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|  | |  | | | Microsoft LifeCam HD-5000 720p HD Webcam - Black | | | | | | | |
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| $49.99 | |
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| $28.21 | |
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| | Features | True 720p HD videoAuto Focus16:9 widescreenTrueColor Technology
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| | Description | MICROSOFT LIFECAMHD-5000WINUSBPORTENGLISHHDWRUSLIFECAMHD-5000WINUSBPORTENGLISHHDWRUS Manufacturer : MICROSOFT UPC : 885370002881 | |
| | Product Details | | Product Length: | 7.6 inches | | Product Width: | 6.7 inches | | Product Height: | 3.0 inches | | Product Weight: | 0.21 pounds | | Package Length: | 7.1 inches | | Package Width: | 6.6 inches | | Package Height: | 3.0 inches | | Package Weight: | 0.6 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 173 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 173 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
186 of 191 found the following review helpful:
 Very Nifty! Sep 22, 2010
By Brian Baker
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1A06HDHO9CN8N I really like this camera. You can play my review as recorded on the unit itself.
A couple of other things I didn't mention. It has a built-in microphone, and records very good sound quality, as you'll hear if you play the video.
There's quite a bit of included software, including some that allows you to perform basic video editing on your footage.
You can also download directly to YouTube, Twitter, and other sites and apps.
Download and installation was flawless, and I run Win 7 64-bit (I noticed in some reviews that others running that OS seemed to have problems; I didn't).
All in all, 5 stars.
48 of 50 found the following review helpful:
Cam is great, Auto Focus is Poor in Windows XP Sep 26, 2010
By Chris Damon
"Classic TV Guy"
Ok, First of all if you are a person who is concerned about excessive packaging, this is one unit you probably want to avoid. Microsoft uses such a big box compared to the product contained within it. Although most of the packaging is cardboard that can be recycled you would think they could come up with a better design. Really, the package should have been only slightly bigger than the CD that is contained within it, since that is the largest component.
I first like to look at the manual when I get a product. The Microsoft LifeCam HD-5000's manual consisted of a single 5 inch square sheet with illustrations (no text)in boxes labeled one through four. The first box was a picture of the enclosed CD, the second a picture of a USB connector with an arrow pointing towards a USB jack, the third showing you can place the webcam on top of your monitor or on a flat surface, and the fourth showing you can twist the camera on its base. That is the entire manual. I should also mention here that a label covered the USB connector coming from the webcam instructing you to install the software from the disc first. You physically must remove the label in order to insert the USB connector to your computer. I guess this is just in case you did not have the time to look at the the four squares. Oh, you also get a useless "Microsoft Product Guide" which looks like they throw in with every product, since it mentions Lasers, headsets and Radio Frequency devices. This guide is just full of warnings and precautionary measures which they probably legally have to enclose. The only thing is mentions about "Webcam Devices" is that the adhesive attachment disc may leave an adhesive residue, something that does not pertain to this product, and therefore this guide did not need to be included at all.
It took an usually long time to install the software. At times the install window disappeared completely, and I was not sure whether it crashed or what it was doing. After that I decided to install it on another computer, but this time I checked Microsoft's website to see if there was an updated version, and there was. The enclosed disc was version 3.0, but the website had version 3.5. Once I downloaded the newer version and ran it the install time was almost cut in half, so do yourself a favor search Microsoft's website for the latest Lifecam software before using the disc.
After I installed the software, I was informed that I needed to upgrade the firmware of the camera which only took a few minutes and was much more informative than the software install.
Once the new firmware was installed the Microsoft LifeCam software popped up and the blue light on the cam turn on. The default resolution is 640 X 360 which is what is recommended for my video card, other resolutions have the warning indicator saying that they are not recommended for my equipment and may cause performance issues. This is no surprise, since I am running it on an older system. Since I cannot put the camera into a high definition setting I cannot attest to quality of anything above 640x360.
