Logitech Quickcam Communicate STX

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

the product is great and esay to install but the delivery time was horrible..

Did a lot of research before buying cameras for the grandparents, these worked wonderful for everyone- easy to install- doesn't always work with Yahoo messenger, but all in all a great camera, easy to use, great quality, great fun!

The QuickCam Communicate STX is a great mid-level web camera. I have used it often since I purchased it and it hasn't failed me yet. Installing it on your computer is very easy with the included CD. The resolution is great, the features are amazing, more so than I had previously thought, and it does take decent-quality pictures for a web camera. This is a great entry purchase; it has more features then a basic web camera and provides good bang for your buck. Five stars for sure!

Fairly good quality (good enough for family web cam sessions, not good enough for product demos), easy to install - what more can you ask for for $40?

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.)

If I could give 3.5 stars that would be more appropriate.
The camera and microphone are super for the price.
The software is pretty janky and it doesn't always work with Skype.
I get Video errors about half the time, even though all the logitech settings are set to work with Skype. This problem happens on both my desktop and my laptop PCs. Setup and install were easy. They just need to fix the bug with the outgoing video settings for using Skype.

I purchased this camera to talk back and forth with my sister and mom, who live 1200 miles away. My mother already had a webcam built into her laptop, and my sister has a $15 webcam given her at Christmas.
After seeing the poor resolution of the picture on my sister's camera, I decided I needed something better than a $15 webcam. I did quite a bit of research before deciding on the Logitech.

I was very pleased with the picture quality of my videos (I can view them before sending), especially compared to what my sister sends me. Her pictures are VERY fuzzy and distorted.

I had to do a little experimenting to get rid of the "echo" and get my videos to have sound when I send them. I'm not sure I've quite figured that part out yet, but I'm sure it can be done.

I purchased my camera on Amazon for $40 and got free shipping, so I was happy with the price.
I'm quite happy with the picture quality as well.

Also, the camera has a feature where it will follow you as you move from side to side; however, you have to manually go in and enable it to do this each time--it doesn't do it automatically.

I like that it has a "privacy shield" so you can keep people from seeing you if you don't want to be seen.

I had read that the camera seems to want to focus too far away from the screen. When I set the camera on top of my computer, I could only get myself in the picture--not good when you want all the kids in there for Grandma to see!
I solved this problem by setting the camera on a shelf above the computer, a little farther away. It works perfectly that way. One nice thing about this camera is the adjustable stand--It doesn't have to be attached to the computer; it can be free-standing on any flat surface as well.

I've really liked the camera so far.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I know it's not top of the line as far as picture quality goes. I'm not interested in perfect picture, however, I just want to be able to see my relatives more than once a year!

Great camera.

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 :)

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.

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.

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.

I bought this webcam for my parents and one for myself. The camera is very easy to set up and use. We had some difficulty getting video calling to work, but now that it does, we are happy with it. For relatively still shots, this camera is awesome. However, I have a six month old and he doesn't like to sit still for the camera. Movement is very blurry on the camera. I would still recommend it as an inexpensive way to connect with others.

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.

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.

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.

This camera has a very sharp image, even in low light enviroments, and the images are at pretty high resolution.
The only thin that annoys me is the error msg that pops up everytime I disconect the cam.

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.

Good webcam, the low light technology does work and improves the image a bit.

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.

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 borught 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, clear as clear can be. No grains.
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, basically lets you have a little fun.

Overall..I loved it.

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.

These cameras are so easy to install and use. They light the subject just perfect.

It is easy to use and it gives me exactly what I need without a lot of long turorial know how's. I am enjoying the product whenever I get the chance to use it> Great price too!

A great webcam quaility and reliability wise! The mount is a bit tricky, It won't reall sit on laptops very well, so I hope you have a CRT, thick LCD, or a shelf at eye level which you can put it on.