Logitech C910 HD Pro Webcam Review

It's a marvel to think just how far webcams have evolved over the last twenty years. Back in 1991, it all began when geniuses at Cambridge University streamed a 128x128 representation of a coffee pot in glorious grayscale - serious business, no doubt. Today webcams can still be used to monitor coffee, of course, but they more frequently play a role in connecting families, friends, service members and business professionals all across the globe. And thanks to the High-Definition craze, we're just beginning to see webcams that can do it all in 1080p, well over 125x the resolution of the first CoffeCam and in super glorious 24-bit color.

One of the front-runners in this current generation of 1080p cameras is Logitech C910, an impressive piece of kit that pushes the limits of USB 2.0, not to mention the limits of your internet connection. Dual microphones and Carl Zeiss glass optics with auto-focus add flavor to the mix, but is it all worth it? Find out in the in-depth review below.

Excellent picture quality
Shorter, improved mounting clip
Professional aesthetic design
Unobtrusive autofocus
Clear speech when RightSound is active
UVC-compliant
720p at 30fps
1080p at 15fps (24fps without drivers)
Motion recording with audio

No hardware H.264 compression
RightSound is monaural only
USB cable is only 5 feet long
Logitech Vid only supports calls up to 720p
Promoted 3rd party face recognition is buggy, insecure

Refined Looks
The C910 marks an important milestone where Logitech has finally cast off the child-like playfulness of their QuickCam heritage with a new industrial design that seems less like a toy and more like a piece of professional equipment. The shiny, round and ecceltric elements of the previous webcam generation have been traded in for a flat, minimalist profile that feels more at home atop modern LCD screens. The camera lens sits straight in the middle, surrounded by a set of blue activity LEDs and dual microphones. It's this symmetry that truly makes the C910 appear classy.

The mounting hardware has also been improved over Logitech's older webcams. A more prominent front lip to grasps onto the front of the monitor, while a shorter L-shaped hinge provides a fair amount of tension with its wide, rubber padding. A second hinge just behind the camera itself allows for vertical tilt adjustments independent of the mounting hardware, though horizontal panning is still a lost luxury. Overall, the new mounting hardware does a good job of removing unwanted camera motion, but still lacks a tight grip on thinner laptop displays that a spring-mounted clip would provide.

On a sour note of caution, the cable length of the C910 has been shortened to just under five feet, down a whole foot from the last generation. This poses a serious issue for some larger desktop arrangements, and affected buyers may need need to invest in a quality powered USB hub to bridge the gap. When trying to do so using a simple 12-inch USB extension cable or a cheap built-in hub, a menacing high-pitched pulsating tone was introduced into the audio stream whenever the camera's optics were active. The other party was quick to point out the agitating noise during a Skype call, but the problem was quickly fixed by plugging the camera into a different hub.

Software
The C910 is fully compliant with the USB Video Class (UVC) specifications, allowing it to be used in standard and widescreen aspect ratios on just about any computer without the need for extra drivers. The lighting-adjustment algorithms known as RightLight along with focus and white balance are also built into the camera hardware, able to be manually adjusted or set to auto from within Microsoft's drivers.

If you do happen to install Logitech's Windows drivers, however, you'll be treated to a newer version of Logitech Webcam Software v2.30 that again sheds the quirky look of the older QuickCam generation. The new, more modern interface of LWS is rather bulky, but effectively uses white space to present a simple, uncluttered look. All of the features of the older drivers are present and accounted for, but many have been repositioned more or less intuitively across the software.

Quick Capture & Image Controls
At the forefront of Logitech Webcam Software package is the classic Quick Capture utility, which makes it a breeze to capture photos and videos in a wide array of resolutions both widescreen and 4:3, up to a native 2592x1944 (5MP) native resolution. Photos are captured as JPEGs, and videos as Windows Media WMVs using one of three compression settings.

Image controls will appear to the right of Quick Capture for basic adjustments like face tracking, zoom, panning and focus. These same controls can also appear in a pop-out controller whenever the camera is accessed by a third-party program like Skype, though the audio mute button will be missing. Advanced settings are accessed in a separate oversized window, providing granular controls over the camera's exposure, color balance and more. The camera image can also be mirrored here, but only horizontally. In the main preferences menu, the twin blue LED indicators can be set to turn on whenever the camera is active, or switched permanently on or off globally.

Also accessible from the main menu is the Webcam Gallery. This serves as a quick way to preview all content captured by the Logitech applications, sorted chronologically in a filmstrip. The main focus here is automation shortcuts; a simple menu makes it easy to quickly import a photo or video into an editing program of your choice, or share content by social media and email. Logitech has heavily advertised MAGIX Video easy and Photo Manager for editing content, but after trying both and seeing how basic they are, I'd advise you to stick with Windows Live Movie Maker and Google Picasa.

Video Surveillance
Still included in the software bundle is Logitech's Motion Detection program, allowing the recording of any event that exceeds a predetermined motion threshold. Timestamps and basic scheduling are supported, though masking zones with independent sensitivities is still a missing feature. Video resolution is also rather limited at 800x600, but this is probably done to minimize CPU usage.

Perhaps the biggest improvement to the Motion Capture program in LWS 2.3 is that audio is finally able to be recorded as an option. Contrast this to previous versions of QuickCam software, which cited wiretap law for disabling it by design. Wiretap law differs state-by-state, and many times the audio recording of conversations is perfectly legal so long as there isn't a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Logitech Video Effects
Entertaining small children is still made easy by Logitech's video effects, a collection of simple filters and camera distortions, as well as facial accessories and 3D avatars that track your movements. The majority of these have remained the same since the Logitech's QuickCam Ultra Vision, but they're still fun to play with and are of generally higher quality than the comparable effects from Microsoft LifeCam Cinema offerings.

To keep things fresh, a new toy has been added to the Video Effects suite in Logitech Webcam Software 2: video masks. Have you ever wanted to substitute a ravenous baby's eyes and mouth with your own? No? Me neither, but Logitech makes it possible.

A limited selection of pre-built video masks is included with the software, but this is quickly expanded upon by Logitech's Video Mask Maker. Any image stored on your computer can be turned into a video mask, allowing for multiple sets of eyes and mouths that can be rotated and resized about the picture. It remains to be seen if Internet culture will embrace this as a natural extension of memes or not.