Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro Webcam and ClearChat Headset/Mic Problems

Question

Level 4

1,200 points

Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro Webcam and ClearChat Headset/Mic Problems

I just purchased the MAC compatible “Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro” webcam. It is quite pricey at $129, because it is supposedly so "good," with features such as "Right Light 2," and its excellent optics.

Unfortunately, this webcam with mic device has HUGE compatibility problems right now with the Mac Pro. I am running the current/latest version of Mac OS X, Version 10.5.5, 2 x 2.66 GHz Dual Core Intel Xeon, 8 GB DRAM.

While you can see your self-image just fine in Photo Booth and you can take nice video clips, this is where it ends. For instance, when you take a shot of yourself in Photo Booth, it is horribly, horribly over-exposed if you are wearing a white shirt, and the image is therefore entirely unusable. It appears that the Logitech "Right Light 2" feature is NOT working with the Mac. I assume this is because when you install this Logitech (supposedly Mac compatible) webcam on your Mac, it comes sup as an "unrecognizable USB device." Thus, none of its automatic features appear to work. And, you can’t bring up any associated screens, like manual overrides, and the like, because once again, I assume the drivers are just not there (thus, it comes up as an “unknown USB device).

I wish there was some way I could manually load the necessary drivers!

Various other incompatibility issues also arise when you use the Logitech Vision Pro webcam with Skype, or other webcam services. It also comes up as an "unrecognizable USB device" (just like it does in “Photo Booth”), as opposed to a "Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro." Therefore, it has very, very limited functionality with the Mac.

IMHO, this is very disappointing. My entire point of buying this particular webcam/mic combo was the fact that it is advertised as being specifically compatible with Mac, and it emphasizes on the Logitech box that "No drivers are required." Heck, it's unusable with “Photo Booth,” unless you are not wearing a light colored shirt!

BTW, the same thing is true with Logitech's top-of-the-line ($99.99) headset/mic wireless combo, the "Logitech ClearChat Wireless." I also purchased this wireless (USB base station) Logitech headset/mic the same day I bought the webcam. It loads up improperly, just like their webcam, saying: "unrecognizable USB device" on the Mac Pro.

I guess it’s time to take the webcam and headset back to “Fry’s” and get my $230 (plus tax) refund back before my 15-day window runs out.

Does anyone have any additional info on this Logitech webcam, and/or the Logitech headset/mic wireless combo? I assume this problem will exist until the Mac OS X is uplifted to include the Logitech Vision Pro and ClearChat Wireless headset/mic devices.

Thanks, in advance, for any additional information, and/or recommendations, on this problem!

Message was edited by: JetRanger

| Mac PRO Dual Core Intel 2.66 GHz | 16GB ECC | 750 GB HDD | Dual 30 in Cinemas, Mac OS X (10.5.5)

Posted on Oct 12, 2008 2:40 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Oct 12, 2008 6:16 PM in response to JetRanger

Hi JetRanger;

Have you asked Logitech about any of this?

I just went to Logitech web site and they are talking about drivers for their QuickCams. Have you downloaded and installed any of them?

Allan

Reply

Answer 2

JetRanger Author

Level 4

1,200 points

Oct 12, 2008 7:01 PM in response to Allan Eckert

Hi, Allan!

Oh, Yes, that is the very first thing I did. When you go to Logitech's web site and click on Support, you can find the Vision Pro webcam, but when you try to find the associated drivers, Logitech tells you that "No drivers are necessary, as the native support is in OS-X."

I pasted in below what you find on their site:

QuickCam® Vision Pro
Home Support + Downloads Downloads Webcams QuickCam® Vision Pro

Software:
Title: Mac Drivers not required
Software Version: N/A
Post Date: N/A
Platform: Macintosh OS X
File Size: N/A
Release Notes
Download Instruction
This product uses native driver support on a Mac. No Logitech Mac Software is available or required.

I called their tech support line and they are not aware of the problems, so here I am stuck....

Message was edited by: JetRanger

Reply

Answer 3

Oct 12, 2008 9:53 PM in response to JetRanger

I use a Logitech Quick Cam Pro 5000, and it works fine in all the applications. The only application it does not work with is iMovie. I just plugged it in and it works without loading any drivers. If I look under USB devices it shows that there is a Logitech cam connected. All the fancy features of course won't work as the software the comes with it is Windows software. But cam works fine in Yahoo messenger and Photo Booth

Reply

Answer 4

Oct 13, 2008 2:34 AM in response to Freddie Herbst

Groan. I am just about to buy one of these Vision Pros to hook up with Macs and PCs via Skype - I have not read of any criticism other than that of the OP on this thread - is this issue an isolated one?

