The propaganda

The Live! Cam Optia is Creative’s latest entry to the webcam market. With so many instant messaging services offering webcam functionality and the rising popularity of video sharing sites, webcams are practically an essential piece of kit for any PC owner.

The Optia offers the standard 640 x 480 resolution, 30 FPS video capture, along with 1.3 megapixel still image capture. You can tweak the focus manually with the focus ring surrounding the lens. The body of the camera can also be twisted on its arm mount to change the angle it is pointing at. One thing that’s lacking is a built-in Microphone, but Creative does supply a little mic and earpiece combo as well as a software CD packed with a range of programs.

The good

Creative already has a pretty exhaustive range of webcam products so the obvious question is what the Optia brings to the table. The answer is Plug and Play. Not exactly ground-breaking stuff but it does save you having to waste five minutes installing loads of drivers and software if you just want to get the hell on with some video calling.

The most obvious appeal of the Optia is the aesthetics – it has a really snazzy clear surround on white plastic design that looks very smart and reminds me of an iMac. The blue light that comes on when it is recording also adds a nice touch. The range of movement on the arm is good too – a full 270 degrees. Twisting it all the way towards the base also shuts the camera down, which proved quite a handy feature.

Should you decide to bother with the accompanying CD, you can install various other programs designed for the camera, including the console, which unlocks the range of adjustments, face tracking and video FX tools. The video FX tools are the most fun, and there is quite a range to choose between from psychedelic colours to wavy images, however beware that they can be a bit glitchy.

The bad

Although the accompanying software is fairly extensive and of good quality, it does suffer from a lack of coherence. Installing the full complement of tools will add six different folders to your start menu each with a couple of different functions inside them. While it’s not much of a gripe, it could have been a lot better if Creative had put them all into a coherent whole.

Image quality, on the whole, compares well with other webcams I have tested, but doesn’t really raise the bar. The only annoyance was that the auto-exposure function was a little clunky.

The built-in microphone or lack thereof is a more serious complaint. The packaged mic and earpiece just doesn’t match the aesthetics of the rest of camera. Given that the Optia’s price tag of between £30 and £40 isn’t particularly cheap for a webcam and that rivals from the likes of Logitech do come with fully integrated microphones, it seems like a wasted opportunity.

Geek Sheet

Sensor: VGA Sensor

Lens: Precision Lens (High quality glass lens)

Highest Still Image Resolution: 1.3 Megapixel 1280×960 (software enhanced)

Highest Video Resolution: 640×480@30fps

Focus: Manual focus ring

Interface: High-Speed USB 2.0 (backward compatible with USB 1.1)

Overview

The Creative Live! Cam Optia is a good looking webcam and offers excellent ease of use as well as pretty decent enhanced features via the accompanying software. The lack of integrated microphone is a sore point and doesn’t do the relatively high price tag any favours. Overall though, it is still a smart piece of kit and probably a sound investment if you already have a free standing mic or headset.

Go anywhere, be anywhere, and stay connected all the times! Whether you’re enjoying a cup of cappuccino at a caf, waiting for a flight at an airport, or simply decked out in your backyard, you want to stay connected to the world. With the Creative Live! Cam Notebook Ultra, you can say hi to your friends, family, or colleagues, wherever you roam.

Look Your Best
Whether you’re chatting on the web, recording a new video blog, or snapping photos, you’ll want to look your best. Creative’s Live! View technology automatically selects the best setting for you so that your image always looks sharp and vivid. The ultra wide-angle lens and Smart Face Tracking feature keeps you in the frame and looking sharp no matter how much you might move around.

Record video to your PC – perfect for posting a video blog, uploading to the Internet, or creating a home movie. You won’t look grainy or fuzzy using Live! Cam Notebook Ultra. A high quality 1.3mp (1280×960) sensor, Live! View technology, and auto tuning give you video quality you may not expect from such a compact webcam.

Sound Your Best
Live! Cam Notebook Ultra incorporates Creative’s superior audio technology by using a set of built-in adaptive array microphones. The dual microphones and Creative’s exclusive Live! Audio technology cancels out background noise, so all you hear is pure voice over the Internet.

