Opal Tadpole – A Webcam for Laptops

Re:Opal Tadpole – A Webcam for Laptops by heeton on Tuesday November 14, 2023 @11:55AM (#38265922)

I could never recommend this. I own a C1 and it's completely ruined by terrible software. On MacOS (various versions, on M1 and now M3), it stops randomly, needs regular reconnecting. I'm on an old version of the app because the new version doesn't even work at all (hard freeze after an hour).

Countless examples from forums and elsewhere of the same issues.

Shame, because the hardware is cool.

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Re:Opal Tadpole – A Webcam for Laptops by dochtman on Tuesday November 14, 2023 @12:11PM (#38266163)

I got a C1 too and apart from the crap software it also seemed like the camera isn’t actually (significantly) better than the MacBook Pro (M1) camera anyway.

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Re:Opal Tadpole – A Webcam for Laptops by wilsonnb3 on Tuesday November 14, 2023 @12:23PM (#38266355)

For what it’s worth, the Verge reviewer said that the software isn’t required, it is just a normal plug and play webcam with a much better user experience than the C1.

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Re:Opal Tadpole – A Webcam for Laptops by solardev on Tuesday November 14, 2023 @12:05PM (#38266078)

Thanks for sharing this! This is exactly what I was afraid of -- that this might be a company focused on the "shiny" and not the polish. The website was a big red flag for me, but most reviews don't get into the nitty-gritty of stuff like that.

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Re:Opal Tadpole – A Webcam for Laptops by needadvicebadly on Tuesday November 14, 2023 @12:11PM (#38266175)

Echoing this. A bit miffed they've invested in an entirely new product without fixing the software issues of the C1.

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Re:Opal Tadpole – A Webcam for Laptops by rexxars on Tuesday November 14, 2023 @02:32PM (#38268358)

I own the C1, and while I’m no big fan of the software - the quality is significantly better and makes it worth it in my opinion. I have occasional connection issues when I plug it in, but it usually settles after a few seconds.

Most importantly, the new camera does not need any software - it’s just a high quality webcam.

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Re:Opal Tadpole – A Webcam for Laptops by wilg on Wednesday November 15, 2023 @04:10AM (#38274749)

And it doesn't even work with FaceTime! Unless you close the software and use it as a regular webcam. It also has very breathy focus. I don't recommend it. I in fact tried to return this one but they just refunded me and said keep it.

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