Microsoft LifeCam VX-6000 USB Webcam Review

VX-6000 operating in low-light condition.

At any of the other resolutions the LifeCam VX-6000 is capable of, the face tracking software does a decent job of following your face while recording or playing back live video. I say decent because during testing the face tracking software tended to over do the zoom and the over compensate for it by swiftly zooming out again.

Basically, the face tracking works well, but leaves a bit to be desired. I suspect most users will not care for the skittish way the cam zooms in swiftly to keep up with fast movements, only to over zoom and rush to zoom back out to nearly the point at which it began to zoom in. Up to 3x digital zoom is built into the cam, but things get pixilated pretty fast when you use it. You can still make out details, the image just gets grainy. For instance in one of my test images you can clearly make out the face of the watch, but as you can see it is pretty grainy. To focus the cam you simply turn the ring around the lens, which can help on zoom shots.

Other than the issues with pixilation with the digital zoom, the colors are nice and rich, so long as you are in good light. The cam will shoot in low light conditions, but it looks grainy and colors are not correct. Skin tones look great as well. Low light conditions are no problem with the VX-6000, so long as you are ok with grainy images. I was able to record in a room with the main lights out with the sole light source being my monitor backlighting and the display itself.

Pan & Tilt is built into the LifeCam control panel and works well. You can fix any issues with alignment of the camera and the subject via the pan & tilt functions for the most part. Speaking of the lens, it is a wide-angle unit that can capture a 71 degree area. To me the wide-angle lens is both good and bad. I don't care for that broad of a view with just one person in the shot. It captures too much background for my tastes. However, if your tastes run toward multiple people in the shot you will love the wide-angle lens.

The built-in microphone has acoustic noise cancellation features so you don't have to use another microphone or a headset during conversations. However, during testing I did have to talk quite loud for the sound to be heard clearly during playback of recorded files. As you can see and hear in the sample videos, extraneous sounds were picked up as well. The hum you hear in the face tracking demo is a fan attempting to beat back the Texas summer heat that was about six feet from the USB webcam.

Fun With LifeCam
The video effects Microsoft included will be nothing more than something to impress your young children or friends with. They have no real value and don't look all that good in my opinion. What would have been cool and useful is a way to create blue screen backgrounds. However, what I have are several rather cheesy effects. Videos made with the webcam are in Windows Media Movie and audio files are in Windows Media Audio formats.

Universal Mount
The base is a universal attachment unit that basically uses a push-down clamp to hold the camera gently in place. It works well and can secure the camera on LCD's up to about two inches thick. I had no issues securing it to either an Eizo CE240W 24" LCD that is nearly 2 inches thick, nor was there a problem securing it to a 30" Dell display that was thick and rounded in the back as well.

If you are still using a CRT display I am not sure if the clamp the VX-6000 uses to secure itself to the display will hold the cam in place effectively. However, in testing it fit my variety of LCD displays without issue. I also found that the clamp could be used to adjust the angle at which the VX-6000 pointed down from the display.

I mentioned a bit ago about the face tracking not working at 1.3 megapixels. At any of the other resolutions the VX-6000 is capable of the face tracking software does a decent job of following your face while recording or playing back live video. I say decent because during testing the face tracking software tended to over do the zoom and the over compensate for it by swiftly zooming out again.

Mac users are out of luck when it comes to using the VX-6000 as it is not Mac compatible. Then again, you don't really expect Microsoft to make Mac compatible peripherals, aside from the occasional keyboard. Supported operating systems are Windows XP Pro/Home, Media Center Edition 2005 as well as the Tablet PC edition. Connectivity is via USB 2.0, though the webcam is also USB 1.1 compatible as well.

One feature of the LifeCam VX-6000 I was unable to test was the One-Touch blogging function. At the time I reviewed the VX-6000 the one touch blog feature had not yet be enabled. However, the one touch button on top of the web cam does allow you to access your friends list with a single touch to start a video or text conversation.

LifeCam in Use
Installing the VX-6000 was as easy as installing the software, which includes a download for Microsoft Live Messenger, and plugging the USB webcam in when prompted. Once plugged in the software walked me through selecting the source I would use to capture and playback audio signals.

Once installed, a simple click on the short cut for the VX-6000 and it was ready to go. The preview screen automatically comes up and allows you to open the menu for choosing the effects and setting the video cam and still camera resolutions. From within the LifeCam software you can capture full motion video, still images and audio files. If you are into video blogging or making podcasts, this is a great web cam for you.

Adjusting the focus is not difficult at all, even though it is a manual affair performed by turning the adjustment ring around the lens itself. The cam is also adjustable for angle and pitch via swivels built into the base.

I mentioned before that I thought if you were looking for a cam just for use by yourself, the wide-angle lens was a bit of overkill. It makes for lots of space to the left and right of you while recording. The digital zoom can be used to tighten up the shot, but it leaves you with noticeably lower quality video.

Final LifeCam Impressions
Overall, the VX-6000 is a good web cam that has the highest resolutions you will find this side of a camcorder and takes quality still shots as well. It is easy to set up and use and the software is intuitive and works well. Tight integration with Live Messenger makes it great for video conferencing with friends, though Microsoft says the cam is compatible with all leading instant messenger software for Windows.

If you intend on using the camera to make video blogs, you will soon wish that the cams stand situated it closer to the monitor bezel so you appear to be looking at your audience, rather than looking up at them because the cam is a bit far from the display. However, once the One-Touch blogging feature is activated, video bloggers will have a good reason to buy the VX-6000.

By Shane McGlaun, Contributing Editor