Lifecam Cinema

782 reviews

May, 2013

Positive
Usability (274)
Value for money (182)
Design (61)
Size (8)

No negative mentions yet

General overview
Price comparison
Product Specifications

We have collected and analyzed 25 expert reviews and 757 user reviews from international sources. Experts rate this product 76/100 and users rate it 89/100. The average review date is Jun 28, 2010. We have compared these reviews to 49965 reviews from other Webcams. The alaScore™ for this product is 89/100 = Very good. Last update: May 19, 2013.

Review analysis

(Based on 782 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(62% of reviews)
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Features

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Showing 749 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews

Showing 1 - 10 of 749 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (56)

Expert review by: Jamie Lendino (pcmag.com)

Microsoft LifeCam Cinema

Despite its status as the world's largest software developer, Microsoft also has a thriving business building PC peripherals, including keyboards, mice, joysticks, and webcams, among other devices. The $79.95 (list) Microsoft LifeCam Cinema webcam...

Sleek styling. Aluminum construction. Flexible mount. Good image quality, color balance, and auto-focus. Easy-to-use bundled app

Poor built-in mic. Slightly overexposed photos and video. Relatively robust system requirements

The Microsoft LifeCam Cinema offers sleek styling and solid video quality, but audio performance isn't this HD webcam's strong suit.

Feb, 2010

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Expert review by: Sahas Katta (skattertech.com)

Microsoft LifeCam Cinema (Review)

Although Skatter Tech reviewed Microsoft's LifeCam HD-5000 & HD-6000 earlier this year, the company also offers a more-powerful LifeCam Cinema. While this flagship webcam has been on the market for quite sometime, it still offers a handful of...

Aug, 2010

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Expert review by: Kevin Reynolds (hardware-pacers.com)

Microsoft LifeCam Cinema

The Microsoft LifeCam Cinema is one of Microsoft's new HD webcams. With a max resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels HD video (Still Image: Up to 5 megapixel 2880x1620), the LifeCam Cinema is one of the best webcams on the market today. The LifeCam Cinema is...

Simple Install ; Small and easy to position ; User friendly

N/A

The Microsoft LifeCam Cinema is a great webcam in a very nicely sized package. The LifeCam Cinema has very nice video resolution range with a max setting of 1280 X 720 pixel (HD) video resolution and a min setting of 120 x 160. The still capture...

May, 2010

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Golden Tachometer Award

Expert review by: Hank Tolman (benchmarkreviews.com)

Microsoft LifeCam Cinema 720p HD-Webcam

Webcams are rapidly becoming a very popular item. In fact, webcams were one of the most popular electronic items purchased for the 2009 holiday season. Microsoft has long been a competitor when it comes to webcams and with the release of the Microsoft...

720p High Definition Capture ; Widescreen View ; Noise Cancellation Microphone ; Good Software; Simple Design ; Small, yet Very Powerful ; Lighting, Quality, Clarity of Picture ; Low Light Enchancement ; Excellent Value at under $60

Limited Video Chat HD Use due to Software Restrictions ; Very CPU intensive at higher resolutions ; Slight Washout with Bright Backlighting ; High Pitch Tone when Noise Cancellation is Used

The Microsoft LifeCam Cinema H5D-00001 far outperformed my expectations of it, especially after seeing how small it is. The camera lens is able to pick out small details, recognize faces, autofocus, and capture 720p High Definition video at an amazing...

Jan, 2010

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Expert review by: Kelcey Lehrich (electronista.com)

Review: Microsoft LifeCam Cinema

Microsoft brings webcams into HD in earnest.

Great video quality with the 720p sensor ; Excellent ergonomic design ; Simple, effective software package

Poor still photo quality

The LifeCam Cinema comes out of the box with only a creatively designed user manual and the webcam itself. We immediately noticed the construction quality of the webcam was top-notch. The USB cable is very long and has a helpful built-in cable orga

Sep, 2009

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Expert review by: David Chieng (hardwarezone.com)

Microsoft LifeCam Cinema - HardwareZone.com

Microsoft's newest flagship webcam, LifeCam Cinema, is touted as the first consumer-grade camera with 720p HD recording capabilities.

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Consumer review by: chippedliver (cnet.com)

Great picture, lousy software

I can't imagine a worse combination of poor packaging. This camera is trapped in a crappy design and worse software. This Microsoft product isn't even fully compatible with it's own Microsoft software. Camera can't be used with a remote desktop...

Wide screen format and HD picture quality are great

Software is nearly featureless, only the basic adjustments of quality and video/still capture. Can't be used in remote desktop sessions ; Also, the mount/stand, whatever its called, provides almost no adjustment or stability at all

Sep, 2010

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Consumer review by: scottcoscia (cnet.com)

Do not buy this camera if you have Windows 7 64-bit

When I downloaded the drivers on my Windows 7 64-bit machine it crashed the whole system. It just kept booting up, cycling down and rebooting. I called Microsoft and they said that the only thing I could do was a system recovery. Thanks Microsoft for...

It didn't try and murder my family

The drivers crashed my system. It never worked as intended

Sep, 2010

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Consumer review by: jcloch (cnet.com)

Great picture, easy set-up, software is lacking

Overall, a solid value for the money. The video is outstanding and the unit sits nicely on any flat screen with a relatively small footprint. Widescreen is also nice.

This was an upgrade from an old entry model, so I expected an improvement, but not like this. Crisp, clean & even picture in all levels of light. HD works nice and the hook up to Skype was a breeze. Clip works well with a firm hold to the monitor

Software does not give you many options. Hardwired to the back of the camera

Apr, 2010

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Consumer review by: gopackgo (cnet.com)

Great cam for the price.

You can find this one for about $50 bucks. Can't beat the price for what you get. The auto focus and face recognition do work but don't buy it for the face recognition. Picture is very clear and seems like it could be used in a Professional setting....

Nice picture. Webcam works great. Easy to use and setup. Software is OK but could be better. It is a Microsft product after all. Small foot print. Great lens. The HD really works! Microphone seems very good also and the software makes it adjustable

Get a USB extension cord. Microsoft gives you a very short USB cable hard wired to the back of the cam. Software could be better. It has locked up my PC. I am Running Vista dual core and it does lock up sometimes useing their Dashboard software

Nov, 2009

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Product Specifications

Widescreen technology is everywhere these days, built into virtually every new notebook, desktop monitor and flat-panel TV, and today Microsoft Hardware sets a new standard for webcams with the launch of LifeCam Cinema, the first consumer webcam on the PC to offer widescreen video with a native 720p sensor. The timing couldn't be better, with more and more people going online to share videos with friends and family; in fact, more than 10 million videos are uploaded each month to Facebook alone. LifeCam Cinema webcam's 720p widescreen sensor will deliver clear, quality videos - without leaving anyone out of the shot.