Microsoft LifeCam HD-3000, Retail

Originally I purchased the Logitech C270 720p Webcam (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FHO5Y6)However the second I tried to install it was clear that it was hard to put on, and wouldn’t stay. Not only that but the Logitech webcam was a lot more zoomed in so I decided to purchase the Microsoft LifeCam HD 3000 and I have to say this webcam is an AMAZING webcam for its price.Unlike the Logitech it is easy to mount and features a wide angle lens which allows for a better picture. I could not ask for a better webcam for 25 bucks. If you are trying to decide between the C270 or the LifeCam 3000 I would say take the LifeCam!I have a picture showing just how big of a difference these two cameras are.

This is the best bang for your buck webcam you can get under $50 hands down.Microphone: The microphone is very crisp and clear, it also actually picks up bass and retains your natural tone and voice. It DOES although pickup any noise in the room including typing. I had to go into the Advanced Recording Device settings in Windows and switch the Default Format to 1 channel, 16 bit, 48000 Hz (DVD Quality) to get rid of this awful electronic humming sound. You may experience the same, if so here is how to fix it.Right click on the sound icon in your task bar > Click "Recording Devices" > Right click on Microsoft Lifecam HD 3000 then click properties > Go to the advanced tab and select DVD Quality from the drop down menu.Video: The video quality is VERY good for the money. Definitely a good "chat" type resolution and field of view. If you want something for doing green screens or streaming on Twitch or something I'd definitely suggest going for the Logitech C920 wide angle instead. It's double the price but it's got such a wide angle I actually returned it as it didn't suit my intended purpose for it. I want to just do video chats with people not have my entire room visible where people can see I left a sock on the ground 4 feet to my right.IF you have a budget of under $50 or if you want the best bang for your buck under $50 this is the one.

I bought this camera to start live streaming games on twitch. It handles dark and light settings with ease. I would highly recommend this product to anyone and especially the person whom is trying to affordable get into a web cam for any reason while still being in the upper echelon of quality and performance.

I did read a lot about entry level webcams before deciding on this product that felt right in price and ok in quality from what I saw. However there is a deal breaker: if the program that is offered by and written by the manufacturer doesn't recognize the device.The original program that Microsoft offers for the LifeCam HD-3000, might not recognize the cam. You would think, that as a Microsoft product, Microsoft would make a software that would be able to function on windows. Nope.The first thing I did when I got the cam was to plug it in and download the driver and attempt to download/install the software. The blue light blinked a few times to tell me the camera was recognized and could be turned on. Great! The driver installed immediately onto my computer which was great. However, some other reviews had said that software would be included as well. I did not get a CD or an installation prompt when I plugged the webcam in. I tried to search for it on the Microsoft website. When I searched for the software, the Microsoft website for the camera had no link for the software anywhere on the cam page, I had to enter in "LifeCam HD-3000 software download" into the search bar of google for that. After finding the software in some obscure accessories page of Microsoft (which I was only able to access directly from google) and downloading the software, it took quite a bit of time for the software to install. I want to say it took almost 15 to 20 minutes for the program to install and it was not a large program.After installation, I spent another 3 or 4 hours messing with my computer settings and sound settings and research thinking that it was because of my settings that the LifeCam 3.6 program was not recognizing the cam (see image). I restarted the computer with the cam plugged in and with the cam unplugged when the computer fully restarted; and still the program wouldn't recognize the cam. I did more research into why the software wouldn't recognize the camera and tried various things that other people suggested to do but the software refused to recognize the cam. According to Microsoft's camera help page (which did work on the software) it told me to delete the program and re-download it and reinstall it. I did. Nothing changed, it still didn't recognize my camera. On the plus side, every time I plugged in the cam, the blue light would blink, seemingly telling me that it was connected to my computer and that it works/has power.I eventually gave up trying to get the program to recognize the camera. But I attempted it again a few days later and again a few days after that. All in all I installed the software 3 times and all 3 times, the camera wouldn't recognize on the software. Again, after some more research, I suspected it could be the USB port, so I plugged it into all 6 USB ports that I had and the driver downloaded and installed itself 6 times. However, none of the USB ports showed that the cam was able to be recognized by the software. The blue light blinked though. It blinked every time I plugged it into a USB port. From what I could see, the software seemed to allow people to record and view their recording (rewind, fastforward etc), take photos, mute the mic maybe? I'm not 100% sure of the capabilities of the program... because while the buttons were there, my cam couldn't be recognized, I couldn't get it to do anything.I also found a video online where someone said it might be the sound settings under "recording devices" (right click on the sound button located on the bottom right hand task bar). Apparently the program thinks that the microphone on the cam is connected to it, so when you turn off the microphone on the cam, the cam is "turned off". So the idea was to leave the (cam) microphone on, but to mute it so if you had another source for a microphone (standalone), you could use that source as your main. Thinking and hoping this might be the issue on why my cam was not being recognized, I messed with those settings a lot, but it did not fix the initial issue. When I was in the "recording" tab under "sound" the blue light came on and stayed on. That means the computer recognized the cam...! Unfortunately, the program still did not recognize my cam. This was after restarting and unplugging and replugging in the cam after changing settings to test if that was the issue.Why is it so difficult to get a Microsoft product to be able to be detected by a Microsoft program running on Microsoft OS?

The only reason it is getting such low stars, is that this is advertised as Window's 10 compatible, yet windows website said it is not available for windows 10. Currently reaching out to windows support to ask why it isn't working and what to do about it. Will adjust rating based on what happens.

I bought it because of lots of good reviews, but after testing I'm somehow disappointed. I'm not returning it, but it really has some flaws.The chart in the overview says Photo Definition = 4.0 MP, which is absolutely not true. Maximum resolution is only 0.9 MP ...Also this camera is very very very OLD ... I've found reviews from 2011. That's 7 years .... wow. So the sensors are definitely outdated today.It also needs a lot of power. If you plan to run it on an USB HUB this could be a problem, at least as long as it's not a superior USB hub with external power supply.Camera definitely needs lots of light. With low light quality goes down quickly.For test shots see attached pictures with box in different distance and me (lol).Usually it worked for KYC verification, but not always. Will definitely have to buy another one later.Stand on desk is good, but limited regarding adjusting the angle (up / down), but you can easily move left/right.Also works on top of most modern (thin) LCD monitors.

Very good webcam. Very fast delivery to my house. Simply plug in the USB and it works. You can download additional software but skype is not needed. It works perfectly, the image a very good, very good built-in microphone. I highly recommend. This set does not have the disc with the software. It is very easy you can download them from the internet.

Works well.

Excellent Product!

Simply plug in and away you go. No need for headphones. It's a great, simple piece of kit, perfect for Skype.

A câmera é boa, mas não é compatível com o app de câmera do Windows 10 e não há drivers disponíveis para torná-la compatível. No entanto, é compatível com aplicativos que requerem webcam, como Zoom, Skype etc.