| ZoomCam USB Developer: Zoom Telephonics Reviewed by: Brent Hecht Review Date: 1.31.00 MSRP: $79.95 |
|
Apple claims that desktop video will be the next computing revolution. Whether or not this is true, there is a certain magic about editing and adding special effects to personal videos. Unfortunately, to engage in desktop video Apple's way, you need to shell out over $2000 for an iMac DV and a digital video camcorder. Zoom Telephonics has another approach: simply buy the ZoomCam USB. With ZoomCam USB, Zoom aims to provide everything one needs for desktop video and other video-centric tasks (such as video conferencing), in one, low-cost USB video camera. But at a price of only $129, can the ZoomCam USB be any good?
Design
In the tradition of the iMac and iBook, the ZoomCam USB features a translucent casing with blue accents. It matches quite well with any recent Apple hardware (of any flavor) and is very stable when placed on a flat surface. My favorite aspect of the ZoomCam USB's design, however, is its 6" USB cable. You would be surprised how many fantastic USB peripherals are marred by extremely short USB cables.
Quality
The quality of the ZoomCam USB's captured still photos and videos are quite impressive. It was able to capture videos at 16 frames per second (fps) at the 160 x 120 resolution, 11 fps at 320 x 240, and 8 fps at the huge 768 x 568 resolution. While these frame rates may not sound outstanding when compared to a PCI-based video editing system, for a low-cost USB video camera, they are more than satisfactory. The one negative aspect of the ZoomCam USB's capture abilities is that both stills and videos tend to turn out grainy in low light situations.
Software
As good as the ZoomCam USB's video and still image capture is, the awful selection of bundled software nearly ruins the whole package. The only full version commercial software that is bundled with the camera is CU-SeeMe, a popular video-conferencing application. All other included software is unregistered shareware. This means that you will need to provide your own video and still image capture and editing application. Considering that the desire to capture and edit video is one of the biggest motivations to get a USB video camera, Zoom has made a huge mistake with the paucity of decent bundled software.
Conclusion
Most everything about the ZoomCam USB's hardware is excellent; it captures high-quality video and stills and sports an innovative design with a sufficiently long cable. Its only downside is its terrible selection of bundled video and still capture software. As a result, if you buy the ZoomCam USB and want to do video and still capture work, you will have to spend at least $50 or $60 more for decent video capture software. However, if you have no desire to do any video or still image capture, the ZoomCam USB is an excellent buy!
Score: 7 out of 10
System Requirements:
iMac or USB equipped PowerMac
OS 8.6 or above
Internet or Network connection required for video conferencing (H.323) or video e-mail
Microphone to transmit audio
|
|