Not the best. Not junk either.
Written: Feb 13 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Meets/exceeds most video-conferencing needs for $20. Sturdy build. Adequate image controls.
Cons: Acceptable/poor color saturation. Poor as a standalone cam. Shovelware in install consumes space.
The Bottom Line: For video conferencing on major services, this webcam does the job for just $20. You won't need much more unless sender and receiver both have high bandwidth connections.
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| GypsyPilot's Full Review: Veo Stingray Web Cam |
I read some of the earlier reviews about the Veo Stingray but I still decided to try the camera out. It cost only $20 at Wal-Mart and all I wanted was a basic webcam which met the requirements for Yahoo! Messenger and would work on my older Pentium II 400MHz system. It works fine and I'm going to keep it. My ranking is based on a price-to-performance ratio.
BEFORE YOU BUY: HOW MUCH WEBCAM DO YOU NEED?
Yahoo! Messenger's basic webcam service on a dial-up connection broadcasts an image of 160x120 pixels at 1 frame per second (fps). If you have a high-bandwidth connection, you can opt for their free Super Webcam service which maxes out at 320x240 pixels at 20 fps. Other services generally generate similar outputs.
The Stingray has a CMOS sensor that produces an output of 352x288 pixels at a maximum output of 30 fps depending on your CPU power. My 400MHz PII allows only a maximum of 15 fps. In terms of image size and frame speed, the Stingray was more than adequate for the basic service and just 25% below the maximum fps for Super Webcam service.
In either case, the video would could still look choppy to the end viewer because their connection would also impact the quality and frame rate. 80% of the people we know are still using dial-up for their internet connection. Those who live overseas would also encounter some propagation delays.
Based on these, I didn't see the need for buying a higher-spec webcam.
IMAGE QUALITY: GO TO THE ADVANCED CONTROLS
The Stingray has a f2.8 plastic lens. That's just enough to work under dim light conditions (if the CMOS sensor is good) from my experience as a photographer.
I used the advanced controls to adjust my video quality. The illumination in my office is a single 60-watt lamp that bounces some light off the walls and the desk. If you increase the Brightness and Gamma settings, you can get a good and very acceptable picture under these lighting conditions. You can then adjust the contrast to improve image sharpness.
Color saturation is acceptable at 160x120 pixels and poor at 320x240 pixels. Since most of my broadcasts would be at 160x120, the poor saturation at the higher resolution was irrelevant. You can adjust RGB color balances but I felt the auto-white mode did a good enough job (as did the auto-exposure mode).
Color saturation improves slightly with natural light at both resolutions; but only slightly.
MANUAL FOCUSING: TEDIOUS BUT BETTER THAN FIXED-FOCUS
Most webcams in this price range are either manual-focusing (turn the ring around the lens) or fixed focus. Fixed-focus lenses get very blurry under a distance of about a foot. Manual focusing lenses are useful if you want to occasionally hold something up to the camera for a better image.
STURDY STAND
I liked the way the Stingray was mounted on its stand. It can rotate 360 degrees and tilt up/down by 20 degrees. The stand is solidly mounted to the webcam and wasn't flimsy like other webcams. The large rubber pad on the bottom also made it less likely to slide off a CRT monitor. It's NOT ideal however if you have a flat-panel monitor; look for another webcam if you are using one of these.
SNAPSHOTS AND VIDEO EMAILS
The Stingray does not do a good job of taking digital snapshots at its highest resolution. As I mentioned earlier, the color saturation is poor. Higher-end webcams can get you 1-Megapixel images. The Stingray isn't at its best as a digital camera. Get yourself a real digital camera and just leave the Stingray for video-conferencing.
Video emails consume a lot of drivespace, even when compressed. They're a pain to email and I didn't care to use this feature.
SOFTWARE: TOO MUCH OF IT
I got the impression that Veo tried to "add value" to this webcam package by stuffing all this shovelware into the installation. You get a video editor and a web-page designer (with space-consuming graphics) along with their basic operating and email software in the Veo Digital Studio. You can't install just portions of these, you have to install them all.
Since I already have high-end website and video-editing software on my PC (Dreamweaver & Premiere), I didn't care for either of these. I de-installed the Veo Digital Studio and just left the webcam driver on my PC. IMHO, they could have taken the website builder out of the package and reduced the price by $3.
SUMMARY: GOOD ENOUGH AND JUST $20
For most of your videoconferencing or "fun webcam" needs, the Stingray will meet your requirements. If you need a webcam with a built-in microphone and which can be mounted on a flat-panel display, Veo also sells the Advanced Connect webcam with an f2.8 glass lens and a 640x480 CMOS sensor with higher resolution for just $28 at retail. It may prove to be a better standalone cam, but you probably won't see much of an improvement in video conferencing.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
GypsyPilot
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Location: Northern California
Reviews written: 20
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
Ping me if you like hiking, camping, photography, and good cooking.
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