Logitech QuickCam Sphere AF: High Definition video

A ball on a ball
From an aesthetics point of view, the QuickCam Sphere AF is a success. Its relatively heavy support assures that it is stable, meaning that any unwanted movements are rubbed out, like accidentally putting on a cable. And speaking of the cable, this one is 1.80 meters long, a good thing that allows you to leave your tower on the floor and still have the webcam at a nice height.…

Be careful of the protective shell!
The transparent plastic shell which protects the lens is very fragile. You will have to be careful that the camera doesn’t fall on the floor; as if it does there is a good chance that it will crack. And if by bad luck the crack happens to be near the capture, it will be annoying as the protective shell cannot be removed. The Sphere AF has a 23cm arm which allows you to adapt the height to your eye level, with a motorised pivot following your movements. These are two great points… or just gadgets depending on your point of view!

HD for Skype and VGA for the others...
The picture image that is presented is certainly up to what we had hoped for, although classic instant messaging programs are only capable of running in VGA mode, 320 x 240 pixels at a speed of 15 images per second. It is disappointing that besides Skype, they are still not able to run in High Definition mode. You shouldn’t forget that the QuickCam Sphere AF comes with a "Skype Certified" label, and is in select company when it comes to Skype compatible devices that are able to deliver High Quality Video (see the list here).

In HD mode in Skype, the user can exchange video in 640 x 480 pixels at a speed of 30 images per second. This is a very interesting option, especially when watching in full screen with a good internet connection. The quality is what we have come to expect, with the pictures being very fluid. We have once again discovered what a pleasure it is to talk with someone as if they were in front of us. The sound quality is also of a very good level.

From 3 to 8 MP, sure… but why bother?
This is one of the questions you should ask yourself before getting this Logitech device, especially with its price of upwards of 140 dollars The reason for this is that the 3 to 8 MP range can only be used in photo mode (JPEG), while for the rest, the video recording in the WMV format cant go over 2 MP...

Gone are the start buttons and the lens cap!
On the Logitech QuickCam Pro 4000 which didn’t exactly come out yesterday, we had t he advantage of having a lens cap and a small button on the back to start the recording of photos or videos. You can now say goodbye to these two accessories, and instead of a lens cap we now have a protection blind.

Ok for the quality, but what about a lower price
The picture quality is, as we said, of excellent quality. But to be able to benefit from HD video then for the moment the only program that is capable of controlling it is Skype. If this is what you use, then the Sphere AF is an excellent choice. A lot of users though are still using Windows Live Messenger, and for the moment HD support is not available, even on the recently released 2009 version. The Logitech peripheral is currently available for between 125 and 215 dollars, a price that is a little high for our tastes, but which we certainly cant fault the quality of this webcam.

Manufacturer: Logitech
Price: See our price comparator