Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam Companion 4 (video+audio recording software)

Costs are rising and times are tough.
Please consider a donation to keep this
place going.

Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.

This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.

We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.

You are logged in as Guest

Users viewing this topic: none

Printable Version

All Forums >>Discussions >>Product Reviews >>

Page: [1]

Message

<< Newer Topic Older Topic >>

rombsix

Posts: 7808
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam Com...

The webcam: http://tinyurl.com/ozo39tf

The recording software: http://www.arcsoft.com/webcam-companion/

Hello everyone,

Logitech has released a new webcam. I own the C920 high-definition (HD) webcam, and now I recently purchased the "upgraded version" known as the C930e. You can read more about what the C930e has to offer which is different from the C920, however, the main issue is the fact that the C930e does not work well with the typical software I would use to record when using the C920 - namely, LWS (Logitech Webcam Software). The C930e is advertised as a business product & thus you will need to use third-part software to get the hardware in the C930e to offer all that it can. I went to hell & back looking for software, and the one above is what I considered to be the BEST ONE to record videos for my purpose: to create flamenco guitar videos that I can upload to YouTube.

I am still tweaking things, but I think the upgrade to the C930e is worth it frankly, because the C930e offers clearer image quality, better colors, and a wider view angle (which is really nice). I was able to get a fairly smooth frame rate from both C920 & C930e at full HD (1080p or 1920 x 1080) when recording with WebCam Companion 4. I think this recording software has advantages over LWS, but I am still trying to understand things more...

I usually edit the video/audio on my raw recordings before I upload them, and LWS records in MP4 while WebCam Companion 4 records in WMV it seems. The latter format is more versatile in some ways & I think provides smaller file sizes (not sure) with decent quality, but for me (a Sony Vegas Pro 12.0 user), I still have not figured out the best settings for editing the WMV raw videos without ruining the quality somewhat. Part of this has to do with my settings from before that took 720p into account, and just now for the first time have I recorded in 1080p, so I will continue to try tweaking the rendering settings in Vegas so I can reach a better result, hopefully.

Despite all of the above, if you want to upgrade your webcam, and you want decent recording software, I think the best choice I can find currently is the above combination.

Here are some preliminary test videos with the description telling you what settings / camera / etc. I employed. Please excuse the mistakes in playing because I did these on the fly & have not been practicing much...

More to come soon, I hope, as I start to figure out how to edit things more optimally in Vegas with the new upgrade in Webcam & recording software.

Cheers!

_____________________________

Ramzi

http://www.youtube.com/rombsix

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 30 2014 5:17:31

johnnefastis

Posts: 631
Joined: Jan. 10 2012

RE: Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam... (in reply to rombsix)

Thanks Rombsix,

Looks like this one works with a Mac too.

All that confusion put me off the last one.

Cheers

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 30 2014 13:22:34

rombsix

Posts: 7808
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam... (in reply to johnnefastis)

quote:

Looks like this one works with a Mac too.

Yeah - I've heard you can use QuickTime to record on a Mac.

_____________________________

Ramzi

http://www.youtube.com/rombsix

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 30 2014 13:28:38

rombsix

Posts: 7808
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam... (in reply to rombsix)

I am better understanding how to use this device & the new recording software (in liaison with my usual hardware & software). I highly recommend these products!

PS: I am sure that in natural daylight, the results will be MUCH better. I am using artificial lighting because it was night-time when I recorded this video...

Here are my PC specifications:

Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

Ramzi

http://www.youtube.com/rombsix

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 31 2014 4:17:00

gj Michelob

Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco

RE: Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam... (in reply to rombsix)

Rombsix, thank you for this:
two questions, if you have the patience, are you relying solely on the camera's mic and, when editing your videos, do you (or can you) edit sound as well (equalize, add effects etc.)?

_____________________________

gj Michelob

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 31 2014 15:09:33

rombsix

Posts: 7808
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam... (in reply to gj Michelob)

quote:

two questions, if you have the patience, are you relying solely on the camera's mic and, when editing your videos, do you (or can you) edit sound as well (equalize, add effects etc.)?

I use an MXL .009 USB mic for the sound. When I edit, I can modify the audio. Cheers!

_____________________________

Ramzi

http://www.youtube.com/rombsix

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 3 2014 5:31:00

rombsix

Posts: 7808
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam... (in reply to rombsix)

Testing the video quality in daylight...

Sorry for the compas slip-up.

_____________________________

Ramzi

http://www.youtube.com/rombsix

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 3 2014 17:25:59

johnnefastis

Posts: 631
Joined: Jan. 10 2012

RE: Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam... (in reply to rombsix)

Nice playing and Looks great. One thing I just noticed was some glitchy artifacts at about 47 and 1:48. In the first daylight Solea.

