Review: Microsoft LifeCam NX-6000
Yes, it's got a silly name. Not the LifeCam part, that's pretty cool actually. The VX-6000 part I could do without.
It clips to the top of your flat panel or laptop. The left side has a retractable mechanism that brings the lens in and out. The Microsoft logo lights up when the camera is on - a nice subtle indicator that you're rolling.
It's a 2MP camera, so that means 1600x1190 max actual pixels. It'll interpolate to 7.6MP but don't be fooled, it's all software. That said, it takes a perfectly fine picture of a whiteboard, so I leave it clipped to my laptop all the time in order to document meetings.
The camera has a decent enough microphone built in, a smidge better than the one built into my laptop. As an alternative, there's a LifeChat ZX-6000 that's the same hardware as the Xbox Wireless Communicator. I just picked up a Xbox Wireless Receiver for Windows for $19 that let's me use the Xbox one to chat on the Windows box. Works fantastic as a team and costs me less.
This is a fantastic little camera and I'm happy with the purchase. I particularly like that is has a wide(r) view aspect so you can see more, rather than the fish-eye kind of lense that so many webcams have these days.
About Scott
Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.
About Newsletter
Ian
CP - I haven't personally experienced poor sound quality...are they saying it's tinny or something?
Interestingly, the LifeChat ZX-6000 receiver is the Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows, only in black. The LifeChat software makes use of the new button mapping on the headset and gives you options to mute the music when getting or making a call via Live Messenger.
Comments are closed.