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Creative NX

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Last update
Jan 17, 2005

Click Image to Enlarge Creative NX Ultra
Purchased June 3, 2004, $89.99

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the image on this camera. The sensitivity is good and the color is amazing. The color is actually a bit over-saturated but looks great. Reds and greens are quite startling. It also has a full 640x480 CCD image sensor. Most of the less expensive cameras only have 320x240 sensors.

The NX Ultra also has a wide angle lens. This may be an advantage or disadvantage depending on what you want to use the camera for. If for scenery, like out of a window, I would consider it a disadvantage. However, if the intended use is in a close environment, like in a small room, or where you are usually sitting close to your computer monitor, it does cover more of the room than other cameras. It also tends to introduce a bit of the image warping in the corners that is common with very wide angle lenses. I found the curving seems to be more distinct on the left side of the image than on the right.

It comes with a small headset microphone/earphone, rather than having a built-in mike. However, I have found the headset to be one of the most comfortable small headsets I have tried. It slips easily over my ear and has a small up and down adjustment to get the earpiece centered over the ear canal. The quality isn't great, but completely acceptable for telephone style conversation.

The camera's major drawback is not being able to separate the camera from its stand. The stand won't fold flat so trying to carry it in my notebook case is not practical. The stand does fit nicely on a flat panel screen or notebook, and can be folded so that three rubber feet will sit on a desktop. It is a little difficult to position on a desktop as it tends to move as the cord flexes, but not as badly as the NX or the NX Pro.

Overall a good buy and a good picture. This is one of my recommended cameras, but look carefully at the sample images and note the wide angle view before rushing out and buying this one.

Screen shots of camera configuration settings
Device         Advanced

    Pluses
  • Actual sensor resolution 640x480 CCD
  • Great color
  • Good low light sensitivity
  • Mounts nicely on notebook screens
  • Custom installation option allows you to choose which parts of the software are installed.
    Minuses
  • Bulky to carry in a notebook case
  • Camera not removable from its stand so you can't mount it on a tripod or similar device
  • Installation places links to AOL on desktop and in Internet Explorer favorites without asking
    Specs (from Creative website)
  • 640x480 CCD Sensor for still image capture up to 1280x960*
  • Snapshot button and Manual Focus Lens
  • Supports video capture at up to 640x480
  • Wide field of view (78°) compared to other webcams


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