The version of ImageStudio (and perhaps the Logitech Camera Driver as well) included on the install CD is outdated, so I downloaded the latest version from Logitech's website. The download weighed in at about 40MB(!), which can be a lot for those of you who are still stuck on dialup - however Logitech also has a multi-part download where the whole download is split into several RAR volumes; I think this shows their appreciation for their customers. With the included instructions, you are advised to install the driver and software first, and then after a reboot, plug in the camera.

   The updated version of ImageStudio available for download does not include any of the third-party apps included on the CD's install version, and I found this to be a good thing, as I had no use for them and didn't want them taking up space on my HDD. The updated version also fixes a few things, such as problems with saving camera settings on earlier versions of ImageStudio.

For basic operation, you only need the camera driver.

Basic camera control using the TWAIN driver.

Basic settings.

   Although only the driver is needed for operation of the camera, the ImageStudio software provides a much easier access point to all the camera's features. If you choose not to use ImageStudio, you can still use any regular TWAIN-compliant image editing program to both download pictures from the camera's SmartMedia card, and use the camera as you would a regular webcam when it is attached to your computer.

   The camera's drivers allow for a great deal of adjustment, but for the most part, I found the default and automatic settings to work quite well. I did not have to manually adjust the exposure time and gain settings, and about the only thing I found necessary to set was the "Low Light Boost" option, which helped quite a bit during low-light/room light conditions. Additionally, you may want to manually boost the brightness if you take a lot of pics in low-light, though this can be done in software just as well, if not better.

   When the camera is connected to the computer, you can take pictures and shoot videos in one of three sizes: 160x120, 320x240 or 640x480. When the camera is in standalone mode, you can take pics at 1280x960 (interpolated from 640x480 in software), 640x480 or 320x240, while shooting videos gives you only two resolution options, either 320x240 or an abysmal 160x120.

   It's a little weird that you can only capture "1.3 Megapixel" or 1280x960 shots when the camera is not connected a computer, but upon realizing that this resolution is interpolated, things are a little clearer - indeed, the number of pics you can store on the camera's 8MB SmartMedia card in standalone mode is no different whether you select Hi (1280x960) or Medium (640x480) resolutions. This seems to indicated that the "1280x960" pics are stored 640x480 pics on the SmartMedia card, and then interpolated to 1280x960 after they are transferred to the computer, and as we'll see in testing later, the effect is no better than using an image editing program to increase an image's size.

Onboard microphone controls.

The default settings work quite well.

Low-light boost is helpful in room-light conditions.

   The onboard microphone's volume can be adjusted, but for the most part, I found the volume level to be too low, even when maxed out. Perhaps Logitech will release a fix for this, if the problem can be fixed by a software update. If you have an external mic, you can choose to use that instead from within the program's configuration.

   The ImageStudio software is very easy to use, and all created items are stored in a folder or album created by the program. You can set a delay on when to take a picture or start recording a video, to allow yourself some time to get into position before the camera, and for videos, you have the option of including audio or not.

   In addition to basic video and picture capture the software includes other features such as automatic Time-Lapse photos for making a nifty video, and the motion detector feature. This feature was particularly fun to play around with, as you can set the threshold of sensitivity, which, when exceeded, will cause the software to either take a picture or capture a few seconds of video, depending on how you've configured it. This feature can be quite useful if you can mount your camera in position where it can see a sensitive area. You'll then be able to see who's been stealing cookies from your cookie jar, for example. You can set the motion detector to automatically monitor based on the day of the week, the time of day, a specific calendar time period, or a combination of any of these three - very nice!

   Unfortunately, since the 510's USB cable is only around 6ft long, you won't be able to move it far from your computer, however, any standard A-B type USB cable will work so the option is available for using a longer cable. Lastly, since this really is a webcam first, and a digital camera/standalone camera second, the software provides a Webcam feature that can allow you to send pictures periodically to a server for viewing on the Internet.

ImageStudio allows access to all the camera's functions.

Time lapse videos: Fun stuff.

Motion detector: For the fun and paranoid.

.. And of course, the webcam feature/function.

   Overall, the installation of the 510's software and drivers went fairly well, and was quick and easy. The ImageStudio software itself is very intuitive, and well designed. While the camera is connected to the computer, you don't have to click the "Take a picture" button; you can instead use the camera's shutter button, and this perhaps is easier. The only thing ImageStudio isn't is a full-fledged image editing program - though I suspect many of us already have a preference for an image editing app.

   Although the updated version of ImageStudio and the camera's drivers are a hefty download, I recommend that you do go ahead and get them, as the updated app and drivers solve some little problems that can be annoying.

Testing:

   I tested this camera's image quality against my old webcam, the Kodak DVC325. Please note that although the pictures are JPEG's, the large ones were saved with minimal compression (and so therefore are a little large), and in my opinion, did not have their quality significantly or noticeably affected. The default settings for both camera's drivers were used, so if one chooses to adjust some of the settings manually, different results may occur. However, I believe this is about as close as I can get to an objective test of sorts.

   The first thing you'll note is that the Logitech ClickSmart 510, by default, produces darker pics than the DVC325; this can easily be adjusted. The 510's picture seems to be a little blurrier though (I adjusted the manual focus as best I could on both cameras), and this is evident around the white text on the motherboard's box. In comparison, the DVC325 produces an image that is more aliased than the 510's, but the 510's image seems to provide less detail.

