Webcam Quality Test Shootout

Closer Look

Creative - Webcam NX Ultra

The NX Ultra is Creative's top-of-the-line webcam. It gives decent quality pictures in a regularly lit room, but marginal quality in dimly lit settings. The wide-angle lens captures a larger area than the lenses of both of the Logitech webcams.

The Creative webcams have face-tracking capabilities. This feature recognizes the shape and flesh tones of human faces and will pan and zoom to center the webcam picture. When a second person enters the frame, the webcam will try to center the picture so that both people are included. This is software pan and zoom, so it doesn't actually move the webcam lens itself.

The NX Ultra has a claw-like base that can be made to grip the edge of a monitor. Since it is quite light, it is sometimes hard to make the webcam stay put. You can use either tape or Earthquake Holding Putty to make it stay. A combination earphone/mic headset is included. The lens can be manually focused by rotating it.