The Creative Live Cam Sync 1080p V2 is more than your garden variety webcam. It has a Windows app that can adjust voice detection, noise cancellation levels and more. It is also a bright webcam at f/2.4 aperture, so you can use it in lower light.
During the COVID crisis, webcams have become as scarce as hen’s teeth, and it has been a matter of buying what you can get. Generally, most sub $100 webcams have low resolution, low frame rates and high video noise levels in lower light. This is true 1080p@30Hz (frames per second), 77° FOV, with a proper 4-element lens and a dual mic array.
Creative Australia currently has stock – be quick. It is a very reasonable $89.95 (on sale at $69.95 right now, 3/8/21)
Creative Live Cam Sync 1080p V2
| Website | here |
| Price | $89.95 but on special at $69./95 3/8/21 inc free post in Australia |
| Warranty | 12-months ACL |
| Country of Manufacture | China |
| About | Singapore based Creative Labs (Est 1981) is famed for its PC soundcards and, more recently, speakers, headsets and webcams |
| More | GadgetGuy Creative news and reviews here |
First impression
Nicely symmetrical, small black rectangle with a centre lens and dual-mic array behind a grill. The mount is a typical friction type for over the monitor, and it has a standard tripod socket.
It has a 1.8m black USB-A cord and draws 5V/.5A, so it will work with USB2.0 or later. There is a privacy door that snaps over the lens as well.
More surprising is the price. It is not a lot of money for what it offers – a major step up from cheap 720p generic webcams and a smaller step down from the professional class cams from Logitech and Poly.
What is it like?
Now that you know its place in the market, you should know what to expect. In short better, crisper, images and voice.
It certainly has a bright picture and loud and clear sound. In comparisons with the Logitech Brio (4K@30fps), Logitech Stream (2.1MP 1080p@60fps), Surface Pro 7 (3.7MP 2560 x 1440@30fps) and the Creative Live (2.1MP 1080p@30fps), it produced quite an acceptable image – perhaps a little overblown and not entirely accurate colours.
Logitech Brio 4K@30 
Logitech Stream 1080p@60 
Creative Live 1080p@30
Sound-wise, callers found the Logitech Brio the best, followed by the Stream, Creative Life and the Surface Pro 7.
So, it is in well-respected company for a lower price.
The App
All necessary ‘auto’ app settings are on the device, out-of-the-box. We played with sound settings and found that the two most useful were
- Mic Mute Delay to automatically unmute the mic – suitable for smaller video conference meetings
- Noise clean-out is perfect for removing background noise like an air conditioner
Surprisingly there were no video settings. I hope Creative takes note – Logitech’s ability to change gamma, white balance, depth of field, ‘beautification filters’, and more are useful. But hey – what can you expect from this value device.
GadgetGuy’ take
Just lining up four webcams to review this gave me a better idea of just how bad a generic camera is.
The Creative Live Cam Sync 1080p V2 has a bright, clear picture and quality voice mic. An excellent choice for the price
Rating
This is not the best, but it’s a very long way from the worst. At the price, it’s a ripper. The Poly Studio P5 is a worthy contender, but at $200, you would need to do a lot of video conferences. Given 8/10 is a creditable pass we add extra points for value.
