IPEVO Ziggi-HD High-Definition USB Document Camera

I'm very impressed with this little thing. I wonder how well it might stand up to a lot of heavy use if mis-handed (the base is a lot heavier than the head, so you have to remember to always lift by the base), but for sitting on a desk and making videos it's just great. My application is making tutorial videos for an electronics course (not as a document projector) and the auto-focus is very useful for this - this camera can focus down to around 6 cm, which with some zooming in allows very clear imaging of very small electronic components. True, the autofocus is slow at the highest resolutions, but that's not a major issue for me.For reference: this is what Aforge reckons it can get out of it (I've not independently verified these, but the frame rates appear right):30 fps at 640 x 480 and 1280 x 72015 fps at 800 x 600, 1024 x 768 and 1600 x 12004 fps at 1920 x 1080 and 2048 x 15362 fps at 2592 x 1944I mostly use the 1600 x 1200 at 15 fps; it's fast enough to follow my hand movements when writing without looking noticeably blurred (although there is some delay), and the resolution is enough for me. But it's very useful to be able to move up to the highest resolution to zoom into show the details on something really small. As other reviewers have noted there doesn't seem to be an HD webcam that takes advantage of USB3 rates on the market, certainly not anywhere near this price point.Drivers appear solid (Windows 7). I've not had any problems so far, and am very pleased with it. A built-in light would have helped when focusing on small components with the head very close to the desk, but at this price I'm not complaining.

Pros:* The product does what it says and is very easy to install and use - good software interface* Full 5 megapixel sensor (not the interpolated pseudoresolution that you get in multi-'megapixel' webcams)* USB powered (no batteries or separate transformer needed).* Heavy base and useful 'anglepoise' stand.* I used this with a 3m USB 2.0 extension cable and it still works.Cons:* The first one I got had an irritating 'fixed blurry dark spot' in the corner - probably a dust particle on the sensor chip (not on the lens - otherwise it would have been easy to clean off. The lens, BTW, is a tiny pinhole lens). I returned this and got a replacement. The replacement also has some faint small dark spots but as these were barely visible I settled for it. It seems this model is prone to such defects, so beware.* I reported the above problem to the IPEVO help desk but they didn't even respond to my email - so a big thumbs down to IPEVO customer services (the retailer, however, was very good at arranging a return / replacement, thankfully).* Live motion is noticeably delayed when using the full 5MP resolution. However, most motion display devices (TV, video projector) do not display at 5MP so you can overcome this by selecting a lower resolution when doing live demos and only use the full 5MP resolution when you are capturing stills.* The autofocus function works but can be very slow to respond.Overall:I don't think you can get a computer-controlled true 5 megapixel colour digital camera with autofocus for less money or even similar money. If you think you can - please let me know the details by leaving a comment reply to this review.

Great, takes some fiddling to use initially, but once you get the hang.......... Has some limitations, I don't think you would digitise your book collection with it, but for most things it is fine.Addendum, I found that the casting on the base cracked so the arm wouldn't stay in place, as one end of the nut was loose, see pics... I contacted IPEVO Europe and included some pictures, they, (Melody) got back to me straight away and offered to replace it with one they had in stock, I only wrote to see if it could be repaired or jury rigged. The item had a two year warranty I was told.I supplied details (don't get rid of the tag on the usb cable, it has a serial no.) and hey presto, the following day after it got approved it arrivedI would just like to say the Customer Service was excellent and surpassed what I expected (thanks Melody). Nice to see someone who does the job and doesn't pay it "lip service". Well done!

Far superior to previous cameras we had. Easy to install, easy to use, outstanding definition and at a very competitive price. Our IT Technician was very impressed. We highly recommend it, especially for school use.