Logitech Quickcam Communicate STX Reviews

• Mac compatible

  
  By A2D7WYKXSVHS3B on 2007-04-20
  I just want to confirm that this camera is indeed compatible with a Mac, and works reasonably well with Skype. My set up: 1.5 GHz Powerbook G4, Mac OS X 10.4.8, Skype 2.5.0.85, macam 0.9.1 driver. The refresh rate is not that high, subjectively at about 10 fps. Mic on the camera does not work, but the Powerbook built-in mic works very well. Headphones are not necessary but desirable to eliminate echo. The camera produces good focus and depth of field, and auto adjusts to different lighting conditions. Overall, video quality is not outstanding, but pretty decent and quite usable with Skype.
  
  

• Super easy setup

  
  By A2BXZZHHB5VTV8 on 2006-08-26
  I bought this webcam after first trying an older one (a different brand) I had laying around the house. The older one was difficult to install & get working properly, & required a registry edit to get the IM program to see it, & also the use of a separate microphone. I went to a local retailer (sorry Amazon, but you don't sell this one yet) to see what options were out there, & figured I'd give this one a try. Cost was a little under $60 before tax. There were others that appear to have the same or very similar specs & cost a little less, but I chose this one because I've been happy with every Logitech product I've used in the past. Setup was quick, easy, & completely painless. Installation was done in about 5 minutes & it worked flawlessly right away. I'm now going back out to buy another one to send to my son, who's out of the country. I can hardly wait until he gets it so we can talk to each other face to face.
  
  

• Blurry Motion

  
  By A1GO7YEBSXOBCI on 2007-04-05
  This camera definitely has crisp picture, but the images are way too blurry during movement with low frame rate. I wasn't sure if this was due to the computer I was running it on (above minimum but slightly below recommended specs) or the camera itself.
  
  I happened upon a Logitech UltraVision (which is Logitech's top-of-the-line webcam) for only $79. On the box, both the Communicate STX & UltraVision have the SAME minimum & recommended system requirements. But the UltraVision when installed on the same computer had no blurry images during movement, with obviously better frame rate, and better performance overall. Very odd, I thought, since UltraVision is at least 3 steps above Communicate STX in the model level, and is assumed to require greater system resources.
  
  So my conclusion is that the Communicate STX, for whatever reason, does indeed have an unacceptable blurry motion image and ridiculously low frame rate (well below the 30 fps that's advertised on the box & elsewhere). The picture itself is crisp and handles low light well, but there is lag time in the movement, and the audio and video do not sync well. Be warned if that's a concern. Some people are more forgiving of this than others, but I personally can't stand it, and if you've ever experienced a webcam that actually responds to you instantaneously, it's really hard to settle for anything less. The built-in microphone, by the way, is excellent and very sensitive, and the unit itself is quite attractive in its silver & black.
  
  As for the UltraVision, I believe the Rightlight2 technology (for this particular model) does not work well in low light (definitely too dark), but it can be corrected manually by increasing the gain. Hopefully, this flaw will be corrected permanently with a software fix at some future date (how hard can it be to write code that would kick the gain up a few notches when the light level falls below a certain point?). The picture on the other hand is the sharpest I've ever seen in a webcam. As for the concerns of it being a resource hog, I didn't experience that, and I don't see how people can say that when the system requirements are the same for the Communicate STX, Pro 5000, & Fusion. They may just be assuming this, since it is the most expensive camera in the line. All four of them basically use the same software as well. UltraVision is no more a resource hog than the others mentioned, in my opinion.
  
  On a side note, I noticed a blue tinge in the skin tone when using the UltraVison in lower light. I realized that this was due to the blue illuminated ring around the Logitech logo while the camera was on. Since there was little light, the blue ring actually served as a lighting source, thus making the skin tone somewhat blue. Now if they'd just make that ring a little brighter & white in color......
  
  Hope this helps if you were wondering about the Communicate STX's blurry motion video, or the UltraVison's capabilities. I would not buy the Communicate STX. If I had to get a Logitech, I would spend the extra money and step up to the Pro 5000 (or any of the other models with 'true high-speed' USB 2.0), which must have better frame rate and smoother video, just as the UltraVision did.
  
  

• Good CAM

  
  By ALGS2AGXXOR4I on 2006-10-18
  Overall I like the device. The sound quality is not as good as a headset, but it's clear enough for what I'm using it for (Skype). The mount is really geared to flat panels or laptops, I had to tape in down to my monitor. Other than that it's a good CAM, works well enough.
  
