Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000

Manufacturer: Logitech Inc. Part number: 960-000048

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$73.99 - $104.99 at 13 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
4.0 stars Excellent
Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 27 reviews

Nov 2007

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: The Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 offers a winning combination of stellar image quality, easy-to-use software, and a sturdy, stable stand. It's our Webcam pick for desktop and laptop users alike.

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CNET editors' review

Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000

price range: $73.99 - $104.99

The Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 offers a winning combination of stellar image quality, easy-to-use software, and a sturdy, stable stand. It's our Webcam pick for desktop and laptop users alike.

The good: Carl Zeiss lens and Logitech's RightLight technology combine to deliver superior image quality, especially in low light; 2-megapixel sensor lets you shoot video up to 1,600x1,200 resolution; included QuickCam software is polished and easy to use; flexible stand works equally well on top of a monitor or a laptop or resting on a desk.

The bad: QuickCam software isn't optimized for Macs, so you're left without the audio and video optimization technology and, less importantly, the goofy video effects and filters.

The bottom line: The Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 offers a winning combination of stellar image quality, easy-to-use software, and a sturdy, stable stand. It's our Webcam pick for desktop and laptop users alike.

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The Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 is nearly identical to the QuickCam Pro for Notebooks Webcam, except for the fact that it's a better fit for laptops. This $99 desktop Webcam is larger than its laptop sibling, but its flexible, two-hinged stand works equally well resting directly on your desk or atop your desktop's LCD or your laptop's screen. As was the case with the laptop Webcams I reviewed last month, the QuickCam Pro 9000 delivers better image quality than competing desktop Webcams from Creative and Microsoft. Logitech's RightLight technology provides a well-balanced, vibrant, and clear image--even in low light. While Creative's Live Cam software has more features, unless motion capture surveillance or time-lapse Webcam photography interest you, you're better off with the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000. With its easy-to-use software, stellar image quality, and sturdy, flexible stand, it earns our Editors' Choice award.

Installation is straightforward. Install the bundled QuickCam software and then plug in the Webcam. An audio-tuning wizard lets you optimize the volume for audio input (microphone) and out (speakers). You can adjust sliders for brightness, contrast, color intensity, and white balance, but I found the best results by enabling RightLight and leaving it at that. I found many complaints online about installation hiccups, particularly with Window XP machines, but I experienced no trouble installing the QuickCam software and drivers on either Vista or XP. I did have trouble when I installed the beta 11.5 drivers in an effort to test out the High Quality Video announcement that Logitech and Skype announced last week (more on that later), but the QuickCam 11.0 software that came on the bundled CD presented no such difficulties. Also, be sure to close out of the QuickCam software when using the Webcam to video conference with a program like Skype. I had a conversation repeatedly come to an abrupt end until I noticed the tiny QuickCam icon staring at me from my PC's system tray and closed it.

My only complaint with Logitech's laptop Webcam I reviewed last week was its awkward clip and vertical orientation, which, taken together, resulted in the camera drooping forward or leaning to one side somewhat regularly. No such problems with the QuickCam Pro 9000. The camera is oriented horizontally, with the lens to the left and the mic on the right. The two-hinged stand can be maneuvered to stand up on top of a desk or so that the camera sits on top of a narrow LCD. A rubber mat covers each potential contact point, meaning that the Webcam will rest firmly in place in a variety of positions. And the stand is made of thick, heavy plastic, which provides enough counterweight to keep the Webcam from being easily jostled.

In testing, the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000's image quality was superior to that of the Creative Live Cam Optia AF and the Microsoft LifeCam VX-7000 under any scenario--bright artificial light, low light, or natural light. Particularly in a dimly lit room with a dark desktop background, the QuickCam Pro 9000 was able to lighten the image to that shadows were removed from your face but not to the point of overexposing the image. In addition to using a Carl Zeiss lens, the QuickCam Pro 9000 features Logitech's RightLight 2 technology, which I found to be far better at automatically adjusting the image than anything you get from Creative or Microsoft. Like the other two desktop Webcams, the QuickCam Pro 9000 features a 2-megapixel sensor. It can record video up to a resolution of 1,600x1,200 and can snap still photos up to 8-megapixels (keep in mind, anything above 2-megapixels comes by way of software interpolation, which degrades quality).

