Review: AMcap V9.11 & MS Lifecam 1.1

AMcap is a very basic piece of software for viewing your webcam. The latest version is V9.11, and I heard it was good, so I gave it a try. (it is shareware, and has a 15 minute or 3-photo limit PER SESSION, so just link 2 long videos together for a show)
The primary reason for me downloading AMcap is because I have a Microsoft Lifecam VX-3000, and the Lifecam 1.1 software that comes with it has terrible compression. AMcap captures video absolutely uncompressed, so if you don't have a big hard disk, I suggest you delete unwanted videos regularly.

The newer version is very differerent from the ones I have heard about. For starters, the newer AMcap supports still photo capture in BMP and JPG format. The AMcap photos are about the same the Lifecam pic, but the compression in the AMcap pics is incredible. The AMcap pic was only 24 KB, compared to 120 KB from the Microsoft Lifecam software, and still the same quality. So there's the difference in the pics, but what about the movies?

The video quality in Lifecam 1.1 is actually just about acceptable, as the video is quite clear. The audio, however, is abysmal. It records at 8KB/S (that's bad) and sounds dreadful. You might as well try recording your voice in your printer.
AMcap, however, is not much short of miraculous. The video is absolutely flawless. The frames are averaged & you even get a HUD of the stats of your movies. And the audio, oh, the audio! Recording at whatever you want it to, it is crystal-clear. One little problem is that AMcap "drops" around 100 frames at the beginning. However, I usually edit it, so it's not that much of a problem.

In short, Lifecam 1.1 software may have more features, like Video Effects & Face Tracking (not accessible by AMcap), but the quality is terrible. So for general movie making, AMcap is the way to go!!!
AMcap is awarded a well-deserved Out of 10!                                                   A bit vague, but HELL is it good!
On the other hand, Microsoft Lifecam 1.1 is awarded a measly Out of 10!:           I've seen better dustbins for recording video.
AMcap was downloaded from: http://noeld.com/programs.asp?cat=video
MS Lifecam software came with my webcam.