tried to repair and got the "unknown error" message. Tried uninstalling and reinstalling but that was a "no-go". Couldn't find the driver at the Microsoft website which worried me since Microsoft is printed all over the box. We are taking it back tomorrow, and might give the 6000 a try.
  
  
• good image quality but bad software
  By A3CQKEMFA44XM on 2007-02-12
  All over this camera gives a good quality of the image. However the software freezes the computer and you have to shut it down to make it work again. I had to eventually remove the livecam software from my computer. The camera also prompts you to install messenger but does not work properly in it. I am using this camera for Skype, it seems to be fine so far.
  
  
• Great little cam
  By A2681IOWNSUHWV on 2007-03-21
  I ordered this web cam for my girlfriend to chat with me from a Windows PC over Skype. Some guy online who had reviewed just about every cam on the market called it "the best web cam under $50". He may just be right. While the color is sometimes off, it certainly gets the job done, and if my girlfriend could figure out how to install it herself, it certainly isn't going to befuddle most users.
  
  
• Great webcam
  By A2F0CNUUPY3VOR on 2007-05-12
  I've had this webcam for about a month now and it has been great. I bought it for my wife's computer and it has been so good that I had my work buy one for my laptop as well. The software that comes with it is really nice. I especially like the face tracking zoom feature. I use it with Skype and it works like a charm.
  
  
  
• Why do I have to install anything?
  By AWAEXH9VD140X on 2007-07-08
  This is camera made by Microsoft with a statement on the front of the package that says "Works great with Windows Vista."
  
  It comes with a disk containing 268MB of files to be installed. The usb plug on the camera has a tag attached saying that the software must be installed before plugging in the camera. The software installation takes quite a while to finish.
  
  Why do I need to install anything? I am using Microsoft Windows Vista with a Microsoft camera which claims to work great with Vista.
  
  Please, whoever is in charge of this product at Microsoft, buy a Mac and plug in an iSight camera. There is no disk in the iSight box.
  
  When you control the operating system and the hardware, you can do this.
  
  Otherwise, the video seems to work well with Skype, which is why I needed a camera.
  
  I specifically looked on the shelf for one that said it works with Vista and not "designed for XP".
  
  

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