Microsoft LifeCam VX-6000 (68C-00001) | 
| Brand: Microsoft
List Price: $79.95
Buy New: $29.95
You Save: $50.00 (63%)
New (48) Used (2) Refurbished (1) from $23.99
Rating:  114 reviews
Sales Rank: 380
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Native Resolution: 1280x1024
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9 x 3 x 10
nv:Digital Zoom: 3x
Height: 2.92 inches
Width: 2.16 inches
Depth: 2.1 inches
Warranty: 1 year limited warranty
MPN: 68C-00001
Model: 68C-00001
UPC: 882224132435
EAN: 0882224132435
ASIN: B000EVM5DU
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Use with Windows Live Messenger to communicate with friends and family as if they were in the room with you | | • | Delivers 1.3 megapixel video resolution and 5 megapixel photo resolution | | • | Built-in microphone | | • | Simply press the Windows Live Call Button and select an Online Contact to start a video conversation | | • | 71 degree wide angle lens ensures no one gets left out of the picture |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Experience instant messaging in a whole new way. Communicate with friends and family as if they were in the room with you. 1.3 megapixels high Definition video and 5.0 megapixels photos interpolated shows you in the best light. The built-in microphone automatically picks up your voice with remarkable clarity. Just press this button and select an Online Contact to start a video call. The 71-degree wide angle lens ensures no one gets left out of the picture. The pan and tilt functionality make it a snap to capture the big picture, however you want to see it. The long, flexible cable gives you more room to move. The zoom delivers realistic, up-close-and-personal video, so you can see the contours of every smile. The new USB 2.0 enables much higher connection speeds, so you can experience life in real-time. Surprise your friends with cool video effects, accessible right from the Windows Live Messenger Window. LifeCams capture life at 30 frames per second, which means the video images you see are smooth and seamless. Windows Vista or Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) required.
Amazon.com Product Description
Putting the power of Windows Live Messenger at your fingertips, the Microsoft LifeCam VX-6000 takes instant messaging with family and friends to a new level of sight and sound by offering great video and crystal-clear audio with acoustic noise cancellation. 
The LifeCam VX-6000 features one-touch access to Windows Live Messenger. | 
Enjoy megapixel resolution, a wide angle lens, and a 3x digital zoom. | Plus, you get advanced features, such as automatic face tracking software and low-light adjustment, so you feel like you're right there. The VX-6000 also adds several key enhancements over the LifeCam VX-3000, including high definition video capabilities, a wide angle lens, a 3x digital zoom, and a high-speed USB connection. View a comparison of the LifeCam VX-3000 and VX-6000. The Microsoft LifeCam VX-6000 is optimized for Windows Live Messenger, which is used by the largest worldwide instant messenger community with over 200 million users. Three key features give you a superior Windows Live Experience. First, the Windows Live Call Button makes it easy to start a video call. Simply press the button to see who's online, and you're on your way to a video call. Second, with the LifeCam Dashboard you can access video effects and control your webcam from the Windows Live Messenger window. Lastly, with One-Touch Blogging, a single click allows you to upload to Windows Live Spaces, an "online scrapbook" that lets you easily post blogs, photo albums, and personal music lists. The VX-6000's automatic face tracking software, which takes advantage of the camera's pan, tilt, and zoom controls, follows you so you don't disappear off-screen. The VX-6000's wide angle lens lets you fit more people on screen so everyone can join in the fun. Alternatively, the 3x digital zoom brings you so close that it's almost like sitting opposite the other person. The camera's high definition sensor makes it possible to experience true 1.3 megapixel video and 5.0 interpolated megapixel photos. The camera automatically adjusts for low-light conditions for improved video quality, and a built-in unidirectional microphone with acoustic noise cancellation provides crystal-clear audio. Video effects give you a fun way to express yourself, and last but not least, the camera's universal attachment base fits on most monitors, including flat screens. Alternatively, the camera can sit directly on your desk. Note that while the VX-6000 is optimized for use with Windows Live Messenger, Microsoft LifeCams also work with other instant messaging programs, such as Yahoo Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 109 more reviews...
 Best webcam, probably a bit of an overkill for video chat September 25, 2006
Gadgester (New York)
116 out of 132 found this review helpful
I wish people would refrain from lying; some people will do anything to defame Microsoft, a genuine, all-American company. The LifeCam VX-6000 installs easily, does not install secret non-essential software like Creative and Logitech installers do, and works beautifully with various IM clients. I tested it with different video chat programs and didn't enconter any problems on my two WinXP computers. I mainly use it with the new Windows Live Messenger (formerly known as MSN Messenger) and the video and audio quality are just superb. But I do think this might be a little too much if all you do is casual video chats. The cheaper VX-3000 is probably a better buy for most people. If you want a real digital camera, get a real one from Canon, Casio, Fuji, Nikon, Panasonic, Sony, etc. But if you do some video conferencing for business, the VX-6000 is a good investment.
