The QuickCam series of webcams from Logitech now sport a new model with ultra image clarity. Better lenses and RightLight 2 Technology were key to this development.

The lower f-stop also allows good quality video in poor lighting situations.

Read the full press release with all the details below. 

Media Release
 
Logitech Webcam Delivers ‘True-to-Life’ Video with Twice the Image Clarity

Premium QuickCam Ultra Vision Webcam Features Precision Glass Lens, Adjusts for Harsh Lighting Conditions with RightLight 2 Technology; Company Upgrades Award-Winning QuickCam Lineup

SYDNEY – December 12, 2006: Logitech (SWX: LOGN)  (NASDAQ: LOGI), the world’s leading manufacturer of webcams today released the company’s flagship QuickCam Ultra Vision webcam, offering a ‘true-to-life’ video calling experience by delivering twice the image clarity offered by traditional webcams.

 

This sleek new device for Internet communications is unique through its combination of extra-large, precision-engineered glass lens with a low f-stop setting, increasing the amount of light entering the webcam and precisely focusing that light to create sharp, vivid images.

Even in difficult lighting conditions – such as low lighting, or intense back- or side-lighting – the QuickCam Ultra Vision delivers premium performance, thanks to the new Logitech RightLight 2 Technology, which intelligently adapts the camera’s video settings based on the environment in which the camera is used. Logitech’s new webcam also features a premium 1.3 megapixel sensor and supports the High-Definition (HD) video format, enabling users to create video clips and watch them in a wide-screen format.

QuickCam Ultra Vision

The camera lens system comprises five extra-large lenses, several of which are made with glass, providing exceptionally sharp and clear video. Most webcams on the market are made up of only plastic lenses, producing images that seem distant and are often distorted. Also, by featuring an f-stop setting of 1.6 – most webcams on the market have an f-stop setting of 2 or greater – the QuickCam Ultra Vision webcam is able to capture more light, producing greater image detail in dimly lit, or back- or side-lit conditions.

The streamlined webcam design incorporates premium materials in addition to the glass lens, chrome details draw attention to the webcam’s built-in microphone, lens housing and the edges of the cylinder-shaped webcam. Each edge features a button – one that launches a mirror video window so that people can check their image before they engage in a video call, and the other to take quick snapshots. The webcam also features a soft-blue back-lighted ring, surrounding a Logitech logo, which illuminates when the camera is active.

As with Logitech’s other performance cameras, the Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision webcam includes Logitech® RightSound™ Technology and Logitech Video Effects software. Logitech RightSound Technology combines a webcam’s microphone with acoustic echo-cancellation software, offering people the flexibility of conducting video calls without wearing a headset. Integrated with the webcam’s software drivers, Logitech’s advanced software algorithms eliminate echoes created by a webcam microphone and speakers in close proximity.

Upgraded QuickCam Lineup

Logitech also has upgraded other members of its award-winning webcam lineup, incorporating new technologies and features designed to make the experience of video communications easier and more natural. Logitech’s performance webcams – the QuickCam Fusion, QuickCam Sphere MP and QuickCam Pro 5000 products – now include Logitech RightLight 2 Technology and the ability to record HD video. The redesigned mid-range QuickCam Communicate STX webcam features an innovative privacy shade that, when flipped open, can launch the video IM application of choice (Windows Live™ Messenger, Skype Video, Yahoo!® Messenger, or AOL® Instant Messenger™) and mute a video stream when closed. Logitech’s redesigned QuickCam software is included in all the new webcams, complete with a new icon-based interface that makes it easier than ever to access all of the camera’s settings and features, including the popular Logitech Video Effects software.

“Our 2006 webcam lineup is loaded with innovations that address consumer needs and that could come only from an experienced player with more than a decade in webcam design and manufacture,” said Marco Manera, Logitech's Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand. “We’ve redefined performance at the high end by combining the most premium lens on any webcam with the new RightLight 2 Technology.”


Logitech RightLight 2 Technology

Logitech RightLight 2 Technology is a system of hardware and software technologies that intelligently optimises video settings in low-light and uneven lighting environments, such as when a window creates harsh back- or side-lighting. The breakthrough technology automatically adjusts for these conditions, helping to improve the overall video experience. The technology is an enhancement of Logitech’s first-generation RightLight Technology, which corrects for dim lighting conditions. 

Logitech Video Effects Software

The Logitech Video Effects software, which works with popular webcam applications, allows people to completely transform themselves into three-dimensional animated characters (avatars) that precisely mimic facial movements, or to add accessories to their on-screen image, such as glasses, a beard or a crown.

Pricing and Availability

The QuickCam Ultra Vision webcam is available for a recommended retail price of AUD $249 incl. GST.