  

• Great Cam for the Money

  
  By A1HTRPF9V9R3CF on 2007-04-11
  I'm very happy with this web cam. It rests fine on my laptop's LCD or on my CRT monitor. The software gets installed first, and the first thing it does is call home to do a new download of all the software and drivers. This took some time (using DSL, maybe 20 minutes), but I was glad to have the "latest and greatest". The camera image is very clear and the software gives you control over things like white balance. I keep most things under automatic control, but I do find I have to adjust the white balance so images don't look too bluish. Still, this is a quibble. I really like the integrated microphone! With the echo canceling software, I can talk without a headset and neither end of the connection hears echos. There are also some "filters" that can distort your image for fun. They are good for a few laughs, especially with kids. I don't see any negatives to this product at all unless you are trying to take really good pictures with it. Use the right tool for the job; if you want fine still pictures, use a real digital camera. If you want to video conference via Skype (or whatever), this web camera works quite well.
  
  
• Purchased 8 of these for Christmas Gifts - DISAPPOINTED
  By A2UJFRBDCALNHI on 2007-01-02
  After doing extensive online research, we decided to buy eight of these cameras to give to family members for use with Skype this Christmas.
  
  We started by buying just two cams and trying them between our two home computers. My wife's computer (a brand new HP desktop) installed and ran the Logitech software no problem. My laptop (a 3yr old Sony Vaio) had some issues, but ran to my satisfaction. So, we ordered six more cameras.
  
  Four of the six cameras we gave to family members have had serious installation problems. There seems to be a problem with running Skype and the Logitech toolbar at the same time which causes the dreaded blue screen of death. (Windows fatal error) By removing the Logitech software from the start-up files, we've had pretty good results.
  
  Everyone (eight of us) is running the latest version of Skype (3.0) and the newest Logitech software (24DEC release, avail on their web site). We should not be having this much trouble.
  
  Bottom Line:
  We love the camera and Logitech as a company, that's why we bought them. When everything is working they're great little cams. Low light boost, echo cancellation, and face tracking are all great features. If you're looking for a very basic cam that's a plug and play gift for use with Skype however, I cannot recommend this one. Folks seem to like the cheaper Microsoft cams for plug and play simplicity.
  
  LOGITECH - FIX THIS PRODUCT!
  
  
• Great for Linux, too
  By A2Z5APVI9CQ30W on 2007-06-28
  This camera has a good microphone, and outstanding video for a fairly inexpensive webcam. It worked out of the box in Linux (Kubuntu Feisty), both sound and video. Works great with poor light in the room, and it focuses just fine, both close and distant objects.
  
  
• Basic Plus.
  By A34PAZQ73SL163 on 2008-01-18
  A cliché applies regarding this webcam as, basically, it is what it is. It's no great triumph of technology though. When I talk too fast the picture gets real blurry and my mouth gets out of sync with the words I say; however, I should point out that I only paid 29 bucks for mine. Essentially, I view this product as being about what you'd expect for the price. You're not going to get taken if you buy it but it's a long way from being professional grade. I'm going to get an upgrade soon so I'll post a review on that product which I hope will have 1.3 pixel resolution. Like some of the other folks here, I had problems with the sound so I went out and picked up some headphones which make for a better recording. If I had it to do over again I probably would have pony upped more cash for a better model than this one. You can't fault something this cheap for not being great though.
  
  
• Good hardware, drivers before 10.5 gives blue screens
  By A1CTI5PYQDE36S on 2007-01-09
  I'm relatively happy with that purchase, good image quality.
  
  Make sure you get at least the 10.5.0 drivers released on 12/24/2006 as versions before that got be consistent blue screens in windows using msnm and skype.
  
  As the other reviews, I would recommend not installing all the logitech software but just the drivers.
  
  I also don't get anything near 30 fps, even just testing my own webcam, so I need to investigate that.
  
  
• Expected More!!
  By A2FJQKZ3RP29Q3 on 2007-05-16
  I did not like too much, it's reasonable well build, but Facetrack Tecnology is just a digital zoom (what means bad quality), Rightlight Tecnology is just an artificial ISO (what means noise). It's good, but I expected more since I used to know Logitech products by quality, buy a cheaper or a better cam, but this one is expensive for what you get.
  