Features

• Video Effects from Creative’s Advanced Video FX

• Change the face of instant messaging! So you’ve heard all about video effects – the special effects like snowflakes, masks, eye glasses, hairdos, etc. that you add to your video image while chatting online. But wait, what about having a beautiful backdrop behind you like the Eiffel Tower or Sydney Opera House? Plus, you can morph your image into water ripples, blow bubbles out of your mouth, or simple become invisible. You can do all this with Creative’s extensive, free collection of video effects and more.

• Exclusive Voice Effects from Creative’s Advanced Audio FX

• Let them hear you, in many ways! Don’t just doodle and morph your image, do something about your voice! Now with Creative’s exclusive Audio FX technology, you can talk like a chipmunk, a robot, or a duck. You can even soun like a 5 year-old kid with squeaky high-pitched voice or an 80 year-old man with quivering low-drone voice. Try it to believe it!

• Exclusive Parental Control

• Creative stands by safe online chat! Live! Cam Optia offers exclusive parental control that is not found on any other webcam. You can enable parental control during setup. Simply create a login and password so that the next time someone uses the webcam, it requires your password before streaming live video over the Internet. Parental control, smart face tracking, and other software features require the CD software installation.

• Greater viewing flexibility and privacy

• Live! Cam Notebook Ultra rotates to almost any viewing angle at up to 240. Plus, the embedded image sensor detects camera rotation at 90 or above, so that your image is always upright.

• Smooth video, uninterrupted live chat

• Experience smooth, full motion 30 frames per second digital video and top quality images with hi-speed USB 2.0 throughput. Live! Cam Notebook Ultra is also backward compatible and works with any USB 1.1 connection.

Tech Specs

• 1.3mp (1280×960) sensor with Live! View technology
• Video capture at up to 1280×960 resolution
• Still image capture at up to 5.0 megapixel resolution
• Built-in noise-canceling microphones with Live! Audio technology
• USB Video Class webcam (for PCs running Windows XP Service Pack 2 and above)
• Certified, hi-speed 2.0 (fully backward compatible with USB 1.1)
• 240 camera rotation for the best angle
• Exclusive parental control for safe online chats
• Smart face tracking keeps the focus on you
• Video effects for fun video chats
• Manual adjustable focus ring
• PowerGrip attaches firmly to notebook display (up to 2cm)
• Works with Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, Skype Video Call and other compatible instant messaging services

The Creative Live!Cam Notebook Pro Webcam is the perfect tool for computer users on the move. It i approximately the size of an alkaline battery and is equipped with a rotating lens for filming subjects located behind it. It also comes with software to adjust the image no matter what the angle of focus. The CMOS sensor on the Live!Cam Notebook Pro has an automatic and manual white balance control, and it captures video and photo in VGA quality. The Live!Cam Notebook Pro attaches to any laptop PC screen thanks to its flexible clip with rotating spring.-VGA resolution (640×480) and CMOS sensor-Supports streaming video up to 30 images/s -Rotating lens with automatic image adjustment -Comes with travel case, cable clip, software package

Technical Details

• General information: Applications – Multimedia and Internet applications / Video Resolution – Up to 640 x 480 pixels / Motionless Picture Resolution – Up to 1.3 megapixels (enhanced by Creative WebCam Center software) / Sensor – CMOS VGA / Panoramic View / Vertical Inclination – Field of vision: 54 degrees /- 5 % (diagonal) / Digital Zoom – No / Microphone – No / Button for Instant Pictures – No
• Mac/PC – Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, XP Intel Pentium II or AMD processor – 366 MHz or faster 128 MB of RAM (256 MB or more recommended) 100 MB disk space CD-ROM reader USB port
• Skype certified – No
• Skype compatible – yes
• Other – Dimensions: 58 x 42 x 25 mm Weight: 40 g Includes software package for editing fixed images, long-distance surveillance function, video messaging, image saving and sharing Includes travel case and clasp for cable.

Video chat on the go!

Creative’s Live! Cam Notebook helps you enjoy fuss-free instant messaging and internet phone calls. If you like to ‘plug in and chat’ with your notebook PC, this tiny, versatile webcam will help you do it – and it’s compatible with Skype and Windows Live Messenger too! Hardly larger than an AA battery, the Live! Cam Notebook has a clever base that will clip to just about any notebook display, and it connects via USB. It has a built-in microphone and True VGA sensor, so your friends, family or business colleagues will get great-looking images plus sound – no need to carry a separate microphone.

