Buying a webcam, need advice

[Cibo]

Ok, I decided I'm gonna buy a webcam...but I have no idea which ones are the good ones or not.

Sound doesn't matter, but wouldn't hurt.

Would rather not spend a whole lot on it because money is tight with me right now.

So anyone have any idea's on which ones I should look at or have any pointers or advice or something? Thanks

 

[littlekateyes]

I don't know anything about webcams, but I thought I would *bump* this so maybe others would see it.

 

[horny_giraffe]

Sure. Do a keyword search on Google or another search engine for "digital camera" and "review" for starters.

I can tell you right now that although you can purchase a webcam for less than $100, the quality is very bad. There is only so much that you can do to fix a picture in Paint Shop Pro or whatever it is that you use to fix your pictures. It's not so much that the picture is blurry, it just that the pictures will only be recognizable under ideal lighting conditions and even then may appear washed out and/or oversaturated, along with the poor resolution. You need to be willing to do some extra work to set up extra lighting and be okay with a picture that looks like an extremely bad polaroid shot. A webcam of this caliber will not be of adaquate quality to display a product on ebay, for example.

For pictures comparable to a cheap disposable conventional camera, you will need to spend around $300. Still, you never know--you could get a deal, somewhere. If you know exactly what you are looking for, from looking at reviews and doing your research, you might be able to get an okay quality used digital camera with some dings and scratches for somewhere between a hundred and three hundred dollars.

For the best still pictures with a minimum of money, the best way to go is definitely to use conventional film and purchase a scanner.

 

[Cibo]

Thanks for the bump LKE.

And I'm looking for a webcam, I already have a digicam.

 

[littlekateyes]

Your welcome, have you tried looking in best buys?

 

[Guest]

Cibo

 

[horny_giraffe]

Thanks for the bump LKE.

And I'm looking for a webcam, I already have a digicam.

Can't you just hook up your digital camera to your USB port and use it for a webcam? I'm sure the resolution would be superior to most ordinary webcams if it's a decent digital camera. Or is it an older digital camera without webcam capability?

 

[Cibo]

Can't you just hook up your digital camera to your USB port and use it for a webcam? I'm sure the resolution would be superior to most ordinary webcams if it's a decent digital camera. Or is it an older digital camera without webcam capability?

That's besides the point...I want a webcam, I don't want to use my digicam at all.

 

[Cibo]

Your welcome, have you tried looking in best buys?

I haven't tried looking anywhere yet.

Wanted to see what everyone here thought of their's or one's they've used before...

 

[Cibo]

Re: Cibo

Hi!

Heya

Got any suggestions?

 

[Draco]

I have a Crystal Digital Dual Smart 400 (ask SweetCherry where she got it from, it was a present). Its an excellent little webcam, plus it does stills at 640 x 480 (takes up to 99 stills on its 8 meg internal memory) and it also allows you to film video in AVI standard (up to 40 seconds.) it connectes via USB and seems to run fine. I like it...it's a very handy wee tool to have.

The stills it takes are very clear and the video is simple awesome for a camera that size.....its not very big...see attached pic.

PS..it came from Walmart but I have no idea on price. I know it wasn't expensive, but she wont tell me....!!

It comes with software, cable, batteries, tripod and a wrist strap.

I'd give it a thumbs up.....

 

[ArtifexLignorum]

Webcam

The above comments nonwithstanding.

The Intel PC Camera Pro has been reliable. It seems to work well with anything, its video frame rate is speedy enough for web use. And at 640x480 it seems to do fine for web pics.

There are a small handfull of others with similar specs, and price. I bet they will be ok as well. Feed them lots of light, and enjoy.

 

[Draco]

Heres a still taken with it.....
PLease note..this is UNRETOUCHED by any graphic software, taken inside with no flash on a cloudy day.

 

[SweetCherry]

Ooooh!! It's my cookie boy!! I LOVE those chubby little cheeks!



And I swear, that cam Draco's talking about was less than $50.

 

[Cibo]

Well I don't want to spend alot of money, so if it's expensive...eh...heh rather get something not as expensive...hehe

 

[Bob Peale]

The Crystal Digital is cool but its really a Digicam - its max framerate as a webcam is in the 1o frames per second range.

For digital cams, you really want something that is closer to 30 frames per second.

The Logitech Quickcam Pro and the Intel Pro PC Cam are both around $100 and perform very well.

 

[Soblue]

Add another vote for the Intel Pro PC Cam. That's what I have, and people tell me it gives a nice clear picture.

 

[Cibo]

Add another vote for the Intel Pro PC Cam. That's what I have, and people tell me it gives a nice clear picture.

If that's what you used in your pics in the amatuer board and your av...then yes it does work really well.

How much did it cost you if you don't mind me asking?

 

[LovetoGiveRoses]

I just have a logitech one with a mic in it. I use the mic from time to time for doing video calls. I don't care that it doesn't have great resolution, if I want good resolution I use my digital camera. It's good enough for doing video calls. The adjustment for the light is really good and it's easy to use. It comes with all the software that you need and costs about $50-60.

Ask Sabbathstorm....she's a tech wiz.

 

[Cibo]

bump for more suggestions

 

[Cibo]

bump

 

[Soblue]

Hi Cibo

Yeah it's the only PC camera I have, so it's what I used to take my picture.

You wouldn't believe the deal I got on it, I think after rebate I paid $12 for it!

They seem to go for around $80-90 now.

 

[Cibo]

Wow...that IS a great deal...maybe I should look for pretty damn good deals too...

 

[sch00lteacher]

Free advise, toss it out the window, whatever.

Go cheap.

1. You will never use all the fancy crap they add to them.

2. Don't get one with a card.

3. Go USB.

4. Cheap looks just as good as expensive. I have a cheap assed one, my brother damn near took out a mortgage for his. Our pictures look the same on-line.

5. Cheap ones won't make you want to die when you leave them on the table at Disney world.

6. If you are going to lose it, make sure the naked pictures of your wife have been downloaded and erased.

 

[S.Daedalus]

B.U.M.P

I'm bumpin' this one..cause I’m in the market ASAP for a GOOD web cam that I can use for surveillance as well.

I was looking into these x10 ones because someone said they are pretty good. I hate living in a house with other people! You never know where you're stuff is..but now I will

Either way, I was looking into the Logitech Quickcam Pro 4000 PC Camera. I haven't read anything on the Intel.

Come one people..more people have to be using web cams around here.

- Stephen