  
• I returned it!!
  By AYYEJHRZKBDTQ on 2007-09-10
  The camera works with its own software, but does not work with yahoo or aim. Also, the new driver I installed from Logitech's site did not solve the problem. I really liked the camera but there's no way to use it unless I have vista.
  
  
• OK Picture - Low Frame Rate
  By A3GIV8EAWNPKSY on 2007-12-09
  I bought this camera despite reading in the reviews that it has a low frame rate. Thus, I wasn't surprised to notice it indeed provides very low frame rates.
  
  The picture produced by the camera is OK, but some pixels seem to be stuck to grey under some conditions. Even after putting the lid on and letting no light reach the image sensor, the pixels remain grey.
  
  The low frame rate is the most annoying problem however. I researched the problem a bit on Logitech's forums. I found that the frame rate is related to the "Exposure" setting in the camera's properties.
  
  Here is the relation: Exposure = 1/FPS
  
  Where FPS is Frames Per Second. Under most lighting conditions, the exposure will be 1/5 of a second. Thus, your FPS will be 5!!! Five frames per second is a far cry from the 30 FPS advertised for the camera.
  
  To get a better frame rate, go in the advanced properties of the camera and uncheck "Low Light Boost". You will then typically have a frame rate of 15, but will lose all the advantages of the "RightLight" technology.
  
  You can further increase the frame rate by unchecking "Automatic Gain Control" and setting the exposure to whatever you wish. But, you will need strong lighting to see anything correctly.
  
  It would seem to me that one should not have to do this kind of tweaking for a webcam to work properly. Either the image sensor should be more sensitive to light or a decent image processing solution should be applied to the input.
  
  Because of this, I cannot recommend this camera.
  
  
• Camera Good, Software Not so Good
  By AOLJKNHB2ETDS on 2007-01-21
  I am a computer programmer and am not stupid when it comes to setting up (and even designing) software. The camera (hardware) is great. The software is not only 'klunky' to setup, it is (at least on my computer) not working correctly. I have been trying to resolve this with tech support for over 3 weeks and I cannot get the software to remember it's settings. It wants to setup the sound settings everytime I open the camera software with it's audio tuning wizard. There are several other settings the software can't seem to 'remember'. I don't know if anyone else has the same problem or not.
  
  I would buy another camera, not because of the camera, but the software.
  
  
• Just perfect for my 1000 bucks Power Station
  By A34NZZBUJE4Y7F on 2007-05-21
  I use this primarily to chat with my family over the internet. Works like a charm with Yahoo Messenger. It has only a single USB running to the computer which carries the video as well as voice offering less clutter and excellent quality. Inbuilt microphone offers very clear voice and I can talk effortlessly, roaming around in room and doing my work along with chatting. The features like automatic light correction, face tracking, and zoom are awesome and helps a lot. The lens shade keeps away the dust from accumulating on the lens when not used. Also the flexible support should keep it firm over any kind of monitor. Very happy with the purchase and will be getting one more for my parents as they still have a clumsy webcam.
  
  Only one concern, Intially installing the drivers for this webcam spoiled the sound output of my PC. There was a constant crackling effect added to any sound played on my computer. This was very annoying and I was unable to resolve it easily. Trying even the latest driver updates didn't help. In last , trust me, I have to remove all the unused PCI cards from my computer. I don't know why, may be because of some interference on MB, but removing the PCI cards solved the problem!!! I am still suprised why did this happen. I have verified the crackling of sound a couple of days ago when I installed the PCI cards for temporary use.
  
  
• Known issue with microphone
  By A148O3TKDSJ073 on 2007-09-08
  I purchased this product based on the favorable reviews it has recieved for its pricepoint. Installation was easy, I was generally happy with the camera (my first, so I don't have much to compare it to) but the first time I tried to use it I blasted my son's eardrums by sending loud bursts of static periodically over Skype. Long story short, I researched this on the Logitech board and discovered that there is a long standing potential problem with all models of 5.1/7.1 surround sound audio cards and Logitech webcams models above the 9.x series (they are currently in the 11.x's) The only solution they could offer users experiencing the problem was to disable the webcam microphone and use a different one.
  
  This issue has been around for at least two years. You would think Logitech would make their latest generation of webcams compatible with the latest generation of soundcards, but judging from the tech support board, they have made no progress in doing so since 2005.
  