The video quality of the camera is excellent, though slightly saturated using the default tru-color setting. You can adjust the settings manually if you wish, but for most people the tru-color setting will be just fine. What you absolutely must turn off is the autofocus on this camera, since it does not function properly AT ALL! It constantly adjusts, blurring your picture and gets very annoying. Once you go to the advanced setting and click on properties, then camera control you can shut off the autofocus by clicking on the "Auto" check box in the Focus section. By sure to hit apply, then ok. I had to do this twice but finally got the autofocus to turn off, and that's a good thing, otherwise I would have thrown this webcam in the trash. You will also find controls to "zoom" the camera (though this is done through software interpolation, not an optical zoom), Pan, and Tilt (which only seem to do anything when you have zoomed in the picture, confirming that the zoom is entirely software based). There is another tab in the advanced controls that are video settings allowing you to manually control Brightness, White Balance, Saturation, Exposure and Contrast (the last two are greyed if you have Tru-Color tuned on). The exposure on the camera is quite good even in low light conditions. With the exception of the auto-focus issue the video quality is excellent on this camera.
The stand alone software allows you to make video captures, audio captures and still captures, then send them in an email or share them in Windows Live if you wish. There is also an effects function which allow you to add various filters or overlays to your stream or capture which is very COOL! My favorite is the afro with the headband. The software does a great job of tracking your movements and keeping the overlay in place if you move your head. This is something that is hard to explain, you really need to see them in action to appreciate the effects. Microsoft includes many of them, and they are fun!
I generally got this webcam to use with Skype, though Microsoft REALLY wants you to use it with Windows Live. When you install the software it prompts you to install Windows Live, which I declined. There is even a "Windows Live" call button on the top of the camera. Anyway, I'm not using Windows Live, so I tried it with Skype. One thing I forgot to mention was that the webcam also has a built in microphone, so there is no need to search for your misplaced mic or wear a headset. You can even use the mic on the webcam for audio only Skype calls. Keep in mind the blue camera light will illuminate even if you are just using the microphone only, so don't be alarmed. The same rule applies if you are on a video call and kill the video portion and just use it for audio, the light stays on.
I was quite impressed with both the video and audio quality on Skype with this webcam. It did not display in the widescreen format that the stand alone software used, but I am not using Skype HD, so that is probably why. Once communications were established, the quality was apparent by the other party who commented on it. There was absolutely no problems with Skype, it worked right out of the box (After the software was installed that is). Oh, one thing, just be sure to go into the Skype settings and change the audio settings to the webcam's mic or you will get no audio.
In conclusion, the camera's video quality is great, its auto-focus sucks and is annoying - turn it off!, the video effects are COOL, the audio quality is fine, it works great with Skype, even as an audio only device, the stand alone software is fine for sending a video email, recording an audio message or taking a still, plus you can add the effects. The camera does drive up your resources, so be sure to turn off unnecessary services and programs before using. I would not recommend this webcam for older computers. Be sure to read the system requirements on the product page before ordering to be sure your computer can handle the processing power needed.
58 of 62 found the following review helpful:
 Superb Color and Clarity, Poor Auto Focus Behavior May 05, 2010
By T. Shih
Simply put, the picture quality of the LifeCam HD-5000 is amazing, and despite losing out in terms of absolute resolution (720p is only ~0.9 MP) to some of the other webcams on the market, the HD-5000's sharp focus, low noise, excellent low-light performance, and life-like color produced superior results. Frankly, it is better than my older Logitech QuickCam for Notebooks Pro, a newish Rosewill true 1.3MP webcam, and the several built-in webcams I've used over the years. The built-in forward-facing microphone works as expected, and the stand is quite innovative and worked well stand-alone and hanging on my laptop's monitor.
Despite producing quality video and stills, however, the HD-5000 is far from perfect. Firstly, the auto focus implementation is TERRIBLE. Not only is it SLOW to focus (up to 4 seconds), but it is also triggered very easily. Second, the lack of hardware acceleration makes for high CPU usage. Simply looking at myself at 720p consumed 30-40% of my laptop's CPU and recording 720p video ate up 70-80%. (I am running 32-bit Windows XP with 4GB RAM with a Pentium Dual Core T4300 @ 2.1 GHz - 800MHz FSB, 1 MB L2) To add insult to injury, the 720p video was captured at only 15 FPS, which is only half of the advertised "true HD-quality video at up to 30 fps."
