If you are looking for a webcam for your mac mini then this might be the solution for you. The problem with the mac mini is that it doesn’t have a microphone socket so what you really need is a webcam with a built-in USB mic. And that is exactly what the Logitech S7500 (also known as the QuickCam Communicate Deluxe) has.

Let me run down the hardware specs of the S7500

• 1.3 Megapixel resolution
• 30fps video
• Glass lens
• RightLight2
• Manual focus
• Privacy shutter
• USB mic built in
• UVC

If you are using this webcam with Windows then the last feature Universal Video Class isn’t that important because it has a full driver suite. It may come in handy though as you can use it driver-less, though Logitech doesn’t recommend this. But for OSX or Linux it is a vital feature. Plug it into OSX Leopard and it is recognized and select USB mic input and it just works.

So how does perform? Picture quality is excellent, the video is nice and bright, the audio is clear enough. I tested it with Skype under OSX and Windows.

There are however a few problems. It isn’t an auto-focus or fixed focus camera. You focus via a wheel on the side. This isn’t the best as it can be a little hard to judge for yourself so you might need to call someone up and have them assist you. The other problem is that it is very wide-angled. Logitech lists this as a feature but I guess it depends on the user. As I discovered, for one on one’s your face becomes a fairly small part of the picture. I guess it would be great for families, say parents talking to their children and their families at the same time.

Would I recommend this web camera?  It has to be a reserved yes. Unless you have the budget for one of the more expensive models like the Logitech Vision Pro, this camera will do a good job especially if you have a mac mini.  Mine cost about 3800Yen (around USD 38)

Related posts:

1. Changes happened among Japanese kids by Nintendo DSi When I heard about spec of Nintendo DSi and a...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Tags: communicate deluxe, logicool, logitech, mac mini, recommended, review, s7500, skype, uvc, webcam
This entry was posted on May 11th, 2009 at 10:20 am and is filed under review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.