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| Kodak DVC323 |
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Hardware Reviews January 1999 • Vol.10 Issue 1 |
Kodak DVC323 | ||
 Desktop video cameras are fast becoming one of the most popular computer peripherals, primarily due to their capability for videoconferencing at an affordable price. The ease of use, easy installation, and the impressive image quality Eastman Kodak's DVC323 offers, make it a front runner among desktop video cameras. We quickly attached the DVC323—a dead ringer for a phaser gun straight out of "Star Trek"—to our IBM 300 XL testing machine (300MHz Pentium II processor, 64MB of RAM, and Windows 95) using a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port. The DVC323 sat steadily in a detachable base on top our Sony Multiscan 100sx monitor, swiveling side to side and tilting up and down for varying views. The camera captures still images at a 640-by-480-pixel resolution and video at a maximum 352-by-288-pixel resolution. We captured video at a 320-by-240-pixel resolution, and after we adjusted the camera's contrast, brightness, and color, our images were very sharp, focused, and had accurate colors. The camera adjusted well to low light levels, but it left some images grainy. The DVC323 stands out from most desktop video cameras (or World Wide Web cams) with its ability to take still images away from the PC with a shutter button. Many Web cams lack a button, and require the use of a keyboard or mouse. The DVC323 also features a focus wheel for focusing objects from 5 inches to infinity. In addition, there are view modes for Telephoto (20-degree field of view), Normal (30-degree), and Wide Angle (42-degree). Bundled software including Picture Works Live, NetCard, and Microsoft NetMeeting, lets you edit and enhance images, attach video to E-mail messages, and videoconference. The DVC323 supports a top frame rate (video frames captured per second) of 30 frames per second (fps), the rate needed for television-quality motion. The Kodak DVC323 is an excellent choice for entering the world of videoconferencing and video E-mail.  by Blaine Flamig Kodak DVC323 $169 Eastman Kodak (800) 235-6325 (716) 724-4000 http://www.kodak.com
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