Envision V Cam Driver Download
- Pros
Low price. Ball-joint mount provides a wide range of lens movement. Acceptable image quality, even at higher resolutions.
- Cons
No microphone. Manual-focus lens. Weak bundled software. Can't be clipped to a monitor. No LED to indicate activity.
- Bottom Line
A lower-than-average price can't rescue this feature-strapped webcam. It doesn't even have a microphone, making it useful for almost zilch.
Looking for a deal on a webcam? Keep looking. Although the Envision V-Cam costs about half what you'd pay for the latest models from Creative, Logitech, and Microsoft, it delivers less than half the quality. Problems include limited software, a manual-focus lens, and a base that can't even clip onto a monitor. Even worse, it lacks a microphone, which severely limits its value. On the plus side, the V-Cam produces passable images and offers a much wider range of movement than most other webcams. But anyone shopping for a bargain should opt instead for the Hercules Deluxe Optical Glass, which costs less but delivers much more.
- $99.95
- $99.99
- $24.99
- $99.99
At least the V-Cam is cute. The eyeball-shaped V-Cam resembles, well, an eyeball, with the lens where the iris and pupil would be and a black 'eyelid' that complements the white underside. But although the eyelid suggests a hinged cover that could drop down over the lens when you want a little webcam privacy, it's purely decorative: It doesn't move at all. The entire eyeball moves quite a bit, however, thanks to the ball joint that connects it to its metal base. This enables a considerable range of tilt and pivot movement, along with 360 degrees of rotation.
Considering this range of motion, it's regrettable that Envision opted for a base that's nothing more than a tabletop stand. You might be able to place the V-CAM atop a traditional CRT monitor—one with a perfectly level top—but otherwise the V-Cam is consigned to desk duty. A webcam that can't clip onto a desktop or notebook LCD really has no place in modern computing.
Envision V Cam. File Name: envision-v-cam.exe. Version: 2.3.2. File Size: 20,167 KB Driver Date: 21 January 2012. Downloaded: 203 times. Last Time: 23 September 2017.
Dot drug & alcohol testing program. The same goes for a webcam that lacks a microphone—a staple feature in the other four models I reviewed at the same time. This could explain why Envision failed to bundle any productivity software—even freebies such as SightSpeed and Skype: Without a microphone, your video chats would be fairly one-sided. The V-Cam's sole bundled program, a basic capture utility, resembles a holdover from Windows 95, with all image settings and special effects crammed into individual tabs. You can use the utility to record video and capture still photos, but I had to refer to the manual to figure out how. Oh, and be ready to guess how many megabytes of hard drive space to set aside for your video: The utility forces you to enter a number. Um, maybe 5? 50?
The software does provide a wealth of image-tweaking options, including a low-light mode, backlight compensation, and control over the webcam's LED—whoops, it doesn't have one. The utility even does face tracking, though not particularly well. You can also apply over two dozen image filters and frames—some of them cool, some laughably bad. The 'snow' frame, for instance, falls into the latter category: It merely overlays a smattering of white circles.
Another big problem with the V-Cam is its lens, which doesn't autofocus. Rather, you have to turn a silver ring that's so small your fingers invariably end up in the picture. Consequently, achieving a sharp focus is difficult at best. The lens can capture images from 8 centimeters to infinity at resolutions of up to 1,024 by 768. True to Envision's word, the V-Cam managed about 15 frames per second at that maximum resolution—better than the results I got from the Microsoft LifeCam VX-7000 at 800 by 600. What's more, the video looked halfway decent—to the point where I could almost recommend this webcam. If it had a microphone.
But it doesn't, and that's the end of the story. I don't know of a single user who would benefit from choosing the Envision V-Cam over the $25 Hercules Deluxe Optical Glass, which not only costs less but also provides more features, such as a microphone and clip-on base. I'm all for getting in front of the camera—just not the V-Cam.
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Envision V-Cam
Bottom Line: A lower-than-average price can't rescue this feature-strapped webcam. It doesn't even have a microphone, making it useful for almost zilch.