Webcam Roundup

Microsoft LifeCam VX-6000

The Microsoft LifeCam VX-6000

The Microsoft LifeCam VX-6000 has many of the same features of the NX-6000 notebook camera. On the other hand, the NX-6000 was a lot more stunning, with both better picture and video quality. The VX-6000 does not have the ability to record 2.0 megapixel video, or take high-definition pictures, like the notebook version did. I'm not sure why this was the case, considering that they are priced the same, and the VX-6000 is much larger. Where the NX-6000 had fresh and crisp video, the VX-6000 maintained high-frame rates, but also had serious noise issues - so much, in fact, that the video quality could be likened to viewing an old television.

The VX-6000 has a WindowsLive button on it as well, which can be used to launch the WindowsLive chat program. In terms of looks, it's certainly on the uglier side, reminding me a lot of the earlier generations of circular webcams. On the front is a dial that can be used to adjust clarity, and below that is a fairly solid, plastic clamp to place the cam on top of your monitor.

Microsoft advertises the VX-6000 as having a wide-angle lens, as it does with the NX-6000, however the VX has a much smaller "wide-angle lens". Microsoft purposely does not mention that it does not have the same 71 degrees of view that the smaller NX-6000 has. It does, however, have a built-in microphone that performed just as well as the NX-6000.

Overall, the Microsoft VX-6000 was clearer than the Creative Live! Cam Voice, but was not as crisp as any of the other cameras, including its own notebook version. I'm not sure why Microsoft didn't just carry over the quality of the Microsoft NX-6000 to the VX-6000, and for that reason, we'd have to recommend you hold off on this camera. After all, why not pay the same price and buy the notebook version, which offers superior video quality?