Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I use two other Logitech webcams and have been very pleased with them. My attraction to the Fusion stememd from its size, the 1.3 megapixel sensor, promised improvement in low light situations and the the promised echo-cancelling audio.
On the whole the Fusion is a competent perormer. The form factor is a pleasure. It is very compact and looks good. Best of all is the mounting which molds very nicely to support the webcam on a laptop or can be set up to sit atop a monitor or other flat surface. Overall a very well thought out design.
The camera mounted microphone coupled with Logitech's echo-cancelling technology works extremely well. If you've used other webcams, you know that the audio from your speakers is picked up by the webcam mike and repeated to whoever you're chatting with . . . which can drive everyone crazy. The Fusion microphone appears somewhat directional. Since the echo-cancelling feature works only with another Fusion user, my testing was limited to movies recorded on my computer. I was truly surprised by the quality of the audio.
Image quality gets a mixed review. Overall it is good, but the Fusion uses a fixed focus lens. The near-focus point on my Fusion appears to be set just a few inches further back than where I normally sit while at my laptop. Thus the pattern on my shirt is in sharp focus, but my face being closer to the webcam is not. I have found nothing in the manual, online or Logitech site help files addressing this issue. I am attempting to contact Logitech in hopes that my webcam is simply a bit off and needs to be replaced. If this is not the case, then reluctantly the Fusion may be returned. With all the attention given to ergonomics, it is curious that Logitech provides no manual focus and demands that you sit at an uncomfortable distance from the monitor. I have long arms, but would have to sit still further away than I do to keep my face in focus with the Fusion. This is, in my opinion, a serious design defect.
Logitech's customer support is also a drawback: they really don't seem to have anything than a relatively few self-serving FAQs and a user forum that is poorly organized. I am not lowering my rating of the product because of this since I have owned many Logitech products without ever requiring support. But the novice user might find this lack of support to be a major negative. On the other hand, I don't know if any other webcam manufacturer provides better support. Since webcams are essentially commodity items, I kind of doubt it.
Logitech claims the lens is wide coverage and they aren't kidding. For those of you with the need to include more than just yourself in the picture, it's a great feature. You, the significant other and all the kiddies can fit into the frame and wave at the grandparents. The downside is that if you are the grandparent and want to fill the frame with just you, you have to rely on an inconvenient digital zoom function. I've found no keyboard shortcuts for the zoom function. You have to open a separate window and then click for each level of zoom you want. I needed at least three or four to provide just a shot of my head and shoulders. That's a lot of clicking and since it is a digital rather than an optical zoom, you lose some image quality at each step. The image is still good, but I wonder if Logitech didn't go a bit too far in providing wider coverage.
The Logitech software is version 9. Functionally it provides a simpler interface than earlier versions. They've added avatars and what they call digital effects, such as overlaying a crown on your head. It's interesting for perhaps 2 seconds. Kids, however, might like it.
Overall, the Logitech Quickcam Fusion is a solid product. Were it not for the focus issue (which I hope can be successfully resolved), I'd give it 5 stars rather than 4.
Jerry
NOTE: I've spoken with Logitech tech support (pleasant, informed folks who answer promptly) and confirmed that the Fusion lens is fixed-focus. I also ran some tests of my own and found that I was mistaken. The critical focus is not set improperly. Rather the image is soft throughout. The beneefits of the higher-resolution (1.3 Megapixel) sensor are negated by the wider angle of view of the lens. My final conclusion is that the Fusion is best suited for people who often webcam with two or more people in the field-of-view (i.e., couples with kids chatting with grandparents, etc.) Individuals may find that the wider field-of-view leaves them appearing "too small" in the image. Using the digital zoom will increase the size of the person in the image, but will amplify the generally soft focus.
Overall, given the improvements in the audio and low-light capabilities and the smaller form factor, I think the Fusion is a keeper. But solo webcammers may find that the other Logitech webcams without the wide angle lens and higher resolution sensor may do the job better at a lower cost.
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