The QuickCam Pro 9000 doesn't put AF into its model name like Creative's Live Cam Optia AF, but it does have an auto-focus feature. It's slow to react when recording video at any of the available HD resolutions (960x720 and up), but does a reasonable job of keeping your talking head in focus. The microphone does an acceptable job of picking up audio; just be sure you're not sitting to close to the Webcam.

The bundled QuickCam software features a pleasing interface and is very easy to navigate. Large buttons are provided for recording video or snapping a picture, and changing the resolution of each is dead simple. Your recorded videos and photos are listed as thumbnails at the bottom of the QuickCam window. Videos are recorded as WMV files and played back using Windows Media Player. Logitech's face-tracking features mean you get an assortment of 3D avatars and other video effects, which are fun if you want to surprise your friends with a video call from a shark or a reptile or a wild-and-crazy guy with an arrow through his head. While Macs will recognize this plug-and-play USB device (not tested), you'll be left without the services of the video (RightLight 2) and audio (RightSound) optimization apps as well as the video effects and filters.

Logitech doesn't bundle a video-messaging app, but it works with all the popular IM clients, including those from AOL, Windows, and Yahoo, plus Skype, which I used for testing. As I was testing the QuickCam Pro 9000 last week, Logitech and Skype announced a partnership to bring 640x480, 30-frame-per-second video to Skype calls. Three QuickCams were mentioned in the release, including the Pro 9000. Unfortunately, the updated version of Skype (3.6) necessary for high-quality video calls is still not available for download, so I was unable to test this feature.

Logitech backs the QuickCam Pro 9000 with a two-year warranty.

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 27 reviews

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 27

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7 stars

nice but problems

by jester2k on November 9, 2007

Pros: Beautiful images great software

Cons: Design problems with the stand

Summary: images are great the software is spot on no doubt about it. But the stand drives me nuts it has a fold out leg that is too small so it ...

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Summary: images are great the software is spot on no doubt about it. But the stand drives me nuts it has a fold out leg that is too small so it is top heavy. the usb cable catches on everything and causes it to tip over right on the picture button so you take a shot really annoying.

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16 out of 21 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Best consumer web cam I've ever seen

by quadrophonic on December 20, 2007

Pros: Optics, auto light adjustment, built-in mic, mounting flexibility

Cons: Expensive and it has Vista "issues"

Summary: This is by far the best consumer web cam I've ever seen. Optics are fantastic, its ability to adjust to different lighting situations is surprising, autofocus works quite well (...

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Summary: This is by far the best consumer web cam I've ever seen. Optics are fantastic, its ability to adjust to different lighting situations is surprising, autofocus works quite well (if slow), the built-in mic works great, and pretty much all the other pros you may have read elsewhere.

There are only two things I don't like about this camera: (1) The price is a bit steep and (2) Vista became slow and unstable after installing the software. Stability was greatly improved by installing the driver only. I admit that it could simply be my overloaded PC that is at fault for the software issue, but it caused me about 36 hours of agony before I figured out that it was the camera software that was causing system problems.

If you don't mind the price, it is money well spent for a quality web cam.

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8 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 stars

Excellent image quality

by roadsterqueen on December 26, 2007

Pros: Superior image quality, easy software install, stand stability and versatility, nice design/look

Cons: No privacy shield (not a huge problem though..you can definitely make due)

Summary: This webcam has amazing image quality. It is clear and crisp even when I use it in very dim lighting. The software was a breeze to install (I am using ...

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Summary: This webcam has amazing image quality. It is clear and crisp even when I use it in very dim lighting. The software was a breeze to install (I am using Vista). The video effects are 'kinda neat' although I doubt I will use those often. (Still fun to play around with). I mounted the webcam on my laptop, desktop crt monitor and tried it on the table and the design of the clip worked wonderfully in each area. The autofocus seemed a bit sluggish but did in fact work. There is no physical privacy cover but I just cover the lens with something or point it away. All and all this is the best webcam I have ever owned and it works great for my intended usage.

