14 DAY TRIAL // The first Mac-compatible webcam with premium autofocus technology and Carl Zeiss optics for Mac has been having issues on some systems, according to a report over at TUAW. Those issues have apparently been resolved by the Mac OS X 10.5.7 software update. The report in question bashes Apple for not documenting this, and other possible fixes 10.5.7 may be hiding.
Last year, Logitech aimed to deliver “image-perfect detail and clarity” with its QuickCam Vision Pro webcam for Mac. The iSight substitute combines Logitech’s premium autofocus technology with Carl Zeiss optics, and uses a voice coil motor for its autofocus system, instead of a stepper motor. The focus is fast, fluid and crisp, even in extreme close-ups only 10 cm from the camera lens, according to Logitech.
However, in some situations, “as some other users have seen, [the cam's] internal aperture adjustment sometimes goes haywire, and you have to unplug it, and re-plug it in again to get a picture that is not really, really dark,” Mel Martin writes over at The Unofficial Apple Weblog. “It's kind of plug and play, then unplug or don't play. Then plug it in again,” he stresses.
According to the report, many other QuickCam Vision Pro users have experienced the issue, with Logitech noting the behavior as a “feature,” rather than as an issue. With all hope for a fix lost, “The OS X 10.5.7 update did fix it,” Mel reveals. He speculates that there may have been a bug in the way the Mac handled USB webcams, as the camera now comes up perfectly every time, he says. While he admits he couldn't be happier about the fix, Mel can't help despising the way Apple never discloses the full / the important contents of a software update.
Softpedia note
OS X 10.5.7 has evidently been the “cause” of the fix in this case, but Apple may not have targeted any webcam issues in particular (perhaps just USB issues, period). Thus, the company wasn't really obliged to disclose something that may have ultimately caused more confusion. We're not saying this must be the reason Apple failed to document this fix (the Mac maker is known for its secretive nature), but it's a possibility.
Has the latest update to Leopard fixed anything for you that Apple's 10.5.7 support document does not list?