  
• Easy install
  By A1EJTQ5IVU7KZW on 2007-03-13
  Worked great, even with Windows Vista. I was very impressed, upgraded from a 5 year old webcam that worked on ME and XP. Love it so far, no issues. I didn't purchase it on Amazon, but I love Amazon for just about everything :)
  
  
• SETUP WAS MUCH FASTER THAN LOGITECH'S MORE EXPENSIVE MODELS!
  By A3CJC7K4QZBYW5 on 2007-05-16
  I purchased this one on on MAY 11 and installed it on MAY 15. I was using it within 15 minutes! I also have a LOGITECH FUSION with which I'm NOT satisfied. I don't see that the FUSION model offers any more quality. It has a few more features [WHICH I NO LONGER USE BECAUSE THEY DON'T ALWAYS WORK!] The STX model is the most user friendly model that I've EVER used.
  
  
• Waste of money
  By ANL7MTKMUKTWT on 2007-07-21
  The software is easy enough to install, and that's the only good thing about it.
  
  After a few days of operation the webcam simply froze and would freeze my PC with it. The only way to solve this was to disconnect the USB, which caused the videos I was shooting for business purposes to automatically disappear.
  
  I spoke twice to tech support at Logitech who had no idea how to repair this or why it was occurring in the first place. I un-installed and re-installed the software over 3 times, and the webcam still kept freezing.
  
  The worst webcam I've ever owned
  
  
• Good value for the money, but more money = better image
  By A265S2Z6U63RBU on 2007-12-22
  Video quality is pretty good except for motion blur, which must be caused by a low frame rate. But if you don't move around too much it's fine. Easy setup and nice controls (I'm using Vista). Adjusting the manual controls gave me a better picture than the default settings, especially the white balance. But I'm still on the fence about keeping it, I may exchange if for a better model.
  Overall, for the price it's very good, but as another reviewer pointed out another 25.00 gets rid of the motion blur.
  
  Update: I returned this and got a Microsoft VX 3000. The frame rate is MUCH better, motion is great but the image is a little grainy, not quite as sharp and clear as the logitech. So I ordered a Logitech 9000, which has some pretty good reviews but is almost twice the price. If you're not as picky as I am, the VX 3000 is a better choice than the Communicate STX in terms of the frame rate, and the image quality is only slightly worse.
  
  
• A Very Good Cam
  By A3O9IT2C9NTYWV on 2007-01-16
  This is a very good camera for the money. Great image, very easy set-up, very compatible with all online messenger services. Logitech just needs to work a little more on the white balance, and this cam would be the best.
  
  
• Good Product for 30+ dollars
  By AUGN5VIKJPGUG on 2007-03-08
  Good Webcam for the price. Nice resolution 1280X760 max for Video, (I think this solely depends on your computer video/graphics card), also has a smart view, which keeps you in the center of the view even when you move. The adjustable monitor clip fits well, can be bent flat to make it sit on a table. At first, one might think that the monitor clip can be dismembered so as to sit it on a flat table, NOT TRUE, do not try to do this as the monitor clip is molded to the body. Colors in the background does not appear very distinct in the video, but it is still acceptable. On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being awesome), photographs fall around 3.85, video around 3.75. I bought this webcam just to make conversations with my parents back home, the microphone is pretty good and people on the other end said they could hear me very clear and also see me pretty well.
  
  Surely a good webcam for the price.
  
  
• Well Satisfied With QuickCam
  By AL5ETHK7ILPWP on 2007-03-09
  I received my Quickcam Stx and I had it hooked up and running in a few min. The brightness was fine. The Audio adjusted very quickly. The only problem I had was I use my earphones and If I unpluged them I did not have any sound in my speakers. I had to download a file for windows XP that solved that problem. I think the STX is a great product. Logitech needs to update there software to solve that problem.
  
  
• Worth every buck...
  By A12NBG5SN31RWJ on 2007-05-12
  I brought this for my parents back home so that we could voice chat online. To sum it up, it has met all my expectations:
  
  1. Easy Set-Up : nothing complicated in it..just follow the brief instructions..and you're all set to go in 3-4 minutes.
  2. Easy to Use : My parents who aren't much into electronics could start using it in no time.
  3. Nice Privacy Filter : I use this when ever I want to use just the microphone and leave out the voice. It is also a pretty handy feature when you store your camera so that dust wont get on the lens/aperture.
  4. Excellent Picture Quality : The picture quality was exceptional. It was really clear.
  5. Great Sound quality: The microphone delivers a nice voice without much static or disturbances. I am generally at least three feet away from the cam when I speak, and it works fine.
  5. Easy to use : No hassles in setting up the camera each time. It automatically starts up whenever you plug in the USB cable.
  5. Good Add-ons : It comes with a program through which you can create different types of pictures, both stills and videos, that basically lets you have a little fun.
  
