Logitech Quickam Pro 3000 USB

This is one of the better quality webcams out there, but not the best. What makes the deal was the combination of software package, price and the fact that it uses a CCD sensor instead of a CMOS, arguably giving a better picture in low light. You just have to accept that a $130 tiny camera won''t compare in picture quality to a $900 MiniDV camcorder. At a resolution of 320x240 (roughly comparable to broadcast TV) the picture is smooth and clear and on my machine, a 1066MHz P3, it runs at 30fps no problems. Once it gets to 640x480, you start to lose frame rates and the picture becomes noticeably more choppy and grainy. Still barely acceptable and I think this is a limitation of the camera rather than the computer''s. As with almost all miniature webcams, lowlight performance tends to suffer. You just have to be more careful with backlighting. With normal room lighting or even dim lights at night (not total darkness!) it actually performs quite acceptably. You won''t get vivid colours and all the fine details, but at least it doesn''t reduce the image to a blur. Installation on Windows 2000 Professional was without problems. The only complaint I have is that the base is too loose, the camera is too light, and the cord is too heavy. It is almost impossible to aim the camera unless you have a lot of slack in the cable. The coolest feature is the motion detector software. This is the one thing that sold me over the others. You can practically leave the thing on standby until it senses motions then it starts recording. It stops recording when the motion stops. You can use it as security camera while on vacation without all the harddrive space needed to record hours and hours of silence. And you can adjust the sensitivity of the motion sensor to suit your needs. Pretty cool.

Good software package, acceptable lowlight performance, comes with a decent length USB cable

Can''t aim camera because the cord is too heavy.

None

Not used.