With our webcam we wanted to use it for video conferencing so that others can see us or we can see them. This webcam using a VGA CMOS chip is slow to move at high resolution. The delay that can occur is about 1 to 2 seconds. At the maximum resolution it is running about 15 frames per second (fps). The maximum frame rate the webcam is designed for is about 25 fps. For parents showing off their kids to the grandparents, it provides a very clear picture of a well behaved child. However, most young children have a hard time sitting still for the camera. Fast movement will cause the camera to be out of focus or increase the delay the next frame is displayed. This is normal for most webcams I have seen.

The clarity of the webcam was hard to set as I had to adjust the manual focus ring and sit back to ensure that the position I am sitting at will provide a clear picture. I repeated this action many times. Once set, it was great. Using two different webcams, the laptop deluxe provide a much clearer picture. Everyone that helped me in doing a video conference session all agreed that the laptop webcam sent a much clearer picture. The microphone was okay for the voice component. I found that I was talking a little louder so that the other person could hear me. This is not an uncommon for microphones built into the webcam. For the best voice communication use a microphone and place it as close to your mouth as possible.

Placing the webcam on the top of my laptop screen was very difficult and at times I did not know if it would fall off. I was lucky enough that a local computer dealer allowed me to try clipping the webcam on to their assortment of laptops. Most laptops that had straight edges had no problems holding up the camera. Some of the laptops I tried the webcam on were Toshiba, Sony, Panasonic toughbooks (12” laptop), Apple ibook and powerbook, Hewlett Packard, and Compaq. Any laptop that had a screen case thickness greater then a 1/8^th of an inch will find it difficult or impossible to hold the camera in place. The laptop deluxe webcam did not have an adjustable base to hold the webcam. If it did then I would say that would have been a "Deluxe" feature.