I've been using the Dynex web cam (DX-DTCAM) for a year and a half now. The clarity of the picture cannot be beat, especially at the $25 Best Buy price. This web cam can be used with chat applications such as, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). It is compatible in both the Windows and Mac environments, and it plugs into a USB port. (I am running it on Windows.)
Features include the main interface screen, offering a preview mode, snapshot mode, video clip mode, security monitoring, camera controls (utilities) and exit. Preview enables you to zoom, move the image up/down, left/right and select a resolution anywhere between RGB24 and I420. Snapshot mode is used to take and email still shots taken with your cam. You can elect to snap one photo at a time or continuously. I have used this feature and was happy with the ease and results of the shots. With videoclip mode, you can send a videoclip via e-mail, convert AVI files to MPEG-1 format, record and exit. The resolution feature is also available for enhancing your images. This was actually a fun feature. File size naturally grows with the length of the clip, but it was fun, simple and satisfying.
The tool to convert AVI to MPEG was invaluable, as there are still computer novices out there who cannot view AVIs. General audiences will want to convert their file before sending to friends and family. Security monitoring enables you to take video within a self-specified time period. You can also adjust the degree of variance per second of recording, ie. When the variance is over a threshold that you set, the system sends an alert.
Camera controls include: Image positioning (flipping the image, and low light), picture elements, resolution, white balance adjustments, reset-restore-and-save,indoor/outdoor options, back-light compensation, zoom, and a black and white mode. There is also a special effects tab that offers options such as: video effects and frames. I play with these features all the time. They're fun and it's easy to go back and forth.
The camera and base combination is basically "L" shaped. The base has foam adhesive pads to affix the cam to any surface. The cam can be adjusted, through its software, to project images accurately from any angle. The only problem in setting it up from any angle other than right side up is that humidity affects the original adhesive on the base and the camera falls from position. (My cam is affixed upside down to a shelf.) To hang the cam in any other position, you'll need a more efficient adhesive, such as Velcro or double-sided tape.
The one issue I have with this cam is that when I had to reinstall the software, I had a problem. The light would go on (indicating the cam was on), but the preview screen would come up black. I definitely had the correct drivers. Additionally, I would get an error message stating, "Camera not found. The camera is in use by another application, or not connected. Make sure the camera is connected, then try again."
In searching the forums, I found many, many other frustrated users with the same difficulty. In the end I did resolve the problem. This is what I did:
1.Uninstall the driver you had installed and unplug the webcam.
2.With the webcam unplugged, insert the driver CD-ROM
3.Plug the webcam into the USB. A message displays, "new device detected"
4.Click the advanced option and open the drivers folder.
5.Click the *manually choose* option.
6.You will see the Dynex file in the display. Select it and install.
It seems that this issue has caused other users to seek out help from Dynex' customer service and were met with troubling poor service. Personally, I did not need to go through customer service, once I performed this driver installation.
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