Logitech Webcams - which one: Fusion vs Communicate STX?

[PC Hobbyist]

Which one of the two would everyone here recommend?

Logitech Quickcam Fusion or Quickcam Communicate STX?

Or would you recommend a different one all together?

I have been reading reviews and it definitely seems that Logitech is the way to go. Between the two above, I don't really care about the extras in terms of video effects, or pan, tilt etc. I am also not going to use it to take still images, so the photo-taking resolution is not important to me.

What is important is the video resolution and quality. I plan to use it for video conference/chatting. The following features are important to me.

1. VGA resolution for video capturing
2. nice, fine, smooth video quality
3. built-in mic
4. if possible - auto focus (but I don't need the face-tracking feature)
5. USB 2.0
6. 30 fps (although I know the messaging software might only be able to handle true 15 fps)

So, as far as I can tell, both of my candidates above meet my requirements. However, Fusion costs twice as much as Communicate STX.
If you look at my list above, is it justified to spend twice as much for what I will use it for?

I guess the main question is - if two cameras offer a VGA video capturing resolution, can one of them still provide a better and finer video quality in the end? My assumption is "no", but I can't say I am 100-percent sure.

Thanks for your help.

*** UPDATE with new question ***

I have been reading more reviews and comments online and it seems that a lot of people have major blue-screen-of-death crashes when installing the drivers for many logitech cams. A lot of reviews say "cam is great but software and drivers are very unstable". Problems are common with the audio / echo cancellation drivers and a couple of others. Some people ended up losing the mic capability all together because of constant crashes. I checked logitech forums and there are known issues of instability, but even after months of knowing this, logitech has not come up with a solution.

So, I was wondering if I should look into the Microsoft webcams (either MS Life-Cam VX-6000 or VX-3000). I would think the compatibility would be better there, but who knows.

What are everyone's thoughts on this?

 

[The Astroman]

IMHO, Logitech has built itself a solid reputation. I do not believe you can stereotype Logi's cams with those BSODs. I have a Logitech cam, never had a problem. It's always what I reccomend to ppl, because of build quality and ease of use.

Hope whatever you get will suite you.

 

[DCIScouts]

I believe that a lot of the difference in price between the two is that the Fusion comes in a much smaller package or case. As for the crashing issue, the Logitech cams are the best, but if you would feel more satisfied with a MS, then I would direct you down that path...