Defender universal webcam driver. Defender webcams - prices

Defender webcams are reliable optical devices that connect to a computer or laptop. The brand's devices are versatile and easy to use. In the model range of this brand there are many devices suitable both for video communication and for shooting videos in high resolution.

Among Defender webcams, you can find devices for every need. To organize video communication with friends and relatives, an easy-to-install budget model with minimal functionality is suitable. Devices of such a plan do not need to install drivers and start working immediately after connecting to a PC.

Top-end devices will come in handy for vlogging or conferences where high definition of the transmitted sound and image is required. Often, complete with such cameras, it supplies serious software that allows you to adjust the brightness, contrast, size of the picture, impose various special effects and frames on it.

In most cases, Defender webcams are connected to a computer or laptop via a USB cable. The interface provides signal transmission at a sufficiently high speed, which has a positive effect on the quality of video communication. Also in the lineup of the presented brand there are also wireless models that support a connection with a PC via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

Before starting to study the hero of today's review, one should ask the question: how does an action camera differ from a regular one? Firstly, it is tiny and can work autonomously for a long time. Secondly, such a camera has shockproof properties, and the possibility of its operation under water is also welcomed. Finally, a modern action camera must be capable of broad communication capabilities: wireless control with simultaneous video streaming. Looking ahead, we note: Defender Multicam WF-10HD fully meets all points, with the exception of those related to physical security. However, instead of this missing item, which is required only for a limited number of users, the Defender Multicam WF-10HD has other capabilities that are unattainable for action cameras.

Design, technical characteristics

The set of the camera resembles the assortment usually attached to good action cameras. A rather rich set of accessories fit in a small cardboard box:

• camera Defender Multicam WF-10HD
• USB → Micro-USB cable
• power adapter
• suction mount
• clip-on mount
• mount with magnets
• strap mount
• two tripod mounts
• camera stand
• strap

It is a pity that there is no box for underwater shooting - it makes sense for the manufacturer to think about the release of such an add-on.

The camera body is made of glossy plastic. The dimensions of the case are comparable to those of a matchbox: a square brick with sides of 48 mm and a thickness of only 15 mm. On the front side of the brick there is a lens framed with a metal insert, it is covered with a protective glass. At the top of the metal ring there is a red-green-orange indicator that signals the current mode of camera operation (this indicator does not turn off, which can interfere, for example, when shooting through dusty car glass at night). Slightly above the lens is a monaural microphone hole, and under it there are several similar holes, under which the speaker is hidden. Yes, yes, there is also a loudspeaker here! More precisely, a loudspeaker, if we take into account its volume. Nevertheless, in the absence of strong noise, it is quite possible to transmit a couple of phrases over the Wi-Fi connection to the person you are monitoring.

The upper part of the case is decorated with a single button, a short press on which starts and stops normal recording, and a long press activates a loop recording.

At one end of the camera there is a slot for a microSD memory card and a micro-USB port. This port serves both for charging the battery built into the camera and for connecting to a PC. In the lower corner of the case there is an eyelet for attaching a strap.

On the other side of the camera there are two control buttons: power on / off, and a button for switching operation modes (video recording, photo recording, access point mode, and broadcasting to the cloud with connection to an existing access point).

There are four LED indicators on the back of the camera body. Each of them has three colors: green, orange and red. Each color and glow mode corresponds to a particular state of the camera. So, if the video camera icon is blinking orange, it means that the video is being recorded in a cyclic mode (auto-recorder mode). The Wi-Fi icon is solid green - the radio created by the camera is waiting to establish a connection with it. If the same icon blinked, it means that some mobile device is connected to the camera. All indicators alternately blink red - the battery is charging. Etc. The accompanying user manual contains a fairly detailed table describing all the display modes - it should be thoroughly studied before using the camera.

At the bottom of the case there is a slot where the supplied T-shaped mounts can be inserted. Inside this slot there is a metal catch-latch that securely holds the inserted accessory and prevents it from slipping out of the slot. It takes a lot of force to detach any attachment.

Examples of attaching some accessories can be seen in the following photos:

Due to the presence of a mount for a tripod thread in the kit, the camera can be fixed either on a tripod or using the supplied accessories: a suction cup on glass or a varnished surface, or screws / screws on any other surface, and so on.

The main technical characteristics of the camcorder are shown in the following table:

This and other information can be found at.

Video / photography

The camera in question lacks a stabilization system. There is neither optical (which goes without saying), nor electronic (but this is in vain). The camera uses a sensor that has one million pixels; it is not fast enough to have time to remove information from all lines without the appearance of a rolling shutter effect. Checking this statement is not difficult with a toy car.

The video clearly shows not only the bevel of the vertical lines, which is the most common sign of a rolling shutter, but also the effect of a "jelly" picture that cannot be corrected.

The electronic zoom available in the camera brings you closer, however, such an approach does not add quality, and we traditionally will not consider this method of zooming.

The camera can shoot in one mode - 1280 × 720 with a frequency of 29.97 progressive frames per second. There are no settings that change the size, frame rate or bitrate of the video in the control application (the software will be discussed in a separate chapter). The only parameter that (in theory) should change the video format is the choice of the television standard for shooting, 50 and 60 Hertz. However, changing these settings does not lead to visible changes in the recorded video - both in the first and second cases, the video has an NTSC frequency of 29.97 frames per second. A typical street scene filming can be seen below. These two videos were filmed with different TV standards, if you believe the readings of the control program - 50 and 60 Hertz (but, we repeat, in terms of software and technical terms, these videos are the same).

