Product Description

The Creative Live! Cam Optia AF Webcam with USB 2.0 cable is the easy & powerful Webcam that makes it easy to stay in touch. Take clearer and sharper photos at up to 8 megapixel resolution - Live! View Auto Tuning technology automatically sets the best lighting and brightness levels for you. Revolutionary Noise Cancellation technology and Adaptive Array Microphones reduce unwanted background noise from your video chat, leaving just crystal clear speech. Live! Audio technology that lets you deliver stunning image quality and crystal clear voice. Best of all, you can use this great looking Live! Cam anywhere on any notebooks or computer displays without having to worry about driver installations. Turn your PC into a video phone with SightSpeed - stream photos and videos to Web-enabled devices like laptops, PDAs and mobile phones Works with Skype, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and other compatible IM services Create your own videos easily with muvee autoProducer's video editing technology Parental Control feature

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3116 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Creative Labs
• Model: 73VF028000000
• Dimensions: 3.90" h x 8.30" w x 8.40" l, 3.00 pounds

Features

• Smooth, full motion 30fps digital video streams and top quality images with High Speed USB 2.0 throughput
• Fits easily to almost anything - notebook displays, CRT monitors and flat panel displays
• Spice up your chats with fun audio and video effects including Live! Cam FX Creative and Live! Cam Doodling
• Edit and organize your photos easily & create fun photo calendars with Creative Live! Cam Suite
• Certified for Windows Vista

Amazon.com Review
Just when you thought all webcams were created equal, along comes the Creative Live! Cam Optia AF--the first webcam to offer an autofocus lens and a ceiling-busting 2-megapixel resolution. But that's just the start of the technical enhancements, which also include dual microphones with noise cancellation capability, a wide range of visual and audio effects (which you can also create), parental controls, and still image capture up to an interpolated 8 megapixels.

This screenshot was taken with the Apple iSight...

...while this was taken with the Optia AF--notice the deeper shading of colors compared to the iSight.

The Optia AF offers easy plug-and-play operability on either a Windows PC or a Mac--just slide in the USB 2.0 plug, select the camera from your chosen video chatting program (it works seamlessly with Skype, Yahoo!, Windows Live, SightSpeed, and iChat), and you're good to go. The Optia's autofocus feature gets engaged whenever you make movements more pronounced than just moving your head from side to side--the picture mildly blurring for about a second before it adjusts to a crisper focus. We found it best not too move too much, otherwise the picture tended to constantly adjust itself, which was frustrating for our chat partner.

However, our chat pal did notice that the colors from the Optia AF were much richer when compared to a test we did with the Apple iSight (see images at right), and that the flow of video was smoother with the Optia's 30fps (frames per second) capture. He also noted that my voice seemed to come in clearer, thanks to the dual adaptive array microphones.

While the Optia AF works as advertised right out of the box, you'll benefit from installing the Creative software package, which includes the Cam Console from which you can make a wide range of adjustments. (Note that this software is available for Windows users only; it's also Vista-certified.) From the Autofocus section of the console, you can specify a focus area from an Advanced menu that will help cut down on refocusing, or choose to manually focus on one point if you're going to be more stationary.

Add special effects such as crocodile eyes, which will follow your face around the screen.

The Cam Console is also where you can select from a host of special effect add-ons that range from draping a background around you (such as the Eiffel Tower) or adding elf ears or crocodile eyes, which will follow your face as you move. Unfortunately, it seemed we needed a green screen behind us as we could never get the backgrounds to fully form. But we were much more successful with the facial additions and such whole-scale manipulations as half-tone and mirror image.

The included CD-ROM also includes Muvee Autoproducer software, which can help you stitch together a movie from different clips captured from the Optia AF, as well as Orb, which enables you to broadcast your video feed to a Web page that friends and family can check in on. Coupled with the Optia AF's parental controls, the Orb service could be handy for parents who want to remotely check in on what their tykes are up to in another room, or back at home with a babysitter.

Like its predecessor, the Optia AF's stand can sit freely upon a desk or older CRT monitor, and the rubber grips on the bottom help to keep it from slipping. A clip is included on the bottom to stabilize the stand on your laptop's screen or LCD monitor, making the Optia one of the most secure webcams we've used. You can twist the black high-gloss camera body around 270 degrees, and the image automatically flips when it's rotated more than 90 degrees. Adding to its stylish looks is an inner ring that lights up in blue when the camera is turned on. Swiveling the lens so it's pointing down turns the camera off for when you need privacy.

Overall, the Optia AF is a welcome advance to to the world of webcams, thanks to its sharper focus, richer colors, and clearer audio. But it's also chock-full of extras that will add fun to your chats with family and friends. --Agen G.N. Schmitz

Pros:

• 2-megapixel resolution helps improve the tone and depth of colors
• Noise-cancelling dual microphones handy in loud environments like coffee shops
• Plug-and-play operability on both Windows PCs and Macs

Cons:

• Autofocus can overcompensate if you move around too much

From the Manufacturer

Small, Stylish and Packed with Features You can now enjoy super sharp image quality and sound your best all at the same time! The Live! Cam Optia AF features an Auto Focus 2 Megapixel Sensor and revolutionary Live! Audio technology that lets you deliver stunning image quality and crystal clear voice. Best of all, you can use this great looking Live! Cam anywhere on any notebooks or computer displays without having to worry about driver installations. Sharper image quality with 2-Megapixel Sensor and Auto Focus feature Revolutionary Noise Cancellation technology and Adaptive Array Microphones reduce unwanted background noise Greater viewing flexibility with multi-axis swivel rotation and automatic image flip Smooth videos and uninterrupted chats Fits easily to almost anything--notebook displays, CRT monitors, flat panel displays, or flat surfaces Convenience of plug and go with USB--no driver installation required

Spice up Your Chats with Fun Audio and Video Effects Have more fun by adding a wide range of special effects and backgrounds to your video chat with Advanced Video FX. You can even experiment with difference voice effects to thrill your friends online! In addition, with Live! Cam FX Creator and Live! Cam Doodling, the possibilities are limitless! Entertain your friends and families by drawing your own effects realtime while you chat with them! Also: Edit, organize and create with the included software suite. Works with Skype, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and other compatible instant messaging services. Maximize your webcam experience with SightSpeed, included at no extra charge, which turns your PC into a video phone. Create videos easily and quickly with the muvee autoProducer!

Also Includes:

Bundled Creative Handsfree Stereo Headset Chat away with greater ease and comfort with the included Handsfree Stereo Headset.

Parental Control The Parental Control feature enables you to secure the camera with a password. Every time you activate your Live! Cam, you will be prompted for a password.

Customer Reviews

Don't buy this camera
Focus is medicore at best, supplied software didn't install properly on Vista (had to go to website for updates), video quality is poor, and the promised 30 fps rate is a myth. I've had numerous webcams over the past 5 years on multiple computers...this one is one of the worst!

good alternative to the expensive isight
yeah. it works. but it doesnt look great.
cheaper than the Apple iSight - Web camera - color - audio - FireWire

I plugged it in and pictures did indeed come out!
it doesn't work so well in conjunction with a mac pro. I bought this webcam back in march 08, and so far have been totally disappointed with its performance. the picture is grainy at best and all broken up at worst. sound appears to echo when used, I've often had to cut short video calls due to problems with the sound.
I've since replaced this with the logitech 9000 pro, which at $20 less i consider a complete bargain. so far the 9000 pro provides a much crisper image ( i have yet to try the sound out).