The Gadget of the Day Series is supported by the Energizer® Inductive Charger, which brings you the next generation of charging with Qi technology. Qi is the new universal standard for wireless charging … now that’s positivenergy™.
Product: Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910
Price: $99.99 MSRP, available for less at some online retailers.
What It’s Good For: Capturing high-quality video recordings from a Mac or PC or for using video chat programs like Skype, FaceTime and Windows Messenger.
Who It’s Good For: Users looking for an enhanced web camera experience that is capable of recording HD-quality video. The wide-angle of the lens is ideal for users that frequently want to include more than one person in a shot.
Limitations: Although the C910 webcam does record video in HD, users must employ the included Logitech Vid HD software in order to get full 1080p. HD video calling is more limited on the Mac.
Bottom Line: At $99, the C910 is a quality HD web camera that works with both Windows and Mac OS X. For the price, it delivers solid performance and high-quality video.
A Look at the Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910
Logitech released its flagship HD webcam in June 2010, but until January, it was a Windows-only device. As a Mac OS X user who does a lot of web video, I have been disappointed by the dearth of good HD options for my OS of choice.
The Logitech C910 is a small device that comes with a universal clip that can be affixed to the top of most laptops or LCD monitors. The clip isn’t as nice or as versatile as some of Logitech’s less-expensive web cameras, but it does what it needs to do.
The camera connects to a Mac or PC using USB, and users can opt to install the included software from a CD-ROM or download the latest version off the web. In Mac OS X 10.5 and higher, the device shows up automatically in compatible programs as a USB-Class Camera, even if you don’t install the secondary software.
The one major disadvantage of the C910 — and a disadvantage that is common to most HD webcams — is that in order to record 1080p video, the included Logitech software is required.
HD calling on the Mac is limited to the Logitech Vid HD program (Skype for Mac doesn’t currently support HD video calls), but Windows users can use Skype, Vid HD or Windows Messenger to make video calls in 720p.
Fortunately, the included recording software is robust enough for many purposes. The Mac OS X version allows users to choose to save the file as compressed or as a raw video file for editing in an external editor. Video recordings can also be uploaded directly to Facebook or YouTube from the software itself.
Even in non-HD mode, the web camera provides good color and especially full audio. We used the camera for our interview with Paul Feig, and while the overall video quality was poor thanks to a suboptimal connection and a Ustream configuration that wasn’t fully optimized for Flash Media Live Encoder, the results were serviceable and the audio pickup was better than expected.
Seeing is believing, so here is an unedited video, recorded in 1080p (compressed) and uploaded directly to YouTube. The audio hiss in the background is from our office, but otherwise, we’re pleased with the results.
Series Supported by Energizer®
The Gadget of the Day Series is supported by the Energizer® Inductive Charger, which brings you the next generation of charging with Qi technology. Qi is the new universal standard for wireless charging. Energizer® has always been designed with performance and responsibility in mind … now that’s positivenergy™.
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