In the dark, our hero of the review becomes helpless - the camera is seriously lacking in sensitivity and / or powerful software amplification. Which, even if it usually spoils the picture with colored noise, but allows at least something to be seen in a dimly lit frame. The next video was filmed on a summer evening in the central part of Russia. At this time, it is still quite light, but our camera is able to "fix" only nearby objects illuminated by a searchlight, and the sunset horizon.

To view the video in a larger size, press the button "Original size"

When recording, the camera splits the generated video into files with a volume of 3.4 GB in normal mode and into files with a duration of 3 minutes in video recorder mode (cyclic). No gaps (pauses) were found at the break points. This is a pretty significant point, and we mentioned it so that the potential owner of the camera does not worry about possible gaps between the videos. After all, it's a shame to miss any incident that happened exactly at the moment when the camera formed one video and is preparing to record the next one. Fortunately, the camera in question successfully fulfills the functions of a recorder, without missing a second of recording. And the available permission is quite enough for fixing car numbers.

The camera behaves just as confidently when installed on any other vehicle. For example, by bike. Fortunately, the vibration here is not as strong as when riding a toy car. Accordingly, the rolling shutter is much less annoying.

To view the video in a larger size, press the button "Original size"

And yet, what is the real resolution of the camera in question? Does it really correspond to the miniature form factor of the device and is comparable to the resolution of a conventional webcam? Fortunately, this is not the case. The resolution here is quite comparable to the frame size in pixels. Hence we can conclude that the megapixel matrix in the camera is used honestly, "to the fullest."

The camera's photographic skills are limited to the same frame resolution as in video recording: 1280 × 720, and there is no difference in quality.

Software

When the camera is connected to a computer via USB, it is seen by the operating system as a regular webcam. Actually, it behaves like that same ordinary webcam, working flawlessly in any appropriate application and giving out standard (alas) 640x480 pixels for a budget webcam.

The camera does not have a service menu, since it has neither a screen nor a video output. All control is carried out by a mobile device - smartphone, tablet - using the appropriate application (there are versions for both Android and iOS).

In order to be able to control the device and get a live picture from it, you need to activate the access point built into the camera. This is done by simply turning on the power of the camera, after which it independently turns on its Wi-Fi point for 10-20 seconds. By default, the factory settings do not provide for a password in the camera's access point, therefore, it is advisable to set this password yourself the first time you connect.

The application can work in two modes - portrait, with a full set of control buttons (flip the picture, enable audio feedback, start / stop recording, etc.), and in landscape, in which the picture from the camera is always expanded to full screen.

Viewing the recorded material, both photo and video, can be carried out directly with a mobile device, without leaving the control program, in the Album tab. Existing photos and videos are displayed in thumbnails; any material can not only be viewed, but also loaded directly into the memory of your phone or tablet.

A characteristic feature of the camera: if, while watching live video, the stream from the camera to the mobile device is broadcast in degraded quality, then the already recorded video is viewed in full resolution - the one that the original video has. This can be seen both in the quality of the next screenshot and in the current data transfer rate indicated in the smartphone's notification line.

To conclude the story about the access point created by the camera, we add that the power of its transmitter is sufficient for communication at a distance of up to 30 meters in the absence of obstacles and other Wi-Fi networks. However, the obstacles do not interfere very much. So, in a relatively large apartment with reinforced concrete walls, the power of the transmitter allows you to confidently keep the phone in contact with the camera even at the maximum possible distance within the apartment (about 15 meters along a "curve" around walls and corners).

As already mentioned, the device is also a surveillance camera with the ability to stream a video stream to a remote server. At the same time, she does not need a working PC, as is the case with conventional webcams. All you need is a Wi-Fi router with Internet access, and food. First of all, you should teach the camera to connect to this router - the desired access point is selected in the settings, as well as enter the login and password of the account that you previously created on the Ustream web service. Now, to activate the surveillance camera mode, you don't even need a phone or tablet: just press the Mode button on the body of the device to switch to cloud mode, and the broadcast will start. Video latency when streaming on Ustream is 10-30 seconds.

The only drawback here is the lack of a motion detector. The camera simply broadcasts everything that it "sees", indiscriminately and without analysis. Well, plus - this is the ability to connect to Ustream from anywhere in the world, including from a mobile phone, and see what is happening in the field of view of the camera.

conclusions

So what class of devices should the considered gadget belong to? Sports camera? Not suitable, since there is no protection against adverse conditions (although it is not required in every case). Surveillance camera or webcam? Also by - these are usually stationary devices without a battery. While our camera has a decent battery life. Most likely, we are dealing with a certain concept, a universal camera, calculated nearly for all occasions. It is not difficult to list them.

• Normal day-to-day video / photography that does not involve bumps, drops and water? No questions asked: just attach the camera with a charged battery to a lapel, tripod or any suitable surface and start recording or broadcasting.
• Video recording in the car? The WF-10HD is able to help here too: it can operate from an external power source, has the function of image rotation and loop video recording.
• Home (and not so home) video surveillance? With pleasure. For this, the camera even has the ability to broadcast to the cloud Internet service without the participation of a PC.
• Well, we will not even consider the ordinary function of a webcam - it is as rare for ordinary video cameras as it is banal, but necessary in everyday life.

RUB 699

Webcam Defender C-110 Black (black)

With a quick photo button. With mount on the monitor. The microphone is built-in. Windows compatible. Lens viewing angle 54 degrees. The number of megapixels of the matrix is ​​0.3 Mp. Connection - USB 2.0. Digital Zoom 10 x. Type - webcam. 640x480 video resolution. Backlit. With manual focus. Horizontal rotation angle 360 ​​degrees. Weight: 50 g.