Looks and Functionality
The Creative Live! Cam Optia Pro is designed for both desktops and notebooks. It’s relatively large, and rests atop an adjustable easel base. The bullet-shaped camera sports a protruding glass lens with a VGA sensor. As with its other webcams, Creative wins points for the Optia Pro’s intuitive plug-and-play design.
Cam Optia Not So Pro Performance
Audio in our chats was pleasant, thanks to the built-in noise-canceling mic, but it often didn’t sync with the video. Using Yahoo Messenger, we noticed moderate latency, especially around the mouth. The resolution wasn’t great either; although bright, video looked a tad blurry. The video was delayed with Skype, too, and skin tones were oversaturated.
The camera, which can take photos up to 5 megapixels, renders skin tones accurately, but performed poorly in low light: A fleece pullover looked noisy, not textured.
Goodies
As far as effects go, the Optia Pro has everything you could want: avatars, background swaps, and doodling. But they’re tricky to learn, and they’re inconveniently contained in multiple programs.
Verdict
In both size and execution, the Live! Cam Optia Pro is a bit clunky, but you get a lot of features for the price.
