Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 Review

The Optics & Audio

After calling some friends on our 3-year old webcam, we placed the same calls with the Logitech Webcam Pro 9000. The results were amazing. We didn’t have to mention the new webcam to anyone. Everyone’s first statement was, “Wow, you do look great!” So we placed two computers together, one with the old webcam and one with the 9000. Then we placed a video call between the two. The results were amazing. The clarity of the new webcam was remarkable. We switched the two cameras to make sure that the computers weren’t making a difference. The results were the same. The Webcam Pro 9000 has the best picture of any webcam we have tested or used.

The Webcam Pro 9000 has 2-megapixel sensor with Carl Zeiss optics. A close-up of the lens is shown in Figure 6.  It is a new twist on a very old Tessar lens design. It works well because it delivers a sharp image in a compact, lightweight form. It creates a widescreen video at a resolution of 1,600×1,200. This webcam takes HD video at a 30 frames per second.  It can also take snapshots at various resolutions up to 8 megapixels. You get to choose to take photographs at the resolution of your choice: 320×240, 640×480, 960×720, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 8 megapixels. While the lower resolutions up to 2-megapixels are crisp and clear, don’t expect perfection from the higher-megapixel still shots. The 3-to-8-megapixels shots use software interpolation, which degrades quality.

Figure 6: The lens.

We were especially impressed with the autofocus which did an admirable job in many different circumstances. The autofocus automatically tracks your motion and refocuses the image without any noticeable bluring. It also did a good job of focusing when you hold something up to the camera to give the remote viewer a closer look.

Logitech used a technology they call RightLight 2 to adjust the image in a dim or poorly lit area. We found that this, like the auto-focus worked very well.

The microphone is built into the camera and produces good results.  You can see it on the right side of the camera in Figure 3. The microphone has a noise cancellation feature that helps blot out background noises.