Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7161 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Logitech
• Model: 961403-0403
• Platform: Windows XP
• Format: CD
• Original language: English, French
• Dimensions: 6.00" h x 6.00" w x 9.00" l, 2.00 pounds

Features

• High-end webcam
• Wide-angle lens
• Superior video quality
• Super fast interface
• Two year warranty

From the Manufacturer

Take a Product Tour
this Webcam in action.

Logitech QuickCam Fusion is a high-end Webcam that delivers true 1.3-megapixel images, superior video quality, and clear, echo-free audio. QuickCam Fusion's next-generation image sensor uses Logitech RightLight technology for great performance even in low light conditions, and its sleek shape provides a lower lens position for more personal, eye-to-eye contact.

QuickCam Fusion also features a built-in microphone with Logitech RightSound technology--to ensure that your audience can hear you as well as they see you. RightSound makes headset-free conversations a reality by canceling unwanted echoes that can occur during video calls. You can talk naturally to your friends and family without tangled wires getting in the way.

Features

True 1.3-Megapixel Sensor with RightLight technology
Captures finer, more accurate details, achieving superior quality videos and pictures in low light situations.

Built-in Microphone with RightSound technology
Cancels echoes so you can make video calls without wearing a headset.

Compatible with Logitech Video Effects
Express your unique personality by using Logitech Video Effects. Choose 3-D animated avatars that imitate your facial expressions and head movements, or 2-D face accessories that allow you to change your look with glasses, hats, and more. They're fun and easy to use with programs such as MSN Messenger Video Conversation, Yahoo! Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, and others.

High-Speed USB 2.0
The fastest interface for maximum frames-per-second video, allowing for true 1.3-megapixel still pictures. Fusion can connect to any USB port, including USB 1.1 systems.

Low Distortion, Ultrawide Field of View
With expanded video coverage and multiperson intelligent face-tracking, QuickCam Fusion can your include friends and family without the distortion common in less-advanced cameras.

• View your subject more clearly. QuickCam Fusion captures twice the resolution of competitive Webcams--a true 1.3 megapixels. Enjoy finer, more accurate details and superior-quality videos and photos, even in low light conditions.
• Don't be left in the dark! RightLight technology, a new imaging system from Logitech, provides superior video performance through the combination of high-performance sensors, state-of-the-art optics, and advanced image-processing technology. You'll see improved low-light performance, clearer images, and more accurate skin tones when compared to other Webcams.
• Have more natural conversations using the built-in mic, featuring Logitech RightSound technology for clear, echo-free audio while remaining completely headset-free.
• Personalize your video experience. QuickCam Fusion includes Logitech Video Effects, with animated 3-D Avatars (which imitate your facial expressions and head movements) and 2-D Face Accessories (which you can apply to your own image to change your look). Logitech Video Effects avatars and face accessories are designed to work seamlessly with popular instant messaging programs for a truly unique experience.
• Be the star of the show. Intelligent Face Tracking keeps your face in the center of the video frame, so you're free to move around. You can even zoom in or out to get the right shot.
• Add live video to your favorite instant messenger. QuickCam Fusion works with MSN Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), Yahoo! Messenger, and Windows Messenger.
• Take sharp, true 1.3-megapixel photos, up to 4.0 megapixels when software-enhanced.
• Capture fluid video at the highest frame rates possible. QuickCam Fusion is USB 2.0 high-speed-certified, and can be connected to any Windows-based computer (including USB 1.1 systems).

• IBM or compatible PC
• Windows 2000 or XP
• Pentium P4 1.4 GHz or AMD Athlon processor 1 GHz (Pentium P4 2.4 GHz or better recommended*)
• 128 MB RAM (256 MB RAM recommended*)
• 200 MB free hard drive space
• CD-ROM drive
• 16-bit color display adapter
• Windows-compatible sound card and speakers (full duplex sound card recommended*)
• Available 1.1 or 2.0 USB port (USB 2.0 high speed port required for megapixel image capture*)

• Video capture: up to 640 x 480 pixels
• Still image capture: true 1280 x 960 pixels; up to 4 MP (software enhanced)
• Frame rate: up to 30 frames per second (with recommended system)

• Logitech QuickCam Fusion camera with built-in mic
• Integrated universal monitor mount
• Thin, 6-foot USB cable
• QuickCam Software CD
• Camera setup guide
• Audio setup guide
• Two-year limited warranty

• Live video integrated with MSN Messenger video conversation
• Works with video-enabled Yahoo! Messenger (XP only)
• Live video calls with Windows Messenger (XP only)
• Logitech Video Effects avatars and face accessories software
• Intelligent Face Tracking software
• QuickCapture photos and video software
• One click video e-mail software

Customer Reviews

Some good points - some not so good points.
I use two other Logitech webcams and have been very pleased with them. My attraction to the Fusion stememd from its size, the 1.3 megapixel sensor, promised improvement in low light situations and the the promised echo-cancelling audio.

On the whole the Fusion is a competent perormer. The form factor is a pleasure. It is very compact and looks good. Best of all is the mounting which molds very nicely to support the webcam on a laptop or can be set up to sit atop a monitor or other flat surface. Overall a very well thought out design.

The camera mounted microphone coupled with Logitech's echo-cancelling technology works extremely well. If you've used other webcams, you know that the audio from your speakers is picked up by the webcam mike and repeated to whoever you're chatting with . . . which can drive everyone crazy. The Fusion microphone appears somewhat directional. Since the echo-cancelling feature works only with another Fusion user, my testing was limited to movies recorded on my computer. I was truly surprised by the quality of the audio.

