Nogatech USB Micro Cam adopts Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection for high-speed video transmission. USB is 5 times faster than parallel interface is the perfect for connecting video cameras because in the laptop world, parallel ports are usually connected to printers, GPS systems or other devices.
Using the Nogatech's advanced compression technology - USB vision, USB Micro Cam can capture video up to 30fps in 325 by 288 resolutions and images at maximum 640 by 480 resolutions. In addition, Nogatech's special driver minimizes the CPU usage. This is especially efficient
on less powerful laptops. The nice energy-saving feature of this camera
limits the camera power consumption to 300mA.
The adjustable lens allows you to fine tune images. Nevertheless, the disadvantage of
the lens is too small to focus images easily. With the flexible post design, the camera is able to be bent forward, backward, left and right so that you can place the camera wherever you want. It does not come with a mounting clip to attach itself to a laptop.
The cable is only 1.3m (4.27 feet) long. It is adequate for laptops but too short for desktops.
There is no snapshot button on the camera to take photos. The snapshot function
is inside the software instead.
After you open the application Live Video Test under the program groups of USB
Vision, you will see a smile face icon located on the program bar. When you double click the icon, the snapshot button with a very cute cartoon pops up. Then, you are ready to take your own
photos.
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| Settings to adjust the
quality. |
Installation
You cannot go wrong during installation because USB MicroCam makes everything easy. Although there is no user manual on the package, the installation is simple enough. I would like to see some hints on how to improve video conferencing experience.
I encountered no trouble during installation. The Nogatech's USB Micro Cam is a plug and play device. Installing the drivers (Win95/98 drivers are included) only takes you several seconds, and then you can start to grab still images and video.
Upon my successful installation of the camera, the computer loaded a live video test. My next step was to continue with software
installation and that's all it takes to install the Nogatech USB camera.
Software
MGI VideoWave SE+ provides unprecedented flexibility in capturing video from both analog and digital video sources. With this software, you may create your own AVI format video, video clips and capture still images. Settings such as video quality, format can be adjusted according to your preference. MGI VideoWave SE+ supports all the leading video, audio, and graphics file formats. Video clips can be applied to many windows applications such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Word Perfect, etc.
Microsoft NetMeeting 2.1 is the outdated version of popular Netmeeting. The new 3.0 version is free on MS website. I recommend downloading it if you are serious about video conferencing.
I have high expectations from this camera because of its $179 price tag. Surely, this camera cannot satisfy everyone with its software bundle. To its credit, VideoWave SE+ is a valuable tool for video editing.
But it's a shame that website maker, security software and other goodies are missing from this camera
package. Webcam rookies will have a hard time figuring out what to do with
USB MicroCam.
Image quality
On my Pentium II 400 test bed, USB MicroCam yields good video quality. The camera managed to capture near 30fps video at 325 by 288 resolutions.
Problems surface when I grabbed some images. Under direct sunlight, USB MicroCam produced images are mediocre. Samples shown below
appear yellowish in which color-reproduction is degraded. It is difficult to distinguish the colors in the pictures. We do find the images are sharp though.
I also tried testing the camera by holding a videoconference using Vocaltech Iphone 4.0. I selected to feed video at 176 by 144 resolutions to my friend whom the feedback of the camera's video quality as smooth and vivid. The camera has fair impressive low-light sensitivity and performs well in low-light environment.
Conclusion
At $179, Nogatech USB MicroCam seems high
compared to Intel PC Camera Pro and Creative Labs WebCam 3. It also does
not deliver what is expected from its price range. It is definitely small but lacks useful features to satisfy the cameras'
owners. Look elsewhere if you want a
camera that can grab decent images.