Cheers for these

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 3 2014 22:32:14

rombsix

Posts: 7808
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam... (in reply to johnnefastis)

quote:

One thing I just noticed was some glitchy artifacts at about 47 and 1:48. In the first daylight Solea.

Yes, I just verified your observations. This was caused by YouTube however, because I just reviewed the original video that I uploaded to YouTube, and it is free of those glitches. So the problem happened when YouTube processed that specific video... Thanks for pointing it out!

_____________________________

Ramzi

http://www.youtube.com/rombsix

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 4 2014 2:00:35

johnnefastis

Posts: 631
Joined: Jan. 10 2012

RE: Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam... (in reply to rombsix)

Yeah the second one is totally fine I think.

Just flagging it up as I know compression is such a weird thing and this camera does it on board. I still don't really understand what happens to the movie when you edit it and resave it. Are you compressing a compressed file ?

Anyway it looks great amigo. The wide angle looks handy. How far do Is the camera from the guitar.

Thanks for the testing.

Cheers

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 4 2014 9:39:14

rombsix

Posts: 7808
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam... (in reply to johnnefastis)

quote:

Are you compressing a compressed file ?

How far do Is the camera from the guitar.

I probably am not compressing the compressed file because the size of the rendered video through Vegas is exactly the same as the original. I found just the right settings to preserve nearly 100% of the raw video.

The camera is about 40 or 50 centimeters from the guitar.

_____________________________

Ramzi

http://www.youtube.com/rombsix

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 4 2014 12:40:05

rombsix

Posts: 7808
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam... (in reply to rombsix)

This setup is still going strong & comes highly recommended. The Webcam Companion 4 software that I purchased directly from the Arcsoft website seems to have been discontinued? You can still find it here apparently...

http://arcsoft-webcam-companion.en.softonic.com/

Cheers!

_____________________________

Ramzi

http://www.youtube.com/rombsix

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 15 2015 18:53:17

rombsix

Posts: 7808
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam... (in reply to rombsix)

quote:

The Webcam Companion 4 software that I purchased directly from the Arcsoft website seems to have been discontinued? You can still find it here apparently...

http://arcsoft-webcam-companion.en.softonic.com/

Hello Ramzi,

Thanks for contacting ArcSoft. I am Earl from ArcSoft Support Team. I am here to help.

I am so sorry that WebCam Companion is no longer maintained or supported now. ArcSoft does not have the purchase link for the program any more. If you want to reinstall the program in the future, you can download the program from the following link.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kz3o03zwq31n4i0/webcamcompanion4_retail_dl_all.zip

If there is anything else that we can do for you please let us know.

Best Regards,

ArcSoft Support Team

_____________________________

Ramzi

http://www.youtube.com/rombsix

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 18 2015 11:03:39

rombsix

Posts: 7808
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam... (in reply to rombsix)

I came across this video recording software for anyone using the Logitech C930e webcam. Perhaps it may be helpful to you...

http://www.cyberlink.com/products/youcam/features_en_US.html

Cheers!

_____________________________

Ramzi

http://www.youtube.com/rombsix

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 22 2015 16:41:43

El Kiko

Posts: 2697
Joined: Jun. 7 2010
From: The South Ireland

RE: Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam... (in reply to rombsix)

surely ,,youcam ,,is just a general programme of effects or any web cam not just the Logitech C930e webcam....

i suppose i could use the Face Beautification Tools it has on board ....

anyway you can download different versions of youcam for free on certain sites

_____________________________

Don't trust Atoms.....they make up everything.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 23 2015 20:19:05

minorthang

Posts: 222
Joined: Dec. 25 2014

RE: Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam... (in reply to rombsix)

hi folks,
just back on here after a break - seriously like to get some good quality videos with sound happening is the logicpro930e still the best option ? where i live i canpick it up ,but would like any options regarding should i buy a microphone for it and what free software if any is best ?

as i have no idea with pcs iwant to keep it simple, yet capture what im doing to the best i can .

thankyou all anyhelp

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 21 2016 11:44:27

rombsix

Posts: 7808
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam... (in reply to minorthang)

Logitech C930e
MXL .009 USB microphone
Webcam Companion 4

Cheers!

_____________________________

Ramzi

http://www.youtube.com/rombsix

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 21 2016 14:30:08

minorthang

Posts: 222
Joined: Dec. 25 2014

RE: Logitech C930e (webcam) & WebCam... (in reply to rombsix)

cheers rombs your still using those , any secure links for webcam companion 4 software downloads??

its userable on both mac and pc right ? cheers again

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 22 2016 1:12:41