Tiny, pocket-sized format, barely larger than an AA battery. Versatile clip will attach to just about any notebook display.
Sleek design complements any notebook.
Simple plug-in connection via USB.
True VGA sensor for imaging and video recording.
Built-in microphone for `all in one’ instant messaging and internet phone calls.
Compatible with Skype and Windows Live Messenger.

Specifications

The AXIS 206 Network Camera offers a cost-effective, indoor camera solution for remote monitoring and security surveillance over a local area network or the Internet. The camera is ideal for use in small and mid-sized businesses and homes.Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, the AXIS 206 delivers crisp and clear images using progressive scan CMOS image sensors and advanced signal processing techniques. The AXIS 206 provides Motion JPEG images at up to 30 frames per second in all resolutions up to VGA 640×480 pixels. It can operate in light conditions as low as 4 lux.The AXIS 206 is easy to set up and use. It comes with the free AXIS Internet Dynamic DNS Service, a multilingual product interface, a built-in Web server for remote viewing and management, and the AXIS Camera Explorer software for multi-camera management on a PC or PDA.

Product Features

Technical Details

• Model: 206
• Item Package Quantity: 1
• Device Type: Network Camera
• Form Factor: External
• Hardware Platform: PC, Mac
• Lens: 4 mm, F 2.0, fixed iris
• Field of View: 55 degrees
• Network Connection: 10BaseT/100BaseTX Ethernet (RJ-45)
• Image Compression Format: Motion JPEG and individual JPEG
• Video Resolution Quality: 640 x 480, 320 x 240, 160 x 120
• Image Frame Rate: Up to 30 frames per second
• Illumination: 4-10,000 lux
• Image Sensor: 300,000 pixel 1/4″ progressive scan CMOS image sensor
• Simultaneous Viewers: 10
• System Requirements: Windows NT4.0/2000/ME/XP or Mac OS X, Internet Explorer 5.0 or later
• Height: 3.33 inches
• Width: 2.188 inches
• Depth: 1.33 inches
• Weight: 6.25 oz

Images taken by Axis 206

If security if foremost on your mind when it comes to thinking about a Webcam, then the AVLabs Ezy-Cam Pro 1.3MP is probably the model for you. But be warned, this camera is not for the faint-hearted. Extra funtionality, at its low cost, means users are faced with a complicated software set that can take a while to get used to.

AVLabs is better known for its audio and video peripherals, so it is no surprise that video recording is top on its features list for the Ezy-Cam. It has designed special night-vision cameras and surveillance cameras, and this is one of its first releases to approach the video messaging market.

For this release it has teamed up with image software creator Ulead to offer image library and editing functionality that allows it to both be used in the office as a budget communications and surveillance device and the home, where the family might want to take a few pictures, send a few e-mails and do some basic, fun photo editing. It is also compatible with Windows Live Messenger for those wanting to stay in touch with the click of a button.

Design
The design of this little Webcam is really nothing to write home about. It is quite a basic little “eye” with a very responsive quick-snap button for taking pictures on top. It can rotate 180 degrees horizontally, depending on where the focal ring sits. This, quite annoyingly, has a little handle to the side, which tends to get in the way when you are turning it, stopping rotation to either side. It also means, when turning with one finger, your hand will enter the image you are trying to focus on. If you can master doing this you can adjust the focus from 30mm to infinity which will allow for some of the sharpest images seen in our Webcam round-up, especially for macro-style shots.

The Ezy-Cam has a CMOS sensor that captures 640 x 480 pixels, but this does not seem to cut out all the blooming that can appear in images.

We would recommend only considering this model if you have a desktop computer, or if you are looking to mount it to the desk itself. The triangular stand cannot be adjusted and we could not see how it would fit well onto a notebook computer (despite the vendor saying it is suited for one). It also has no vertical tilt so it really needs to sit at head height.

It has a built-in microphone but we would recommend getting an additional headset as the sound can be a little faint.

It supports USB 2.0 and requires Windows XP to run.

Features
AVLabs offers a very brief setup guide for the Ezy Cam — even having tested a number of models previous to this we required a bit of research to get it fully operational. It actually requires you to custom install all drivers, which takes longer but can be good if you are not in need of the Ulead products — our experience with Ulead has been that it can take over as your dominant image viewer if you’re not careful.

