I've never used a webcam before
and I've yet to own a digital camera, the latter being something I've
particularly wanted to have a go with but the prices of most brands are
exhorbitant when it comes to one with a high picture quality.
Although this particular portable webcam won't turn you into David Bailey,
it's a great start for the beginner. Let's start with the good points of which
there are many. Note that I haven't tried the previous Webcam Go product
so cannot compare.
Firstly the camera contains 8MB of built-in Memory (6MB for stills/videos and
2MB for audio). For single pictures, you can take up to 94 still images, but
when storing ten consecutive frames using that mode (more to come on this
later) the number increases to around 200 images. This is at 640 x 480
resolution, so the lower the resolution chosen, the more that can be stored.
On the plus side, the memory within is non-volatile, meaning that snaps are
safe when the batteries die.
For those of you with frequently brilliant ideas springing to mind, or if
you wish to note quickly where the nearest stocked-up petrol station is and
have no pen/paper combination to hand, the webcam also contains a digital
voice annotation feature. This appears to allow up to two minutes of voice
recording.
According to Creative's website - and I'm not an expert by any stretch of the
imagination, "the CMOS Sensor used here produces brighter and clearer pictures
than ever before. Many other cameras use an inferior CCD sensor. CMOS offers
better color reproduction than CCD, particularly in capturing skin tones.
CMOS sensors are also less sensitive to "hot spots" caused by uneven lighting."
So now you know.
There are four methods of taking pictures while portable, each selectable
with the mode selector button on the back of the camera :
1. Single image - point and click. This takes a second or two to complete after
pressing the button.
2. Multi-frame mode - press the button and ten consecutive still images will
be taken over the next few seconds capturing the desired image.
3. Delayed single image - Same as (1) but the webcam makes beeping
sounds getting faster over the course of a few seconds, making sure you're
prepared for your shot.
4. Video 'mini-movies' - Although you won't be able to capture acres
of footage you can record video at up to 30 frames per second while you're at
your PC, or up to 10 per second while portable.
You can easily upload your photos from the webcam's memory, organise them
into a separate photo album folder and save them as bitmap or jpeg files
for importing into other graphics programmes or its very own photo editor,
allowing you to assembles the video footage filmed or implement your photos
onto a calendar or a greetings card. There are many ways to improve and
enhance the picture quality too, such as making dark pictures brighter.
I've learned this is a valuable tool for brightening up picture files from
other sources, such as screengrabs taken from DVDs.
Oh, and of course it can be used as a webcam! Plug it into the PC via the
USB port, configure the software to take photos as often as possible (every
30 seconds or so, or whenever someone walks in front of the camera so people
watching your website don't just see the dodgy wallpaper) or at set periods
from every minute to several hours. The black rubber on the front gives the
webcam grip when laid down on its front with the camera piece bent back to
face forward.
Quickly and simply, if you're online the software will upload them for you
onto its own webpage, or incorporate the jpegs as you wish. Perfect for those
who want to start their own similar service to the
Jennicam
Century 105FM celebrate their second birthday
at the Trafford Centre, Manchester.
Sunday, 12th September, 2000.
Now the bad points. Firstly, the batteries supplied run out very quickly.
They lasted all of four days even though the webcam appears to switch off
automatically when disconnected from the PC and not used for around five
minutes. I've since plugged in some Duracell and they've lasted a good week
at least so far.
Next up, while very good pictures can be taken outside, even if they don't
quite have the clarity of a standard photograph, the lack of a focus (or any
controls on the unit) and even a flash make taking pictures inside not always
something to be recommended. The same goes for using the webcam indoors.
You'll need plenty of light to get reasonable images, or a visit to the
Photo Editor to improve things. Don't try taking photos in Manchester either
as there's no sun at all!
Although it's a cheap unit, it doesn't contain a screen so you can't check
what you've just snapped until you get home or can plug it into your laptop
if you have one. It may be a very handy way of taking photos and can hold
94 in its 8Mb memory (at max.resolution), but if you took it on holiday you'd
want a bigger capacity. Ideally, a laptop abroad would be the best thing
as then you can email the pictures to all your friends instead of sending a
postcard that arrives the day after you come home.
An alternative to this would have been something which Creative tout as a
bonus - the fact that there's "no hassles or need for diskettes or memory
cards". Well, the latter would have been a nice idea for exactly the
holidaying purpose.
Increased contrast: before and after screengrabs
experiencing the 'pleasure-pain' theory
from the just plain weird
Sex and Zen 2
Overall, as I stated earlier this is a great gadget for the beginner and
the ability to automatically upload to your website is a major plus, but
it does leave you wanting more in terms of a features that a dedicated
digital camera would provide.
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
Overall, as I stated earlier this is a great gadget for the beginner and
the ability to automatically upload to your website is a major plus, but
it does leave you wanting more in terms of a features that a dedicated
digital camera would provide.