Kodak DVC325 - daylight 1.

Logitech 510 - daylight 1.

   In this second daylight pic, there appears to be little more detail on the Lego figure in the DVC325's image than in the 510's. However, in my opinion, the 510 better reproduced the colours, especially in the red packaging of the deck of cards, and in the Rubik's cube. My DVC325 has never been good in getting the white balance right.

Kodak DVC325 - daylight 2.

Logitech 510 - daylight 2.

   Again, in picture three, we see that the 510's image has a little less detail than the 325's - this is not noticeable right away, but upon looking at the black print on the side of the white case box, it becomes observable. Once again, the colour reproduction is a little better in the 510's image, though these pictures do not demonstrate it very well; it is mostly noticeable in the colour of the wooden desk in the background on the left side.

Kodak DVC325 - daylight 3.

Logitech 510 - daylight 3.

   The next test was of the quality of the so-called 1.3Megapixel shots from the 510, interpolated from 640x480. If you will recall, such shots can only be taken in standalone mode, and are stored as 640x480 shots until they are transferred to the computer, where they are then interpolated to 1280x960. I took a 640x480 shot from the DVC325 and then used Photoshop to resize it to 1280x960. This was done, in part, to see how good the interpolation of the 510's driver was, in comparison to an image editing application.

   Again, you'll note that the 510's image is blurrier, and just looks awful for a 1280x960 shot. Don't get me wrong - the DVC325's image looks ugly as well, and artifacts and aliasing abound. I simply can't recommend the 510 for 1280x960 shots - keep it at 640x480, which is also the highest resolution you can take pictures with when the camera is connected to the computer.

Kodak DVC325 - interpolated to 1280x960.

Logitech 510 - interpolated to 1280x960 (taken in standalone mode).

   Where the 510 clearly beats the DVC325 is during low light or room light conditions. Here, the DVC325's image, while sharp, has a lot of interference in it, probably due to an increased gain setting put in place when light levels fall. This makes the image just plain unacceptable. The 510's image, while a little more "soft", is free from the plagues of the DVC325's image, and as such, is presentable. If you plan on using the 510 in low light conditions, note that it'll work quite well.

Kodak DVC325 - roomlight.

Logitech 510 - roomlight.

   When in standalone mode, the camera is quite easy to use, and the 510's package includes a quick-reference card explaining all of the icons on the camera's LCD. Changing the settings was quite easy as well, as the back buttons were in a nice position for this; The only annoying thing was that to turn the camera on you had to hold down the on/off button for three secs. I can see the energy-saving reasons behind this, but since this button is recessed, I found it unnecessary. Other features that are available are the multi-snap and timer; multi-snap takes 5 pics at 1-sec intervals after a press of the shutter, and the timer is set to take a picture 10 seconds after you press the button; the timer value can not be changed.

   When capturing video, the 510 does an admirable job - when it is connected to the computer. You can shoot videos in all three resolutions that you can take pictures in, that being 640x480, 320x240 and 160x120. With the test system having a 1.2GHz T-bird w/ 512MB of RAM and a 3-year old 40GB 7200rpm Maxtor HDD, I was able to capture 640x480 videos at about 18-19fps, 320x240 vids at 25-26fps and 160x120 vids at 27-28fps, all acceptable rates. However, while in standalone mode, you can only capture at 320x240@10fps or 160x120@15-16fps - and the quality is much lower. In addition to the lower frame rate, the 510 uses a different codec or compression, and this results in videos that are much more blocky than their counterparts shot while the 510 is connected. (All video tests were done with audio capture from the onboard mic enabled.) I cannot recommend using the 510 to shoot videos when it is not connected to a computer.

Conclusion:

   I had mixed feelings about the 510. As a webcam, it was a stellar product; while pictures were perhaps not as good as they could have been, the quality was more than acceptable, and video capture was great was well with the onboard microphone perhaps a bit soft. The included software was easy to use and allowed me to get up and running, capturing foolish pictures and videos, in no time. Of particular significance was the 510's image quality under low light conditions; pictures did not suffer from a high level of gain interference. On the other hand, the standalone or digital camera performance of the 510 left something to be desired. The 1.3Megapixel photos weren't really well produced, and you'd be better off just to stick with the 640x480 setting and resize the photos using Photoshop. The flash and 8MB SmartMedia card were well-added features however, and the camera controls were easy to use, but make no mistake - the 510 is a webcam first, and a digital camera second. With a MSRP of $149.95 (You'll find it for less online and at auction sites), the 510 is more expensive than most webcams, but has added features that may make worthy, if you are in need of something more than a webcam.

Pros:

• Can be used either as a webcam or digital camera (standalone-mode)
• Video quality is quite good - when connected to computer
• Onboard microphone
• Built in flash
• Easy to setup and use; automatic adjustments work well
• 8MB SmartMedia card will hold more than enough pics. (121 Hi/Med, 486 Low)
• Camera LCD displays settings info fairly clearly
• Camera's base is secure
• Battery life is good
• Good performance under low light conditions
• Two-year warranty

Cons:

• May accidentally press a button or two if you use your left hand to stabilize the camera
• Still image quality is blurry (both modes)
• Videos shot in standalone mode are blurry
• Cannot focus on really close up objects
• 1.3Megapixel photos not really good

   Once again, thanks must be given to Logitech for making this review possible! Go on and check their site out, I'm sure you'll find something you like.

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