Hercules Deluxe Optical Glass Webcam

I bought this webcam for my parents to use for skype with some relatives in Vietnam and I have to say that both my parents and I are well pleased. It is a great little camera for its price and the LEDs make it a bit nicer (though I don't think they help too much but you shouldn't be in such a darkly lit room staring at a computer screen). I installed the drivers from the website and its own software pops up on the lower right window of the screen whenever you start a webcam, which my parents like.The video quality was better than I expected, and it was able to record movement well enough as long as you aren't going too crazy. It's not as good as my quickcam 9000 but obviously that's not a fair comparison since the price is only 1/4 for the quickcam's. I have tested it with both Skype and Google chat and was happy with both.The build quality is very nice, the clip seems to hold onto the monitor, just make sure its not a sloped back because then the clip will eventually slide off. The clip also has an adhesive strip if you would prefer to clip. The 4 LEDs are nice and bright and the manual focus ring is tight. The webcam itself is not a swivel and seems to be very tight so hopefully won't loosen over time and not be able to hold itself up at an angle.I wish the webcam had autofocus but at this price point I can't complain. I prefer not to deduct points off of a webcam for things that I cannot expect it having at such a price point so be sure to take that into mind. Besides, most don't really move back and forth (depth-wise) when they video-chat.Pros:1. Good video quality (for the price)2. Software and drivers are compatible with my parents' Windows XP machine, as well as Skype and Google chat3. Good build quality. Clip is strong, swivel is tight, manual focus ring works well.4. Lens comes with a cap for travel purposesCons:1. Clip might not work with all monitors and inclusive adhesive is most likely permanent.2. Semi-annoying popup window when video-chatting (since most programs already have a self-portrait video window)I highly recommend this product for anyone who wants a cheap simple webcam that has relatively impressive video quality. Hercules may not be a well-known brand in the US but I was impressed with this product and it suits my parents' needs very well.

When I purchased this I was looking for a good webcam that my gf could use in our apartment to have webcam chats on Skype with me when I was away on business. I wasn't looking for anything fancy, but wanted decent picture quality, and I didn't want to pay a lot since I was only using it to chat on Skype.The three things I liked most about this camera were the glass lens, the lights around the lens, and the relatively cheap price (about $25 when I got it). The software that came with it is cool, although you dont have to use it if you don't want to, but it allows you to modify the color of the image, change to b&w, and toggle the lights (auto, on, off).The lights btw are helpful, and can turn on automatically when the image is dark. My gf likes this feature since the corner of the room where my computer is isn't the brightest spot. They are not blinding by any means.Overall, the picture quality is good, sound is good, and I couldn't be much happier with it. My only complaint (hence the 4/5 stars) is that the way the camera is attached on the clip it is limited in movement. You cannot for instance clip this onto the side of your monitor and flip the camera 90 degrees to the one side. I wanted the camera approx at mid screen height so I could basically have the camera at the level of where the person looking at the person on the screen would be looking... Oh well. The clip is of good quality and design other than that. I have it clipped onto the top of my monitor and it stays just fine.

I didn't have trouble installing this product, as I followed the instructions and installed the drivers first before connecting. While it took a while, I didn't test this product for very long before I realized this was not what I had expected. Other reviewers have claimed that the image quality is good, so I had assumed it would be so. However, I looked at the image quality after installation, which was incredibly blurry. It had a decent framerate, yet it was very hard to even make out my face. Don't buy the whole "high quality glass lens" selling point: if you just need a webcam, maybe you can justify getting this based on its low cost, but don't be fooled.As some other aspects, the LED lights are an interesting feature but they seem like they'd be more of an annoyance than useful. It comes with an in-ear earpiece + microphone that I didn't bother to test out, but seems like it'd be useful. The clip for attaching is not very monitor friendly, even on my LCD monitor. There's an adhesive side to it for more traditional monitors, but the clip itself will only attach to screens that have a definitive square edge, roughly 1-2cm thick. It's more suited to a laptop. I didn't test the sound quality at all so I can't say anything about that.

This webcam works perfectly as soon as I plug it into my computer. The picture quality is decent, i've seen better and i've definitely seen worse. The software though is a little confusing and didn't install on my laptop. The software isn't necessary to run the cam. The lights on the cam are love/hate, they do a good job of detecting the lighting in the room but I would like a button on the cam itself to turn it on or off, the only way to turn them on or off is through the software (which didn't install). So I'm left to either be blinded or turn all the lights on in my room. So in the end it's got decent picture quality, one of the best i've seen. The included software didn't work right for me. If you're looking for a good webcam for a quick cheap setup, this is your best choice.