This review is for the benefit of Mac users, not Windows. I bought the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 and the Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision to choose a web camera for an iMac G5 2.0GHz, the generation immediately before the G5 iMac with the built-in iSight camera. And I'm running Mac OS X 10.5.1, the most updated (to date) Leopard. There is currently a camera for sale at Apple retail stores that is labeled the Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision MP, for Macs. It is the same hardware as the Ultra Vision and Ultra Vision SE for Windows; all the Ultra Vision cameras differ only in cosmetics, color--they're all the same hardware.
On a Mac, the cameras both run on the built-in Apple drivers. There are no Logitech drivers, no Logitech software. Therefore none of the Logitech special effects or light and sound management that the box lists work for Mac users. No autofocus, no RightLight2, no RightSound. Kind of a drag. In addition, there is no ability to manage color, light balance, etc., from any operating system software on the Mac or from Logitech. This is pure plug-and-play, and you get only the most basic functionality: The camera and microphone work (not sure about quality of sound on receiving end) to deliver picture and sound, neither tunable with what is in the box.
What the two cameras have in common is that they work for Mac users. According to what I've read, any camera that is labeled as Microsoft Windows Vista-compatible or UVC (USB Video Class) will work just as these do in Mac OS X, with this prereq: You have to have OS X 10.4.9 minimum. Tiger (OS X 10.4) is currently at 10.4.11; Leopard is at 10.5.1. Both will support video and sound on UVC cameras.
That said, the Pro 9000 and Ultra Vision differ in some significant ways. The focus on the Pro 9000 (P9K hereafter) is tighter than on the Ultra Vision (UV hereafter). The focus on the UV is comparatively lower in resolution; you can see jaggies on straight lines on either camera, but they're pretty visible on the UV, and you have to look for them on the P9K. I would say the P9K is definitely superior, and neither is as good as the iSight cameras built into any of the current Mac lines (but then, if you had a Mac with iSight, you wouldn't be reading this). The P9K's resolution is finer than the UV.
As to color I would say that if I could have a compromise between the two cameras, the UV and the Pro 9000, it would be better than either. The Pro 9000 color/exposure is a bit washed out; the UV is a bit dim. E.g., a blue pinpoint oxford shirt looks barely blue on the Pro 9000, and much more saturated on the UV. The entirety of the UV's color tilts heavily toward blue, while the Pro 9000 goes more toward yellow. (I would be curious to know if the color balance varies by model or by individual camera. I'd also love to see if other brands, say, Creative Labs, differ too.) Both cameras adjust to changing light, but in low light the Pro 9000 is not just a little but significantly better; in very low light, the UV nearly blacks out, while screen light is enough for the PK9 to deliver a passable image, albeit with low frame rate and lots and lots of motion blur.
Note that on a G5 or earlier (any non-Intel Mac), the support for iChat and PhotoBooth's effects is limited--specifically, they'll do the first two panels (color effects, including charcoal, Andy Warhol-ish, X-ray, B/W, sepia, and the pinch, swirl, and similar effects), but none of the backdrop effects, either still or moving.
I found both to work with iChat, PhotoBooth, Skype, and several of the shareware camera apps available. So I would say they work, period.
While neither Apple nor Logitech provides much more support for cameras, eCamm.com has a bevy of camera titles that provide extra power for web cameras on non-Intel Mac hardware. iGlasses, PowerBoost, and a couple other titles provide color tuning, restore some of the effects capabilities that PPC Macs don't get in iChat and PhotoBooth, and provide recordability with QuickTime output. They do good work. iGlasses provides some control over brightness, contrast, saturation, hue, gamma, sharpness, gain, white balance. I didn't find these to really improve the images on the P9K, but they did help the UV. Once you get a camera, you may want to get some of eCamm's software. Logitech 720p Webcam Pro 9000
They have got this one right.. That is for sure...
I had the previous Logitech Pro 5000 and this one beats that one (which is also good) miles away !!
The quality that I have all my family and friends reporting on Skype is just asthonishing.
Because of that, I got a 2nd one and start using it myself during all my trips and I could see the diference from the previous one.
The range of colors is what calls the attention, very good in bringing the true colors of the place you are without have to deal with the controls of it.
The Auto Focus on it is just something to bring the attention to, since you can acctually get close up on stuff that other cameras would not pick up.
I could even show what I had on my monitor to friends and they were able to read it ! (using Skype)
The lens are just great (All sony cybershot's uses the same lens if that tells you anything !!), to which I believe is also the reason for all this image perfecion they have reached with the camera.
And the sound is really good, with eco cancelation and all the bells and whistles.
I mainly use it for web conference, but if you would like to make videos and send them out, that does the job with an A+!!
You will be satisfied with this one, and the price is worht the equipment you are going to get...
That's why I got 2 of those already for my family !
Go for it ! - Webcam - Skype - Laptop - Logitech'
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