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3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
6 stars

Not bad, but forget the software

by jiminindy on March 6, 2008

Pros: Decent picture without Fancy Dan settings

Cons: Camera stand! Were they kidding? Software is more than lame.

Summary: This is a decent camera for making your own vids, but, do yourself a favor and don't load anything but the driver! The rest of the software caused a ...

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Summary: This is a decent camera for making your own vids, but, do yourself a favor and don't load anything but the driver! The rest of the software caused a continual pileup of warnings in XP's event log.

Not that this is earth shattering, but I found that if I removed the supplied software (the "deluxe" settings of which made for really poor vids)and simply used Windows Movie Maker, it recognized the camera just fine, serves the same function as the troublesome Logitech software with no warnings in the event log. 'Worked for me.

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2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
1 stars

Crap software/driver, decent camera

by Inner Geek on January 10, 2008

Pros: -When "right light" works, it works well. Camera doesn't require movie lighting to produce decent video

Cons: -The installation process was a nightmare due to the driver not being able to properly locate files in the system, customer support was pathetic and didn't know their product.

Summary: The camera actually produces good quality images even in surprisingly low lighting... IF you can get the camera installed. After exchanging 6 frustrating emails and 2 phone calls with logitech ...

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Summary: The camera actually produces good quality images even in surprisingly low lighting... IF you can get the camera installed. After exchanging 6 frustrating emails and 2 phone calls with logitech support, I returned the camera to the store I bought it from. The customer support from logitech was appalling, they kept blaming Microsoft (although Microsoft won't help you because this is not a licensed Windows compatible product). In reality, the technicians in the store were able to, with great difficulty and after an hour and a half of frustration, get the camera operating. The picture is of a good quality, though not really worth the premium price over the HP camera I also tried. As such, I returned this camera and am much happier with my HP that performs as well as, if not better than, the Logitech Pro 9000.
I find it odd that CNET haven't reviewed higher end cameras from Logitech's competitors, why only the lower end models from Creative and others?

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4 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
4 stars

Great hardware poor software

by lsecara on August 11, 2008

Pros: good web camera

Cons: drivers for win 2k not existent

Summary: Too bad that win2k drivers are non existent ...
Works with Vista and XP but i will not change for nothing in the world Win2k OS
This is already a discrimination

...

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Summary: Too bad that win2k drivers are non existent ...
Works with Vista and XP but i will not change for nothing in the world Win2k OS
This is already a discrimination against those users pushing them towards XP and Vista

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
2 stars

Great when it works

by deepboul on June 4, 2008

Pros: Performance

Cons: Freezes under XP

Summary: I had an unresolved s/ware problem with this camera (see web), working with XP, Norton and/or Skype.

Summary: I had an unresolved s/ware problem with this camera (see web), working with XP, Norton and/or Skype.

1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
5 stars

Great video quality, terrible mount

by andyjos on April 30, 2008

Pros: video and audio quality, good software and driver support

Cons: the mount is terrible!

Summary: I bought this camera based upon the reviews I read on cnet.com. The camera has great video quality (you must install Logitech's drivers to get the bestu quality, ...

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Summary: I bought this camera based upon the reviews I read on cnet.com. The camera has great video quality (you must install Logitech's drivers to get the bestu quality, Window's default drivers work but the video is choppy). The camera's microphone is also very good and can be used for video conferencing with multiple people in the room. That's where the positives end as the camera's mount is ther worst design I have ever seen and can only be fixed by gluing it to your monitor or some other "rigging." Seriously, the camera falls during all sorts of conversations and the mere weight of the cord causes the camera to fall. If that doesn't bother you - buy the camera but you've been warned.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 stars

I need one really bad

by Thunderwood on February 15, 2008

Pros: Will make me cool amongst my friend

Cons: will have to sell memorabilia to afford this

Summary: I've seen this webcam in a demo at PC Nation. I felt like I was in the same room as the sexy lady on the monitor. I really feel ...

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Summary: I've seen this webcam in a demo at PC Nation. I felt like I was in the same room as the sexy lady on the monitor. I really feel this will make me cooler and more popular with the females. I want one of these so bad, my balls ache.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000

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