WolfVision VZ-3 review

Matthew Reames Read more March 8, 2012

£2394

Price when reviewed

For ease of set-up, it would be difficult to improve on the WolfVision VZ-3: just plug in the leads and unfold the camera arm. The camera and LED lamp are already in the optimal position for imaging anything on the dry-wipe working surface and no additional adjustments are necessary. The unit’s stable base and sturdy construction mean that the images will be shake-free, even when using the surface for writing or other demonstrations.

The controls on the VZ-3 are simple and straightforward, with just a wheel to control the zoom and five clearly-labelled buttons. Zooming can be done at several different speeds and the auto-focus and automatic contrast are highly responsive. The 12x optical zoom also means that tiny details are clear and sharp. Point the lens at the edge of a £1 coin and the image is clear enough to count every ridge. An additional 2x digital zoom enhances details even further.

WolfVision VZ-3

Not only are still images bright and noise-free, but motion is smooth and natural with no perceptible lag. With no distracting jerkiness to any movements, demonstrations or experiments can be viewed more accurately. The maximum viewing area is enough for nearly a whole sheet of A3, with only the margins cut off. There is, however, slight distortion at the edges when you push the field of view to its widest point: the parallel lines on squared paper were no longer quite parallel but curved slightly outwards.

The downloadable software provides several additional functions, including the ability to annotate images, to overlay other images or text, and to stream images online. High-quality still and video capture is also possible, though at the highest-quality setting the file size may quickly overwhelm many computers.

A single 20-second video clip was a huge 1.3GB, and while the quality is excellent the file was nearly too large to play back on the test computer. You’ll notice a slight lag in the live video when viewed on a computer but this is not noticeable when the saved video is played back.

Overall, the VZ-3 offers outstanding still and video imaging. Its clear, noise-free images and strong optical zoom make it the best choice if you want to capture even the tiniest details. The only major downsides are that lack of stand-alone recording of still images or video, and the price. At nearly £2,000, the VZ-3 goes beyond what many schools could consider.