Reply

Answer 5

JetRanger Author

Level 4

1,200 points

Oct 13, 2008 9:45 AM in response to Freddie Herbst

The QucikCam Pro 5000 is an old Windows camera that has been discontinued for some time now. The brand new Vision Pro, which was released a few months ago, is the only Mac webcam currently sold by Logitech.

Yes, I am not surprised that some features of the old Pro 5000 will work with a Mac. That's the same thing I am experiencing with my QuickCam Vision Pro. However, the advanced features, such as "Right Light 2," etc. that you pay all that extra money for, do not work. Arrrrrrrrggg....

Reply

Answer 6

JetRanger Author

Level 4

1,200 points

Oct 13, 2008 10:20 AM in response to JetRanger

I just got off the phone with Logitech Tech Support. They admitted that not all features work with the Vision Pro because the drivers are not in the Mac OS-X.

I pointed out that it is very serious, such as making the Vision Pro unusable with Apple'S Photo Booth. I asked Logitech Tech Support if there is any way to bring up the screen that allows you to override the auto exposure. He said that works only in Windows, because the OS-X does not have the drivers. He mentioned that you can get all the necessary Vision Pro drivers for Windows from Microsoft's website (albeit not from Logitech's website). This is why Logitech does not show the Vision Pro to be compatible with Windows on their box.

Anyways, for Mac users, Logitech's top-of-the-line webcam ("QuickCam Vision Pro") and their top-of-the-line headset/mic combo, the "ClearChat," are only partially operational on the Mac (at leaset as of right now) since the necessary drivers are missing from OS-X.

And, Yes, I asked the Logitech guy (and his Supervisor) if Logitech has notified Apple. As you would probably guess, they said "I don't know."

Arrggggggggggg........................

Reply

Answer 7

Oct 13, 2008 10:45 AM in response to JetRanger

A bit of topic : Any USB Video Class (UVC) webcam is suppose to work.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2020

At one stage LogiTech had a list of all there cams ( UVC ) that could be used on the Mac, looked for the list but could not found it again.

Reply

Answer 8

Oct 13, 2008 10:49 AM in response to Freddie Herbst

Here is the list :

Reference: Logitech Webcams for Macintosh (OSX)

Question

In order to use a a webcam on your Mac OS X computer, your Logitech camera must be UVC (Universal Video Class) compliant. These standard UVC drivers are provided by the operating system and will provide minimal camera support only. This allows your webcam to operate on your Mac using third party Instant Messenging applications such as Yahoo IM and MSN. There is no support for other applications such as iMovie or Final Cut Pro.
Currently, Logitech does not provide additional webcam software drivers for Macintosh to allow advanced features such as RightLight, RightSound or Video Effects.
For updates on compatibility issues and driver support, please continue to check the Logitech Support Website for updates or click the "Notify me by E-Mail..." button located at the end of this article.

Answer

This article applies to the following products:
All UVC-compliant Webcams listed in the table below
This article applies to the following operating systems / platforms:
Macintosh OS X 10.4.9 - 10.5.2
The Logitech webcams listed below are UVC compliant and can be used with operating systems which fully support this standard, including Mac OS 10.4.9 and above.

Camera Name P/N
QuickCam Ultra Vision SE 860-00023
QuickCam Ultra Vision 861238
QuickCam Sphere MP 861305
QuickCam Fusion 861304
QuickCam Pro 5000 861306
QuickCam Pro 9000 861464
QuickCam Pro for Notebooks 860-000026
QuickCam for Notebooks Pro 861303
QuickCam Communicate MP (S5500) 860-000106
QuickCam Communicate Deluxe (S7500) 860-000107
QuickCam Communicate Deluxe 861235
QuickCam Deluxe for Notebooks 860-000009
QuickCam Sphere AF 860-000063

Reply

Answer 9

JetRanger Author

Level 4

1,200 points

Oct 13, 2008 11:12 AM in response to Freddie Herbst

Thanks for doing this research, Freddie!!