Great Webcam August 13, 2006
Steffan Carroll (Michigan)
87 out of 96 found this review helpful
The MS LifeCam VX-6000 is optimized for Windows Live Messenger (WLM). There were no options in the installation process. No crapware was installed. No special folders were created. All the camera features can be accessed from within WLM. The sound was great from the recipients point of view, even though I was using two desktop speakers. No speaker feedback. The microphone worked even when I walked around the room. No headset is supplied. Why do the other similarly priced webcams touting their builtin microphones also include headsets? I'm about to buy a second one.
 Poor Image Quality for the money March 9, 2007
P. K. Stevens (Detroit suburbs, MI, USA)
29 out of 39 found this review helpful
I have bought the VX-3000, VX-6000 and the NX-6000. Buy the VX-3000 for $30-40 or the NX-6000 for $70-$100, but not this model. It really offers little over the VX-3000. Contrary to it's size, the little portable laptop version: NX-6000, has excellent features and pictures compared to the similarly priced VX-6000. I don't even know why MS even offered this model?
 Regret to Say... It's a Piece of Junk August 27, 2006
Lawrence Curcio (West View, Pennsylvania United States)
21 out of 55 found this review helpful
I purchased a Microsoft LifeCam VX-6000 webcam because I wanted to avoid conflicts with the Windows operating system, and because Microsoft is at least as reputable as the rest of my operating system. (Also, IMHO, they did a heckuva good job on Excel, for all its little quirks, what with VBA macros and the solver.) This was evidently the top of the MS line, so I figured it was a good webcam.
The first problem I had was the requirement for a system update, so I went to the the MS support site, and found a document on the patch telling me to install the latest service pack. Now I update my system every two months, and I was due, so I followed the instructions. A couple of hours later, while MS presumably scrutinized everything on my system (and found it legal, because it scrupulously is, because I believe it should be as a matter of principle) the next installation attempt produced exactly the same results. Found another document (there were scores), followed its instructions, and installation proceeded.
I went along hitting the agree buttons until, in the installation of some sort of fancy toolbar, I came upon an option to read a privacy statement. On a whim, I did so. So glad I made that choice! Ever read Orwell's 1984? There's the Ministry of Truth, and the Ministry Peace. Now there's Microsoft's Privacy Statement. My God! You have to agree to resident spyware to use this thing! Bless you, Bill and Melinda for all your good works, but gimme a break! Noooooooooooo! You may NOT install that alien malevolence on my machine! I refused the statement, but installation of other stuff continued. (Hey! Sometime it works; sometimes it don', right?)
Tried the thing. At first, it seemed to work passing well. It was jerky, but OK. Then I tried the video capture, which was the feature I had really wanted. Ya know, I sorta expected in this day and age with 3.2 (or 2.8 in my case) billion (note the B) instructions per second, that video would be synchronized with sound. Not even close. It didn't look like anyone had even attempted to do anything in this direction. Like "OK! Ship it!"
So... How am I supposed to rate the LifeCam VX-6000? It's a piece of junk, isn't it? Note that this is my second day with it, and I could find a setting at any moment that clears this all up, in which case I will edit the content and change the rating. But... if this review is several weeks old, that didn't happen.
 A camera with a handful of features, at a good price. September 6, 2006
C. Kelso (Huntington Beach, CA United States)
19 out of 22 found this review helpful
Pro's:
Setting up this camera was simple and quick. I was in a web cam session in 10 minutes.
It has all the physical adjustments you need so you are always able to get the camera at the right angles so you can be looking your best. You can tilt it in any direction, and it's adjustable clamp will have the camera fit securely to just about any monitor.
Another good feature is the manual zoom. Some people prefer automatic zoom (like some people prefer automatic transmission in their car), but for a webcam, when you are usually shooting only one subject at a time, manual zoom is the better option because it gives you total control and allows you to have a sharp and perfectly focused image of your subject, wether it be in the background or way up close, so you never have to worry about getting blurry shots again.
Since this is a microsoft device it is compatible with many programs. Aside from the included software I also used it in ms movie maker, and picasa, and i'm sure there are many other programs that can utilize it that I havent used.
And as you know, if you use ms messenger, the special button on the camera will get your video conference going in a snap. You also have integrated animation effects that people with different brand cameras dont get in ms messenger.
The built in microphone is also great for people who dont have a standalone headset, this will save you money. You can also use the camera's mic just for recording audio and using in voip programs like Skype if you so choose.
Cons:
The picture quality drops in low lighting conditions, but this is a weakness that almost all digital cameras have.
Also, the "automatic face tracking software" feature is not perfected. Lets say you move back a few feet, the camera is supposed to zoom in and keep your face centered and at a certain size at all times. Well sometimes it zooms in too close, or doesnt zoom in when you move back. But it's a new technology and I didnt expect this feature to be perfected, not many will need this feature since most people are relatively still when sitting in front of their computer.
All in all, it is a good camera for the money, with a handful of features and it serves it's purpose well.
Tip:
Keep in mind that if you intend to record top quality videos (high resolution and framerates) you will need a PC with good hardware (atleast a 2mhz CPU, 128mb video card, 512mb ram). For people with older PC's, the camera's settings can be adjusted to work better for you. The camera will provide the maximum picture quality it advertises as long as it has the proper computer hardware to power it. And as most of you know, broadband internet is pretty much a necessity for webcam sessions.
Check it out!
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