INS-3 Handheld Webcam/USB Document Camera for Classroom, Built-in Mic, Light, Auto Focus, Windows, Mac OS, iPad OS, Chromebook for Close-up Demo, Distance Learning, Web Conferencing, IWBs

Wonderful! Great quality camera, very clear and just awesome value for the price, and the computer software has so many options! You can take pics or videos and freeze the screen. I think you can also draw with it. Please know I’ve only used it for a day, but my best friend (also a teacher like me) has had it for about 3-4 years and she loves it! I got mine because of her recommendation. And it’s such a great size, super portable and lightweight. It’s not clunky at all. I was worried about how much space it would take on my desk, but it’s so perfect! Really great value! I still can’t believe it’s only $80. So worth it. If you’re on the fence like I was, get this one. I don’t believe you need to spend so much for other ones when one like this is available.

I'm flummoxed and surprised!Given the price point for this camera, I wasn't really expecting much. My old flatbed scanner was being recalcitrant and didn't want to reinstall when I reinstalled Win10. After many muttered profanities I realized the old scanner WAS old, and didn't have current drivers. Also having a really cheap webcam I decided a multi-use item was what I wanted.I was rather pleasantly surprised by so many things upon receipt of this newfangled gadget:- limited but sufficient packaging so not much of an environmental impact, but enough to protect it during shipping;- small set-up guide in an age where they're even leaving these out to save money;- sturdy base and design (not industrial-grade, but it feels like it'll hold together for a long while);- no media in the package, rather go and get the latest version from their website (which makes sense), and this turned out to be a quick and easy installation (no muss, no fuss);- a surprising amount of well-done documentation on the website, AND it is easy to find;- the software that comes with it only takes a few minutes to master, but if you DO run into a roadblock there are straightforward videos to help you out.I've only used it for about 15 minutes but I already feel like it will do everything I wanted and possibly more. It even does the document scanning I need it to - easy and with decent quality.Now if I can just find the setting that will help ME look better ON camera...---=== ADDENDUM ===---Okay, so it's a couple days later. Right after posting the initial review I found a few documents on my desk I had to 'scan' in. It was as easy as my out-of-box practice, and I'm still surprised at how clear the document comes out. While it isn't quite as seamless as a flat bed scanner, it's better than I expected (it takes longer to set up, and you may want to crop borders, etc.). Still, I'm quite happy with it when used to scan documents.Yesterday I had an all-day virtual exercise to participate in and I used this camera and microphone instead of my usual setup. It performed beautifully.My old microphone is bigger than this whole unit but wasn't necessary as I was told I came through just fine with the pin-hole microphone on this little camera unit.At first, I wasn't pleased with the camera resolution, then I remembered I'm in a dark basement - so with the addition of a single light with a non-glare bulb and that was taken care of.Again, all-in-all I'm still quite pleased with this little camera. I'm even more delighted with the amount of desk space I get back after removing that big old flatbed scanner!

Very easy to use, even for people who are not computer savvy. Light is great, clarity and focus is good. Worth the price.

Works great in my classroom. Easy to install. I love that I can record with it for those virtual learning days

2025-02-27: I set up the camera. However, the image is blurry. And the Auto Focus button has no effect. Amazon is sending a replacement. I'll update this review when I receive the replacement.2025-03-02: Amazon send a replacement, however, I didn't need it. I'll sent it back unopened. I'm using Zoom (6.3.6) on Windows 11. Under Video settings, I had "Portrait lighting" turned on. Once I turned that off, the INS-2 worked very well. Also, by using the included application Documate, I got a lot of control over the INS-2 including zooming and many other features. Also, rather than using the INS-2 a video source in Zoom, I can share my Documate screen to show the image from the INS-2 leaving my regular webcam to show me. So now I'm very pleased with the performance of the INS-2.

I needed an inexpensive document camera for a lecture and this little unit is perfect. The software operating system download from the internet was quick and easy. I used my Mac laptop and I had no problems at all. I also downloaded the full instructions which are very complete and easy to understand. I was worried that the flex arm for the camera would be wobbly, but it has tightening adjustments and is very solid and stable. The camera controls are on the camera itself and work well. I am very happy with the camera's design and functionality.

I use this for teaching my classes when I'm using worksheets. My students appreciate the clarity, I enjoy being able to make adjustments for wiewing. I even use it when I need to show my sewing maching up front and close. Good price for this product.

The first time I plugged into the USB on my computer, it worked intermittently, but the picture kept freezing up. After I got through the day with all of my classes, with it working still intermittently, it just never turned on again. I rebooted the computer and plugged it into every USB port, tested other USB devices into the ports to ensure the ports weren't the problem. I guess I'm just out the money on this one. Very disappointing.