The LifeCam software is pretty basic, but has a few fun features. Besides allowing you to set the capture resolution for photos and videos, the software lets you perform basic transformations such as making your head square, making your eyes extra large, etc. You can also overlay various objects such as big hair, a cowboy hat, etc. It is worth noting that the HD-5000 didn't work out of the box with SkypeHD, but it did work with regular skype, and internet video-chat.
As it stands, I am a bit torn about the HD-5000. I am absolutely delighted with the picture quality and the fact that auto focus is available at this price point, but I am also disappointed by the auto focus implementation and high CPU usage. I like the new widescreen format, but be aware that 16:9 isn't universally supported yet. Some software and websites still assume your webcam is the traditional 4:3 ratio and may distort the output. I'm glad that the HD-5000's firmware is updatable, so perhaps some improvements can be made down the road.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Nice features and quite good Nov 23, 2010
By Memorial
The LifeCam HD-5000 is quite a decent webcam. For $30, I'd have to say it a great purchase. The picture is good with a good variability of resolutions. The microphone is great (seems to have decent noise cancellation in place). Great choice for Skype. Note that this is not a Skype HD rated webcam as the 720p video is encoded on the machine, not in the camera hardware itself. As of this moment, there are very few Skype HD rated webcams out there, so I don't expecting great 720p performance on every machine from this webcam.
The following two paragraphs are relevant to Windows machines only:
With regard to auto-focus, I would like to point out that contrary to some other reviews, the auto-focus can be disabled in the webcam settings without disabling TrueColor, which adjusts for brightness, hue, and saturation (as well as other aspects of the image). Overall, auto-focus is great to have, it works very well in certain setups, and very poorly in others. I do like being able to hold up text to the camera and have it focus on the image. If you have problems with the auto-focus, simply turn it off in the (advanced) webcam settings (which can be accessed in the control panel, in Skype, or through the LifeCam software).
Here are some points on the LifeCam software. First, I would like to point out that you do not need to install it. Without the LifeCam software, the camera works great with the drivers Windows (7) chooses to install for it. There are, however, some differences. The LifeCam software is what provides TrueColor, which does make for a better video when chatting online. The LifeCam software also auto-adjusts the frame rate for your machine depending on the resolution, this makes for smoother video for online chatting. Auto-adjustment of the frame rate can be an issue if you want to shoot 720p at 30fps on a machine that the software considers weak. Many people will need to uninstall the LifeCam software and use MJPG compression to achieve 30fps at 720p on this webcam. Also, without the LifeCam software, many more of the webcam settings become available to the system, but TrueColor will be gone. In my experience, it is best to let the LifeCam software run if your main purpose is to use Skype or other video chat clients.
Comments on using the LifeCam HD-5000 with Mac OS X:
This webcam is (at least partially) UVC compliant, so it will work on Mac OS X (and Linux). Most webcams sold these days are UVC compliant, so this is not something particular to the LifeCam HD-5000. The microphone also work well. However, for those of you with Mac OS X, it very likely that an iSight (which most Macs have anyway) will work much better. With UVC drivers on Mac OS X, the video can be choppy and is at a fixed resolution of (what looks like) 640x480. No 720p for Mac OS X users. Auto-focus and image correction features are, of course, also not available on Mac OS X.
Overall, the product is great to have. I appreciate the design, as it is both table and laptop compatible. For those of you eying a LifeCam HD-5001 or LifeCam HD-6000, know that the optics are the same, so the video quality should be identical.
15 of 17 found the following review helpful:
Great picture quality, but the auto-focus has a mind of its own. Dec 05, 2011
By The Matrix Fan
"Video Gamer since 1979."
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3DUOICGR953VB While the picture-taking quality of this webcam is excellent, the auto-focus feature becomes very distracting after a short period of time...
...and you'll see why after you watch this video.
Hope this helps!
See all 173 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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