Logitech HD Portable 1080p Webcam C615 with Autofocus (960-000733)

By 

Shannon Bradford (Ukiah, CA United States) –

  

  

Customer Video Review Length:: 2:05 Mins

Over the years, I’ve used a variety of webcams. The Logitech HD C615 Portable Webcam is my favorite to date. It has a strong feature set including:

Full HD 1080p video capture (up to 1920 x 1080 pixels)
720p HD video calling (1280 x 720 pixels)
8 MP Photos (interpolated), 2 MP (right)
Autofocus
Built in Mic (mono) with noise cancellation
Universal clip that fits laptops, LCDs or CRT monitors
Fold-and-go tripod-ready webcam (Meaning that it is simple to take with you)
Automatic low-light correction
Video and photo capture
MAGIX photo and video editing software
1-click Facebook, Twitter and YouTube HD upload capability for videos (Facebook integration also adds the ability to upload photos but the others do not right now)
Several video things including fun filters, avatars, face accessories, video masks and a mask maker
Skype integration for video calling

Here is a link to the full technical specifications from Logitech: [....]

Test Platform used: Windows 7 64 bit PC with a 2.8 Ghz Quad Core Processor and 6GB of RAM

My C615 webcam came with a 37″ USB cord and a 39″ USB additional room cord (meaning that I got 76″ of cord altogether). I was pleased to see the additional room cord. Regularly USB devices don’t have long enough cords and then you’re forced to buy an additional room. It was nice to see Logitech had already thought of this. It would have been nice if it were just a bit longer since I have a tower case for my notebook that sits on the floor but the USB cable was able to reach my USB hub just fine.

Setup was very simple. With taking all out of the box, I place the CD in the drive and followed the onscreen instructions. It took me a link of minutes to get the camera to sit properly on the top of my Samsung watch, but this was more due to the design of the watch than the design of the webcam. My watch has a curved lip on the top that is slippery and hard to place things on. It is by far the toughest watch I’ve ever tried to mount webcams on. In spite of this, the rubberized lips of the webcam clung to it nicely and I was able to adjust the webcam promptly so that it was at the right orientation for me when I’m sitting at my watch. With that, I had the webcam working surrounded by just a few minutes.

Logitech’s software is simple and simple to use. I fired up Gmail and started a video chat with a friend. It recognized the camera immediately and even loaded the Logitech controls. I played around with the video things and had his girls (8 & 10) laughing at the amusing avatars that were simple to use surrounded by the Logitech software. I reckon the best thing that I can say is that it made me want to play around with it more. This camera comes with MAGIX photo and video editing software. I didn’t install the MAGIX photo editing software because I do a lot of work with high end photography and I didn’t want to risk it potentially messing with my settings for my much more expensive photo software. I did install the MAGIX video editing software. You have to download it from a link that the Logitech installer provides. I found the software simple to use and it worked honestly well for a simple video editor. I was annoyed that they say they will email you a serial number and that with 3 days, I’m still waiting to get my serial number (you can run it 5 times without the serial number or for 30 days if you have an Internet connection). I was also a bit frustrated by Logitech. When I tried to log into Logitech VID HD (Logitech’s video software) it didn’t remember my password. When I typed it in again, it said I had no account. When I tried to make an account, it told me my email take up was already in use. I requested a password change and two days later I’m still waiting for the confirmation email (and yes I checked my spam folder). I’m sure it will arrive eventually, but really Logitech, 2 days? It should have full no more than a few minutes. These were the only stumbling blocks I came across with the webcam and are very minor. I haven’t tried Skype with the webcam yet, but help is built in.

The quality of the video on this webcam is stunning. It looked better than anything else I have used and my friends commented on how excellent it looked. It is highly detailed and the colors are very rich. It works better in low light than any other webcam I’ve used too, not looking anywhere near as pixelated.

The still pictures aren’t terrible for a webcam but they certainly aren’t as excellent as most cheap digital cameras can produce. Logitech’s website says the pictures are 8 MP interpolated and 2 MP right which means this is really a 2 MP camera that they are using software to go to 8 MP with. The pictures look like 2 MP pictures. I will try to upload some samples.