It is interesting that the Logitech list of webcams you posted does NOT include the particular webcam involved, the "QuickCam Vision Pro," and it lists an old version of OS-X (10.5.2). The question at hand involves the Vision Pro webcam with OS-X 10.5.5.

Perhaps this confirms the problem---a lack of drivers? My camera and OS-X level are not covered in this list.

I wonder if a call to Apple Tech Support is in order?

Reply

Answer 10

Oct 13, 2008 11:23 AM in response to JetRanger

It is a pleasure, maybe there list is outdated.

I've also got Mac OSX 10.5.5 on now and still no problems with the cam, just took a pic a bit earlier with Photo Booth and the quality was fine, in the past I did used it for video chat with Yahoo and my friend told me that the quality if the video n her side was fine as well. it does not make sense that your cam is not working right, don't you perhaps no someone with a Mac as well that you can test the cam on ?

Reply

Answer 11

JetRanger Author

Level 4

1,200 points

Oct 13, 2008 11:29 AM in response to Freddie Herbst

Are you using a QuickCam Vision Pro?

The previous models worked fine, it is the QuickCam Vision Pro I'm talking about. This is Logitech's top-of-the-line webcam for Mac.

Reply

Answer 12

Oct 13, 2008 11:37 AM in response to JetRanger

I use Logitech Quick Cam Pro 5000, I know which one you are talking about, it is the latest one that's supposed to be for a Mac. It just does not make sense that the new one which is suppose to be for a Mac does not work and the older ones that are for windows do work, As far as I know there are users on the forum that uses the Pro 9000 without any problems as well. At one stage the Apple online store also sold the Pro 9000's.

Reply

Answer 13

JetRanger Author

Level 4

1,200 points

Oct 13, 2008 12:00 PM in response to Freddie Herbst

Yes, the Pro 5000 works fine with a Mac. That's my point---the Logitech "QuickCam Vision Pro" does NOT work fine on the Mac Pro. My brother also has a Mac Pro (about 4 months old) and he also bought a QuickCam Vision Pro webcam about one week after me. He is experiencing the exact same thing as I am---it does not have all of the features (making it unusable with Photo Booth), and it shows up as "unrecognized USB device," just like on my Mac Pro.

Does anyone here on the board have a Mac Pro, and is using the new Logitech "QuickCam Vision Pro" webcam? If so, please weigh in. And again, I am well aware that previous/older Logitech webcam models worked OK on the Mac. I'm interested in the CURRENT top-of-the-line Logitech "QuickCam Vision Pro."

Thanks, in advance, for any help on this!

Message was edited by: JetRanger

Reply

Answer 14

KenK73

Level 1

0 points

Oct 24, 2008 4:15 PM in response to JetRanger

I have just received (as in less than 1 hour ago) my Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro from Amazon.com. I am using it on my intel Mac Pro (2.66Ghz Quad Core/6GB Mem) system. I previously used an iSight.

This Logitech is working flawlessly for me under Leopard 10.5.5. It is such a remarkable improvement over the iSight it's amazing.

While using the iSight, I did purchase the "iGlasses" (v2.1.1) software from ECam. I had to disable this software in order to use the QuickCam. If I did not, the image was incredibly dark and useless. After iGlasses was disabled the image looked great and the lighting in my room is not that good.

I have tried it with iChat, Skype, and PhotoBooth. All 3 apps have the same great image quality.

I'm surprised that it works this well with no drivers. In fact, I had to remove/disable software to get this good of a picture!

Perhaps your unit is defective? I do not have the ClearChat headset so I cannot comment on that.

Reply

Answer 15

KenK73

Level 1

0 points

Oct 24, 2008 7:49 PM in response to KenK73

I stuck a sample of both my iSight and Vision Pro up on my "me.com" gallery:

http://gallery.me.com/kenkirchner#100032

These are in the same light conditions and in the same location, no additional software (no iGlasses for the iSight).

Sometimes the Logitech starts out very dark, even without the iGlasses software running. If I unplug it from the USB and plug it back in then the lighting looks good again. I'm not sure whats up with that. I may be too impatient to let the "RightLight 2" feature make the adjustment. I'll continue to play around with it and post anything significant. For now, I think the iSight is going up on ebay. Glad I kept the box!

Message was edited by: KenK73

Reply