REVIEW: iPevo's P2V: the $80 document camera

How we first met...

I first saw the iPevo document camera at an Apple Professional Development Consultant training session, where my colleague (@slouca11) and I were preparing to deliver a quick iPad demo in a conference room about the size of a classroom.  We asked if there was a document camera handy, and were told we could use the one at the front of the room.  Not seeing one, I actually checked under the table before we asked again, bewildered, where the document camera was.  "Right there," was the response. I still didn't see it...


Setting the stage

At my school board, the first document camera available was the Elmo (http://www.elmousa.com/), followed shortly by the SMART document camera, (http://smarttech.com/)  which is a raging success with teachers, myself included.  I credit this to the fact that the SMART doc cam integrates so seamlessly with their great Notebook software.  I mention this because it is the basis of my comparison when talking about the P2V.


Unboxing & Setup 

The iPevo arrived in a very modest box, just as described on their website.  Inside was everything needed:  Articulated stand, the camera, and an attachment for use as a webcam.  A disk and quick setup manual were also included.
Installation was done on an older MacBookPro running Snow Leopard.  After inserting the disk and clicking the icon, installation took approximately 2 seconds.  No joke, it was done.  Easiest install I think I've ever done, even for a Mac.  Already in a state of near disbelief, I started the program and plugged in the camera.

Instantly the live view appeared on screen, within the P2V program (which has a very cute icon).  There's not much more to tell than that:
From opening the box to getting an image on the screen was less than a minute!






First Impressions

The camera is indeed very small and light.  I'm not going to make this an overly technical review, but it definitely feels more like a webcam than the document cameras I'm accustomed to.  Like a webcam, the only cable is USB, with no power cable required.  Also like a webcam, the actual lens is tiny, which I assumed would mean a terrible image quality.  Well, I was impressed.  Below are some photos of the setup as I took some samples with the camera itself.  Sure, it's not 1080p, but it's absolutely good enough for any classroom use.


Using the camera

The small form factor of the camera itself actually fits quite comfortably in the hand, and feels kinda like holding a marker.
The weighted, articulated stand is a clever design:  between the hinged elements and rotating attachment points, the camera can be rotated into just about any angle.  You might expect the stand to be flimsy and unstable, but there's enough weight in the base and tightness in the joints to hold the camera completely still, yet allow for very easy adjustments in angle.  The camera pops on and off the attachment points just as easily as it should, yet presses on just as firmly as it needs to be.  If over time and use these become worn and loose, I can see it being problematic to hold the camera in one position.  I'll certainly let you know if that becomes the case.
Button placement seems ideally suited for capturing images while holding it like a pen, but it's difficult to hit the capture button without causing some shake/vibration to the image, whether handheld or on the stand.  I found hitting the Enter key a much easier way of capturing images.
The autofocus button on the camera is smaller and used much more often than the equivalent on the SMART or Elmo models.  This shouldn't be too surprising, since the more "stationary" document cameras wouldn't typically be changing the distance between the lens and subject very often; in sharp contrast, with the camera in hand I found it difficult not to be constantly pointing it to various objects in the room, near and far.  Even so, the focusing was slow, but not noticeably slower than on the other models.  Motion blur/slow frame rate were just as visible as on the others as well.
I was impressed with the clarity of the image at the closest limit of focus (approx. 2cm), although it does seem to "focus hunt" more than the other models, even when stationary.  As if in response to this very issue, the only other switch is a slider which changes the focus mode from "continuous" to "single" mode, which eliminates the "hunting" issue.

I've included the actual captured images at their full size at the end of this post for your own evaluation.


Using the software

The software is, as I said, ridiculously easy to install.
Once installed, there are 3 main options:  Live view, View images, and Fullscreen live view.  Mac users will be reminded of Photobooth in the View mode, with thumbnails across the bottom.  (Yes, I suppose it's also somewhat like the Filmstrip view in Windows, but not so much).  I was hoping to be able to drag the image or thumbnails directly into other applications (a la Photobooth), but this is not so.  By default, a folder is created in your Pictures folder, but this is easily changed in the options to, say, a desktop folder.
At first I was unsure as to why a Fullscreen view was necessary, but that became clear when I realized that the window in Live view mode is not scalable to full screen size.  Fullscreen has the added benefit of removing all icons and menus from view for the "best possible" viewing experience, and reverts back to Live view with the Escape key, as expected.

Although the camera doesn't have the very impressive zoom of the others, there is a graduated zoom feature in the View mode, which goes from 100% to 300%.  Additional software controls for the camera include slider adjustments to things like contrast, sharpness and saturation.  Although these would likely be left untweaked by the majority of users, a little experimentation can easily yield some very creative captures for a variety of dramatic or artistic lesson ideas.  A very handy exposure adjustment option gives users the option of brightening dark images at the point of capture, and is very effective.  Also, resolution can be adjusted from 320x240 all the way up to 1600x1200, and the live image can be flipped either horizontally or vertically.  A cute self-timer feature rounds out the software capabilities.