  Overall..I loved it.
  
  
• Great deal
  By A25IJEKF78IPJN on 2007-06-01
  For the money, you just can't beat this camera. I've used it on several computers and it installs really easily and just works. My wife uses it all the time to video chat with her mom and sisters. Video quality is very good, audio quality is decent too. It sounds better if you use a dedicated mic, but for applications like Skype, it really doesn't matter.
  
  There are much better cameras out there, but considering the price, it's definitely 5 stars.
  
  
• Quick and perfect
  By A3G0VMNKG69SPY on 2007-06-10
  These cameras are so easy to install and use. They light the subject just perfect.
  
  
• You get what you pay for - and apparently i didn't pay for a box.
  By AMTROKR7LTPS3 on 2007-12-15
  We bought 3 of these as gifts and were very disappointed upon their arrival at packaging (or lack there-of): simply a bubble-wrap bag with a camera and a very generic looking software cd inside. no box. no good for a gift.
  
  The products themselves seemed to be in working order, but were not without a few minor dings and scratches...
  
  after trying out one of the cameras, we quickly realized that we had gotten what we paid for. At $20 each we didn't expect much from this camera, and we weren't disappointed. Compared with my mac book pro's internal camera, this camera had poorer color, lower frame rate, and much lower resolution.
  
  bottom line: it's a cheap camera. if you remember that while you're using it you shouldn't be disappointed.
  
  
  
• Webcam OK, microphone software is not
  By AEEW5IUWCCQ31 on 2008-02-02
  I am a podcaster who co-hosts with a person in another state. We use webcams to see one another while we are talking. We find that we interrupt one another a lot less this way.
  
  However, this webcam (and, I am told, all other Logitech webcams) have an extremely annoying habit: the built-in microphone takes over unless (and even despite) the device driver for the microphone is disabled. Once is not enough. Disable the device driver, and you can have your microphone set up the way you want. Unplug the camera and plug it back in, and it resets this setting, once again making the Logitech's internal webcam microphone the default microphone. Resetting the microphone using the Sound preferences doesn't work either -- you have to go through the process of disabling the device driver again, and restarting the machine again.
  
  Given that I lost an entire recorded episode due to this taking over my podcasting microphone (it sounded like it was recording in a large, empty room, with me across the room from the microphone), I am not happy with this feature. It's not always clear whether the microphone is turned off or not, since it says it's turned off under Sound but it can still be using it if the device driver was not properly disabled.
  
  I will be buying another webcam. It won't be from Logitech, since this is a software problem and I've been told that this is a "feature" of the software that cannot be disabled. A simple toggle in the setup software asking whether to make the camera microphone the default microphone would solve this problem, but Logitech isn't interested in this suggestion.
  
  
• Worked Great Right Out Of The Box
  By AQ76APOA5S73F on 2007-02-06
  Installed the software from the enclosed CD. (NOTE: You do have to install the software BEFORE you plug in the videocam.) Upon installation, the software checked online for a newer version; found one; and I subsequently downloaded and installed it. (Apparently there are significant problems with the older software/drivers.)
  
  I then plugged in the camera and everything worked great. I have been conducting video calls for the past month without any hitches other than those related to problems with the host services I tried (Windows Live Messenger = not very good. SightSpeed = Excellent!)
  
  I like all the features included in the software such as mirroring, snapshots, video recording (standard stuff nowadays I suppose). The microphone has surprisingly good clarity and 'reach.' I made an offhand comment from another room and the person on the other end of the chat actually heard me!
  
  I can recommend this product without any trepidation.
  
  (P.S. I am using an AMD X2 5200+, 2GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800, Foxconn C51XEM2AA motherboard, BFG 7600GTOC video card.)
  
  
• web cam logitech
  By A2ZIFFJZLVRPAW on 2007-02-23
  the product is great and esay to install but the delivery time was horrible..
  
  
• Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX Review
  By A2IMTZVZ34PEQO on 2007-03-12
  The product was delivered in a couple of days. I upgraded a PC camera that I have had for a number of years and as in every other technical area the improvement was outstanding. I bought two cameras and the installation was a piece of cake and the quality of the pictre, even in low light, is outstanding.
  
  

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