Creative Live! Cam Optia AF Review

What the reviewers like:
The Creative Live! Cam Optia meets the Universal Video Class standard required for Windows Vista. It will partially work on a Mac for that reason, and it doesn’t require a driver. The Creative webcam has two built-in microphones and is easy to mount. Image quality is decent (with specific flaws). Adjustable clarity and versatile software are virtues.

What the reviewers don't like:
In reviews of the Creative Live! Cam Optia, image quality is decent, but with specific flaws, including graininess and poor low-light performance. The microphone is not integrated. Overall, experts recommend webcams from Logitech as best.

Creative Live! Cam Optia AF review highlights

Reviewers agree that the Creative Live! Cam Optia is the best webcam produced by Creative. That said, most experts also agree that Logitech’s QuickCam Ultra Vison (*est. $100) and Logitech QuickCam Fusion (*est. 65) are better performers. One area where this Creative webcam outshines Logitech is the included software.

We found three very good reviews of the Creative Live! Cam Optia webcam. Tom's Hardware Guide perfectly positions it in the marketplace. Cowboy Frank.net illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of image quality with photos. Everything USB tells and shows everything you could want to know about the Creative Live! Cam Optia webcam. The review at WebUser.co.uk falls short because it doesn’t compare models, and is not illustrated. PC World’s review of the Creative Live! Cam Optia is also short and non-comparative.

Also see full report: Webcams

*In order of credibility (see our Ratings Criteria).

1. Tom’s Hardware Guide
Creative Live! Cam Optia Review
Todd Haselton
Feb. 14, 2007

In this roundup, Todd Haselton directly compares five webcams and is surprised to discover that the Creative Live! Cam Optia has better image quality than the more expensive Creative Live! Cam Voice. In his conclusion to the roundup, Haselton determines that the Creative Live! Cam Optia has inferior image quality to the two best webcams, but it is a good value.

2. CowboyFrank.net
Creative Live! Cam Optia Review
Frank Harell
Feb. 27, 2007

This enthusiast website reviews more webcams and is more up-to-date than any other review source. Included test photos under controlled conditions bolster credibility and enable comparisons in image quality. Harell competently explains image quality and practical application of features of the Creative Live! Cam Optia. A sidebar addresses common issues with Creative web cameras.

3. EverythingUSB.com
Creative Live! Cam Optia USB Webcam Review
Scott Clark
Mar. 16, 2007

Scott Clark provides the most detailed review of the Creative Live! Cam Optia. It is superbly augmented with still images, screen shots and a video in which Clark entertainingly demonstrates all the capabilities of the software. The review concludes that other webcams are a better value than the Creative Live! Cam Optia, but unfortunately, they aren’t identified.

4. WebUser.co.uk
Creative Live Cam Optia AF Review
Andy Shaw
Updated May 10, 2007

WebUser.co.uk reviews webcams individually, and gives each a rating, but the reviews are too short to contrast models, and aren’t documented with illustration. The Creative Live Cam Optia AF receives a very enthusiastic response from Andy Shaw. Editors give the Optia very high ratings in all categories, but confer honors on two Logitech webcams.

5. PC World
>> Details/Subscribe
Creative Live Cam Optia Webcam Review
Alan Stafford
Mar. 12, 2007

PC World conducts a brief test of this webcam, and explains why the magazine didn’t compare it with any other webcams. Alan Stafford devotes a paragraph to video quality and focuses on features, including the lack of auto-focus and a microphone -- although the latter point is a little misleading as Creative includes headphones and a microphone in the package.

Also see full report: Webcams

Creative Live! Cam Optia AF Review