Quick Version: The QuickCam Vision Pro from Logitech is perhaps the easiest-to-use webcam I have seen in a while. There is no software required to run it, so you simply plug it in via the 6-ft USB cable, and you’re good to go. It works automatically with MSN Messenger, Yahoo, Skype, and other applications.
With 720p video resolution and a 2-megapixel camera, you’ll get a much better picture than most webcams. I set up two laptops side-by-side and logged into separate MSN accounts so I could see it in action, with pleasant results. The amount of detail is impressive, and crisp. There is very little lag when there is movement, and the auto-focus lessens the burden of fooling around with manual adjustments every time you alter your distance.
It comes with a universal clip that you can hook on to any flatscreen or laptop. It functions okay as far as hanging onto the top edge of the screen, but I would have preferred something a bit more stable.
My only real gripe is with the pictures you take. It looks like you need to be using some kind of software in order to capture still pictures. While in MSN Messenger, if you click the button on the left side of the webcam, the picture will freeze for just a second, then video will resume. But searches throughout My Documents and other places yielded nothing. It wasn’t until I right-clicked the USB Video Device and selected Get Pictures that I was able to then take still pictures. You can take one or several, then have it save to a location of your choice.
Despite that frustration, the pictures themselves aren’t bad at all. The camera is a bit more sensitive to movement than a full-size one with all the lighting options, but the quality here is good.
It’s easy to recommend this webcam just for its’ picture quality, but it’s also pretty compact, yet durable. Despite some brief frustrations taking still pictures, the QuickCam Vision Pro is very solid.