FREETALK Everyman Camera Review

Features

The Everyman Camera has an impressive feature list. Here is how FREETALK describes its product.

• Best-in-class – You won’t find better price-performance video anywhere on the planet.
• Compact and lightweight – You can take the Everyman camera with you wherever you go.
• Plug and play – Super easy to get started, no installation required.
• Skype certified – Engineered to give you the highest quality Skype video experience.

Nice, short and sweet. Now for the extensive specifications and certifications. This is where we see the kind of power that is packed into this very small package.

Product dimensions (W x D x H):

• 70 x 65 x 29 mm

Connectivity:

• Interfacing: USB 2.0
• Cable length: 180 cm
• Power: Supplied via USB cable – 5V
• UVC compliant

Lens

• Lens: 3P Autofocus
• Depth of focus: 50 mm ~ infinity
• Field of vision: 58°

Sensor

• SNR: > 39dB
• Dynamic range: > 69dB
• Pixel size: 3 x 3 µm
• Image area: 1280 x 800
• Sensitivity: 3.3

Resolution

• Video: 1280 x 720
• Photo: 1280 x 800
• Frame rate:
  Standard 30fps
  HD 22fps
  Low-light 15fps
• Color depth: 8-bit
• Video formats: H.264, YUV2

Additional features

• Plug & play
• Universal mount
• Flat panel clip
• Desktop stand
• Laptop compatible
• LED power light
• Configurable video settings

Environmental data

• Operating temperature: 0°C ~ 70°C
• Power consumption: 180mA typical

Certifications

• FCC
• CE
• VCCI
• Skype
• C-Tick

Phew! That’s a LOT. In summary, this webcam connects easily via USB and has a cable of length 180cm or just under six (6) feet. It has a left to right viewing angle of 58° which is broad enough to even capture a group of persons. In addition to being able to record and stream live video, it also takes still pictures as well. The Everyman Camera does this in a variety of environmental conditions and is well certified to do so.

Now we go back to short and sweet with the system requirements. Rather conservative, yet easily achievable, a lot of persons will be glad to know that they won’t need some high end rig for their family and friends to see each other in HD.

• Windows: XP SP2 and above
• Mac OS: 10.4 and above
• Interface: 1 x USB 2.0
• Processor: Dual core 2 Ghz or better
• RAM: 1GB or above
• Network: 1.2 Mbps symmetrical bandwidth or higher required for HD video
• Skype: Skype for Windows 4.2 and above

While all this information is great, what I’m sure you really want to know is how well it performs and how much value there really is in the US $50 price tag?