The Logitech QuickCam UltraVision SE:

Anyone who knows me knows that I go through brief “must cam” phases where I take tons of pictures and just unleash them on my poor friends. They deal with it pretty good though now that I can just dump them onto MySpace. Sweet of them to indulge me like that, I admit. I also like to use a webcam when teleconferencing on Skype — but most webcams on the market nowadays are just trash. Unimpressive and mostly generic for the most part with flimsy materials, cheap plastic and a bad name added to the list of cheap trash for computers lately.

Logitech started out kind of unsteady with their webcams, having some good products here and there but not seeming to really get the show on the road. However, all that’s changed with the QuickCam Ultra Vision. A camera that is almost too perfect for LCD monitors and notebook screens because of it’s balancing act game it plays on the top of your screen. With a fully adjustable balance in the back, you can bring it closer, adjust the direction you’re aiming at and at one point, even flip the camera upside down (and it’s picture view) to rest it neatly wherever you want it. It’s heavy, with the weight of a cordless phone but in a tightly designed metal and plastic packaging. This isn’t your generic-brand USB camera, this is something that is built to last and has the interface to prove it.

Once you get the hookups going and you adjust the tuning to your camera (It’s got a very nice 1.3 megapixel sensor coupled with RightLight 2 technology for perfect picture.), there are literally dozens of extra things you can do with this camera. As well as being a good stable source for your video feeds and emo YouTube blogs, you can add animated avatars and accessories to the picture thanks to face-tracking software that Logitech includes with the camera. Someone over at MAKE did a review of the Orbit that was basically just a review of the face-tracking animation software - take a look, it’s a fun way to bring life to your conversations.

It’s absolutely filled to the brim with features and in addition to what I already mentioned it’s got a well-placed snapshot button (I hate it when cameras put them on the top of the camera, as if your hands won’t get in the way.), a soft blue LED light that lets you know when the camera is in use which is loads better than that HAL9000 bullshit we’re so used to seeing in our computer periphs out now, and a microphone grate that is placed between the light and the camera’s lens. Logitech made sure that all bases were covered and with two versions in the same price (Both the Regular flavor and the Special Edition flavor - and at time of loading this, I still have no idea what the hell the Special Edition has that the other doesn’t. If I find out, I’ll update. Right now, I think it just means that only one will survive The Rapture.) you really have no good reason not to grab this if you’ve got the cash to do so. Think about it, you don’t want to have to constantly replace your webcams, do you?

Besides, fluids could very easily be wiped off this one. Just throwing that out there.