The Microsoft LifeCam VX-3000 is in the middle of their USB webcam series between the VX-1000 and the VX-6000. It retails for about $40, so it is very reasonable in price, and offers a sharp picture, as well as extras.

I've had the opportunity to test this webcam on two systems. One a Pentium 4 3 GHz Windows XP Pro, and the other a Core 2 Duo 2.66 GHz Windows Vista Ultimate 64 computer. The Microsoft LifeCam VX-3000 installed easily and perfectly on my Windows XP computer. On the other hand, there were tons of problems installing onto my Windows Vista Computer. The problem here, and it is a documented problem, is that the there's a compatibility issue when your operating system is Windows Vista 64 and you have 4 GB or more of RAM. However, there is a hotfix that you can install, and you can read the tutorial that I wrote to fix it. After you install the hot fix it works great. I'm not sure if the VX-1000, VX-6000, or VX-7000 also have this problem.

Review

The webcam very small, when compared to my Logitech QuickCam Zoom, which was a big ball. The LifeCam VX-3000 has a focus ring which you can adjust to make the image sharper or blurrier. When you get the correct sharpness, the image quality is excellent. There is also a quick button on the top of the webcam. You can press it to take a picture, or to start a webcam chat depending on what software is running at the moment. Sadly, there is no cover or shade to cover the lens if you want a bit of privacy. There is a green light that tells you when the webcam is on. And of course, there is also a built in microphone.

The Webcam has a 1.3 MP maximum still image resolution which is equivalent to 1280 x 960 pixels. The images are pretty clear and fairly big given that this is only $40. The video can be recorded at 640 x 480 at 30 frames per second. I'm very happy out the quality of the images. The Logitech that I had was just plain blurry, even after adjusting the focus.

The LifeCam comes with a bunch of extras. It has these fun little effects in its dashboard which you can play directly on your MSN / Windows Live Messenger Chat. Some are animated, and some are still, but provide lots of fun for a few hours. It also has a face tracking feature which is mediocre at best. It often fails to follow my face properly, or it will zoom in way too close. It's fun to play around with for a while, but it will get annoying when you're actually trying to use it properly. It's best turned off. You can also pan and zoom your image on your own using the same dashboard.

Specifications

Pros

• Very sharp image
• 1.3MP still-image resolution
• Comes with fun software that you can use directly on MSN/Windows Live Messenger
• Very small and doesn't take up much space.

Cons

• Does not work properly with Windows Vista 64 with 4GB or more of RAM. Need hot fix
• Nothing to cover the lens if you need some privacy
• The stand does not work on an LCD (It does, the stand has a hinge that you can mount to your lcd.
• Face tracking is dumb sometimes.

Final Thoughts

If I wasn't so cheap, I would have honestly given up on this webcam on my system. It took hours to figure out exactly how to fix it, and several crashes and restarts before I was able to find a forum thread discussing the hot fix. It turns out that if you have Windows Vista 64, and have over 4GB of RAM on your system, the software will not work, and will just crash. However, I knew how good the quality of the camera was, since I also used it on my Windows XP computer. After finally installing it properly, I'm very pleased with the LifeCam VX-3000. The quality of the picture is far greater than the Logitech Cameras I've seen and used from a few years ago. It offers many fun effects also so, theres some added fun. The $40 price tag is also a very reasonable price for a webcam with this quality. I definately recommend this Microsoft webcam for those who want to have webcam chats, and don't want to spend too much.

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