Another thing value noting. This…

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By 

javajunki “javajunki” –

  

Customer Video Review Length:: 1:54 Mins

Please excuse the video quality…total novice at work! PS – Due to Amazon size limitations I reduced the length and quality of the video.

Installation and set-up: Very quick. Took longer to remove from the box than to have up and running. Install the software, plug in, re-start notebook and you are ready to use.

Photographs & Video: Really like the intuitive boundary. I’ve attempted to show it on the video attached. A pop-up screen provides full access and controls for all functions including photographs or video’s. Upload instantly to Facebook, Twitter, uTube or email. Chat in real time. Integrates with Google and other applications.

Widescreen or regular size. Full tilt, pan, other controls.

Automatic lighting adjustment.

Other add-on’s available including face recognition that helps secure the notebook when not in use.

Fun features like avatars, ability to make a small film and basic editing also available.

Bottom line – my favorite webcam to date. Seriously convenient – perfect for travel or home use. Sound is very sensitive, just about idiot-proof as prove by my attempt to use a video review!

Thanks for watching and hope this helps grant a glimpse of the terrific features.

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 Comment

This is no doubt an brilliant webcam with some fine features, including 1080p HD video recording, 720p HD video calling, autofocus, and full swivel, for which I rate it five stars. Sadly, I’m among those few for whom it isn’t a excellent choice, for reasons that will become clear below. I’ll post these comments about that for others who might profit from them, by the side of with a suggestion for those for whom this webcam is a excellent choice.

System requirements

If your notebook is relatively new, say three years ancient or less, you probably have no wits to worry about system requirements. But, those with older computers still running the software they were designed to work best with may not be able to use this device’s advanced features, or if you have an even older fossil like I do, you might not be able to use it at all. For some wits, when I chose this camera the system requirements weren’t given on the main Amazon product page as they usually are. Amazon has now posted them, below the heading Compatibility.

For software, you have to be running Windows XP (SP2 or higher), Windows Vista or Windows 7, or Mac OS 10.5 or higher. (The info Logitech supplied for Amazon says Mac OS 10.5 is required, but the Logitech website says 10.4.9 or higher will work, at least for some functions, as pointed out in a comment to this review. If you have a Mac you can find your operating system number by clicking on About This Mac in the menu below the Apple logo. I’m still running OS 10.3.9 myself, and like its stability–by no means crashes even below heavy use.)

To use only the basic functions of this webcam the hardware requirements include a 1 GHz or quicker processor, 512 MB RAM, and a USB port, with USB 2.0 recommended. That last recommendation matters–if you only have USB 1.1 (12 Mb/second), your ability to stream video will be restricted to what you could do with cheaper, non-HD webcams. (Mac users can check their hardware using the About This Mac function mentioned above.)

To use the full functions of this webcam, including 720p video calling and 1080p video recording, you need a 2.4 GHz or quicker Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB RAM, a USB 2.0 port, and high-alacrity internet (for HD calling or other HD streaming) of 1 Mbps upload alacrity or higher. (My trusty ancient PowerBook doesn’t have any of those features except compatibility with high-alacrity internet.) If your system doesn’t meet all those requirements, you’re better off getting a cheaper webcam and not paying for the advanced features of this one.

A suggestion

Logitech has an older webcam, their premium model C910, that has the advanced features of this one plus built-in dual mikes for stereo sound recording (the C615 only minutes in mono), 10 MP still photos (only 8 MP for the C615, though in do that’s not a huge difference–8 is enough!) and a high-quality Zeiss lens (the C615 has high-quality glass but not Zeiss, which has a reputation for the highest quality). Right now the C910 is only a few bucks more than this one, so you might want to consider it as well. It does lack the folding and swivel features of this one (the C910 only swivels vertically), which are pretty cool for some uses. The system requirements are nearly exactly the same. (According to the info here at Amazon the C910 will work with Mac OS 10.4.11 or higher, while the C615 requires 10.5 or higher, but the Logitech website says 10.4.9 or higher will work for both, though it also says only the C910 is officially supported by Mac OS. If you own an earlier version of 10.4, the upgrade to 10.4.11 is free at the Apple website, by the way.) (Edit: Amazon has dropped the price of the C615, so now the gap in price with the C910 is more substantial, but it will probably tighten up again.)

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