A nice little feature is an audio "chirp" that indicates focus is locked in, that many users will recognize from their digital cameras.  There's also a very satisfying simulated camera shutter sound when images are captured, again very much like many digital cameras.  Both of these sounds can be independently turned on or off in the menu as well.


Compatibility

Not surprisingly, applications like Photobooth and iMovie do not have any camera access while the P2V software is running.  Once closed, however, both of those other programs offer a pulldown menu to choose which camera you'd like to use: built-in iSight, or P2V.  This is a very nice option for Mac users who have traditionally relied on their built-in iSight cameras, which offer very limited viewing angles.  Especially if coupled with a USB extension cable, this camera becomes a game-changer for students capturing directly to iMovie:  No longer do they have to walk around with open laptops, the camera operator awkwardly peering around the corner of the screen to view what's being captured while trying to stay out of the frame.  In my brief trial, both Photobooth and iMovie were able to switch between the two cameras seamlessly.


Accessories

The optional case is indeed an elegant way to carry around the P2V.  About the size of a street-vendor hot dog, everything fits perfectly into the case and is even held in place by elasticized velcro.  Unless you've already seen one, you're more likely to think it's a slightly more bulky eyeglass case than a document camera. The $30 price is a bit surprising for the case, considering the price of the camera.

The camera does come with a little accessory that will attach to the top of an LCD screen.  This little clip is very functional, with a spring-loaded lip to allow for varying screen thicknesses.  I would have liked it to be a slightly stronger spring in the clip; adjusting the camera angle was difficult without also inadvertently adjusting the clip placement.

If I had a wish, it would be for a standard tripod thread mount built into the camera body, just to add the option of a rock-solid platform for things like stop-motion animation or time-lapse projects.  A simple re-moulding of the outer plastic case would do it, no changes to the electronics needed.  I've also asked the company about the possibility of this feature, and will let you know should I receive a response.


Comparison Summary

The first point that many will notice, and for some the only point that matters, is the price difference.  At over $800 for the SMART document camera, a 10-1 bang-for-buck factor will be difficult for schools to ignore.

The P2V does require a computer running it's software, whereas both the Elmo and SMART doc camera have the ability to connect directly to a projector with both VGA or composite cables, no computer required.

The small size of the P2V makes it ideal to throw into a laptop bag or even a shirt pocket, and bring to presentations. For those of us doing demos of iPods and iPads, it seems to be one of those "perfect things"as it gives you the ability to show a complete workflow of either device, without relying on one special video cable as well as any apps' compatibility with video out.  Removing it from the stand gets me thinking about poking it into different parts of science experiments, or using it as a "field" camera with a laptop on a stage, in a gym or outdoors.  These types of uses are more or less impossible with the larger ones.

Features are severely limited, compared to the desktop models.  The absence of a microscope mode alone, for example, might prove a deal-breaker for some science teachers.  I'm not sure how often other features like the additional zoom capabilities, "negative/reverse" view, etc... are used by most teachers, but these are all absent from the P2V camera and software, as is the small light.  If the subject is dark, some other external light source would be needed, although there is a "brightness" slider in the software.  Of course there's no current support for advanced features like augmented reality, 3D or OCR, as in the case of SMART.  I did, however, upgrade my rating from 2 to 3 when I considered the small form factor an excellent feature.

In the case of the SMART document camera in particular, there is an additional workflow step to bring captured images into a program such as Notebook:  Teachers would have to capture images then drag/import them before use in Notebook, as opposed to capturing and instantly using the images.  I mention this specifically because Notebook is part of our board's standard elementary image.
That being said, I've contacted iPevo and asked them if they have any intention of adding, say, some basic markup features to their software.  I'll certainly post an update should I receive a response.

Image quality, although good, is of lower quality in low light than the larger-lensed competitors.  There's no way around this: Larger lens= more light getting in = better image, although the exposure compensation feature does a better job than I expected at making darker images brighter.


Conclusions

A somewhat expensive webcam, but an incredibly priced document camera.

This thing does 95% of what 95% of teachers in my experience use document cameras for.  As much as I love the SMART document camera (and I really do love it), I'd happily give 10 teachers this device rather than tell 9 teachers they'll have to share.
Certainly every school should have one or two of the bigger, more capable models available, but I'd trade off any more than that for greater quantities of this featherweight contender.


Recommendation: 
"Strong Buy"

Ratings:
Ease of use: 5/5
Features: 3/5
Build quality: 3/5

Value: 5/5 

Technical knowledge required: Low
Price:  $69.00 USD plus shipping

People who should have this:  Teachers of any grade, any subject, from Pre-K to Post-Doctoral.


Availability
Web-order only  http://www.ipevo.com/p2v
Canadian customers: http://www.merconnet.com/product_info.php?products_id=870

Please let me know what you think of this review... it's my first.
A special thanks to @cgu92 for ordering, pickup and delivery of my test unit.

I love my job.

(full-size sample images below
*NB: these images were captured at the default resolution of 1280x1024; higher resolution is also available through the menu)

Actual image captured with the setup pictured above.

Actual image captured from the setup pictured above.

Actual image captured from the setup pictured above.