Image quality gets a mixed review. Overall it is good, but the Fusion uses a fixed focus lens. The near-focus point on my Fusion appears to be set just a few inches further back than where I normally sit while at my laptop. Thus the pattern on my shirt is in sharp focus, but my face being closer to the webcam is not. I have found nothing in the manual, online or Logitech site help files addressing this issue. I am attempting to contact Logitech in hopes that my webcam is simply a bit off and needs to be replaced. If this is not the case, then reluctantly the Fusion may be returned. With all the attention given to ergonomics, it is curious that Logitech provides no manual focus and demands that you sit at an uncomfortable distance from the monitor. I have long arms, but would have to sit still further away than I do to keep my face in focus with the Fusion. This is, in my opinion, a serious design defect.

Logitech's customer support is also a drawback: they really don't seem to have anything than a relatively few self-serving FAQs and a user forum that is poorly organized. I am not lowering my rating of the product because of this since I have owned many Logitech products without ever requiring support. But the novice user might find this lack of support to be a major negative. On the other hand, I don't know if any other webcam manufacturer provides better support. Since webcams are essentially commodity items, I kind of doubt it.

Logitech claims the lens is wide coverage and they aren't kidding. For those of you with the need to include more than just yourself in the picture, it's a great feature. You, the significant other and all the kiddies can fit into the frame and wave at the grandparents. The downside is that if you are the grandparent and want to fill the frame with just you, you have to rely on an inconvenient digital zoom function. I've found no keyboard shortcuts for the zoom function. You have to open a separate window and then click for each level of zoom you want. I needed at least three or four to provide just a shot of my head and shoulders. That's a lot of clicking and since it is a digital rather than an optical zoom, you lose some image quality at each step. The image is still good, but I wonder if Logitech didn't go a bit too far in providing wider coverage.

The Logitech software is version 9. Functionally it provides a simpler interface than earlier versions. They've added avatars and what they call digital effects, such as overlaying a crown on your head. It's interesting for perhaps 2 seconds. Kids, however, might like it.

Overall, the Logitech Quickcam Fusion is a solid product. Were it not for the focus issue (which I hope can be successfully resolved), I'd give it 5 stars rather than 4.

Jerry

NOTE: I've spoken with Logitech tech support (pleasant, informed folks who answer promptly) and confirmed that the Fusion lens is fixed-focus. I also ran some tests of my own and found that I was mistaken. The critical focus is not set improperly. Rather the image is soft throughout. The beneefits of the higher-resolution (1.3 Megapixel) sensor are negated by the wider angle of view of the lens. My final conclusion is that the Fusion is best suited for people who often webcam with two or more people in the field-of-view (i.e., couples with kids chatting with grandparents, etc.) Individuals may find that the wider field-of-view leaves them appearing "too small" in the image. Using the digital zoom will increase the size of the person in the image, but will amplify the generally soft focus.

Overall, given the improvements in the audio and low-light capabilities and the smaller form factor, I think the Fusion is a keeper. But solo webcammers may find that the other Logitech webcams without the wide angle lens and higher resolution sensor may do the job better at a lower cost.

Finally, correctly synchronized audio and video
I am new to webcams and perhaps I expected a bit too much. Knowing that webcams have been around for several years and computing power keeps accelerating at a rapid pace, I thought all the technological quirks of webcams (i.e. dark pictures, grainy / choppy video, audio/video synching, etc.) would have been thoroughly tweaked by now... I was wrong.

I was specifically looking for a good cam that would work well with a Pentium II, so the first webcam I tried was the Creative Webcam Live which received decent reviews on Amazon, but like one other reviewer, I found the audio and video to be out by about a 1/2 sec on not only a P2, but a P3, and a P4... all three systems I tried had the same 1/2 sec. delay. Creative tech support was unable to help.

The next cam I tried was the Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX and it had only slightly better synchronization than the Creative cam... still practically worthless in my opinion... it would be better just to have audio than to have every single syllable out of synch with the video which I find to be very distracting.

I decided to forgo my Pentium II compatible webcam search and shelled out the money for the Logitech Quickcam Fusion, which requires a minimum of a P3, 700 MHz, with a P4, 2.4 GHz recommended (I suppose for the animated Avatars, face tracking capability, and echo free audio feature). I decided to try it first on the slower of my two systems: a P3, 860 MHz with 512MB RAM and slow USB 1.0. To my delight the camera worked excellent. The built-in mic was adequate, the automatic light adjustment is well done, and most pleasing was the audio / video synchronization... almost perfect in my opinion. I may get even better performance on my P4 with Hi-Speed USB 2.0. The only problem I encountered was that after installation and the required system reboot, Norton Antivirus was disabled because "The Norton Antivirus auto-protect driver could not be loaded." After running Norton's LiveUpdate however, the problem was fixed.

Top notch!
This is my second Logitech camera, and I highly recommend it. I bought a lower priced Logitech webcam last year. It served the purpose, but I often battled with noise feedback.

I bought this one around Christmas, and bought my children one. they live in another state and we talk online each night after dinner. This one has the auto tracking, so if my kids move around, it can follow. It has great video and audio. the headset works great. Finally, the video effects are a lot of fun with my kids. If they start to lose interest, I turn my face into a shark or martian for a sec - and they rejoin the conversation quickly, after laughing hysterically. Finally, the price is great. Everywhere else I checked, charged $20 more.
Bottom line, don't waste your time with lower priced cameras. They'll work. But this one is best for staying in touch with family, friends or business associates.