| Logitech Clicksmart 420 | ||
|
Device: Logitech ClickSmart 420 Digital Camera
Intro: To spare a long, windy introduction about the ways of the past slowly disappearing, let me put it this way - society is going digital. One of the primary things becoming digital is picture taking, which benefits greatly from the lack of film to mess up and worry about exposing, as well as the ease of use and portability. Digital cameras can come in many different flavors, from budget cameras that can store a few blurred pictures at best, to cameras that cost several thousand dollars and come with all of the bells and whistles, using fancy memory sticks and software to produce professional photos. Today the specimen on the test bench is something that tries to bridge the gap between several common devices, a camcorder, a web cam, and a handheld camera. This comes at a very favorable price to customers looking to maximize their dollars. While some devices that have tried to do too much on a budget have failed miserably, let’s see what this camera can do. The Box: The ClickSmart arrived very promptly in a Logitech box, which contained the camera and a diNovo Desktop (coming in part 2 of the Logitech series) in an attractive retail package. Inside the box were the camera, a base stand for the camera, a USB 2.0 cable, and batteries. Logitech ImageStudio software and drivers, product manual, and a pamphlet describing some of Logitech’s other products were also included. But, enough of the small stuff, let’s get to the good part. The Camera: The camera itself is roughly palm-sized, with a nice bulge for the batteries which fits in your hand for a good grip and easy picture taking with one hand. It includes a power button, motion/still selector switch, lcd, and various function buttons including: flash, timer, and delete. The lcd is fairly simple, and gives indicators of the number of pictures remaining, flash state, mode, battery state, and delete. The camera also includes a microphone on the front for video recordings, an led for timed pictures, and a light-up Logitech logo which shows connectivity with the computer. Functionality/ Performance: Like I said before, the ClickSmart is bundled with a software suite called ImageStudio, which ties together the camera’s web cam, still, video, and motion sensing capabilities into one easy to use program with tabs to switch between functions. As far as accessibility goes, this has been one of the easiest programs I have ever used to manage digital photos. In actual picture taking, this is where this camera begins to lag in performance with its 1.3megapixel maximum capability. At night, picture taking with the flash is difficult at less than a meter and a half, as the flash is too strong and lights up everything too brightly. The daytime pictures are much better, but still a bit blurred, which, I imagine, traces back to its roots as a web cam. As far as web cam performance goes, the camera’s contrast is very weak, and even with overhead lights, and all of the laps on, the captures from it were very dim, as seen below. *Reviewer’s note: Still pictures from this camera are sized at a default 640×480 pixels, but when I reduced the size to 50% they become much more clear, suggesting that this problem may be in the compression and enlargement of the pictures once taken. Picture samples : Day: Full size
Half
Night - 1 meter range Full size
Half
Night - 2 meter range Full size
Half
Web cam Capture
As you can see, the resolution improves greatly in the step down from 640×480 to 320×420 pixels. Also, it is worth noting that the default web cam size is 320×240. Conclusion Overall, due to this lack in picture quality, which is always the most important thing in any camera, the Clicksmart was a bit of a disappointment. This product, however, is not without a niche in the market. With its low price, it would be ideal for someone trying to learn the basics of photography without having to spring for an insanely expensive 3+ megapixel digital camera. With an 80 picture capability, it would also be a good thing to take on a short trip to take home an easy memory without having to worry about film, or paying for its processing. Let’s break it down: Pros + Low Price Cons - Poor contrast in web cam function In then end, I would give the Logitech ClickSmart 420 a 6.5/10 due to the fact that while it does offer a lot, each offering in this camera’s capabilities suffers by being only a small part of the camera’s whole purpose. It is not without its merits, though, and does serve a purpose on the market. On behalf of the site administration, I would like to thank Logitech for providing this review sample and the opportunity to explore some of their current offerings. |
||