It comes with Video Mail for creating video clips that you can then attach to e-mail; Video Monitor, which captures motion images as a security monitor; and Amcap, an easy-to-use testing program that will check if your USB digital video recorder is working right. This is on top of the Ezy-Cam Pro and Ulead software, which comes with a whole swag of editing options — but no fun stuff like the Creative Live! Cam Video IM.

It allows for image adjustment but to get the full swag you will have to purchase a higher-end model.

It does have exposure, white balance, brightness, and noise ratio settings and has a motion detector — great once again for home or office security and for its remote monitoring abilities.

The video works at 30fps at VGA resolution, and also has a number of controls for gamma, brightness and sharpness.

Performance
Overall, we found the images this little Webcam takes to be quite good. With 1.3 megapixels you would expect this, though we did find a few hues of red and blue entered the image under different light conditions. We did get amazing clarity, however, when conditions were right, and found the interpolation AVLabs has used with its video and still image capturing to be extremely good. Lag was also not much of a problem when moving at average speeds.

The remote monitoring and motion detection capabilities are probably the stand-out features of this Webcam, however. Both work extremely well, with the motion detector picking up movement easily, and the remote monitoring allowing great surveillance of any room under a range of lighting conditions.

AVLabs offers the least support of all the models tested — only one year. With this in mind, along with its AU$89.95 price tag, we would have expected a little more. But AVLabs has come from a different background to the more entertainment-based Creative and Microsoft, and its sights are still clearly set on the security-conscious market.

We would suggest sticking to something that is much easier to set up that is a bit more agile in its offering — and its point of view (literally) if you are looking to use your Webcam purely to keep in touch.

Otherwise, if you’re tech savvy and want security above all else, then this could be worth a go.

Webcams are not just about keeping in touch. As AVLabs proves with its Ezy-Cam Pro 1.3MP, your Webcam can become an important tool for security, especially for the home or small business. And unlike most business models of technology, a Webcam such as the Ezy-Cam means you don’t need to blow your budget to enjoy the benefits of modern security.

This product bundle contains a Sony SNC-RZ25N IP camera with a DBH18 outdoor weatherproof housing to give a remotely operated outdoor IP camera, accessible from a local network or across the Internet.

The Sony SNC-RZ25P network camera is a controllable pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) IP camera with automatic day/night switching and 2-way audio voice-exchange.

Please note this product bundle does not come with a power supply as standard. If you require a power supply please select one of the preferred products from the options above.

Sony SNC-RZ25N Outdoor Bundle Wall Mount – Typical Applications

Professional IP security camera, used in areas such as remote security surveillance and monitoring in areas such as retail, office, manufacturing plants, railroad stations, airports, bars, malls, schools, colleges etc.

Sony SNC-RZ25N Outdoor Bundle Wall Mount – Camera Overview

Indoor/Outdoor: Outdoor – An indoor version is available: Sony SNC-RZ25N Indoor Version
Mounting options: Wall mount included. Ceiling/Roof mount available: Sony SNC-RZ25N – Ceiling/Roof mount outdoor bundle
Type: Controllable PTZ
Zoom: 18x Optical, 12x digital, 216x combined
Lens: Focal length: 4.1 – 73.8mm, F1.4 wide, F3.0 tele
Wireless: No – compatible with an IEEE802.11b-compliant wireless Compact Flash card (not supplied)
Resolution: Max. 640×480 pixels (VGA)
Frame rate: Max. 25 frames per second (320×240)
Audio: 2-way audio (ext microphone and speakers required, not supplied)
Light level required: Color: 0.7 lux (AGC ON, F1.4, 50IRE)
Multi-camera viewing: Additional software required for multi-camera monitoring
Recording: Full recording suite available, not supplied
Alarm detection: Video motion detection or external input
Alarm notification: Image transfer by FTP and email or notification by external sensor output
Power over Ethernet: Support can be added with PD801/12 High-power active splitter and midspan
Mobile viewing: No

Sony SNC-RZ25N Outdoor Bundle Wall Mount – Included in this bundle

• Sony SNC-RZ25N Controllable pan-tilt-zoom IP camera
• DBH18KOF028 Dome housing with sunshield and clear dome
• ODBH18H210 Adapter plate with fan assisted heater, 24V AC incl. step-down adaptor 12V DC / 2A
• DBH06 Wall mount bracket