Webcam Advice

[amjedm]

I need some webcam advice/recommendations please.

Was originally thinking of getting the following as it won an award in this months PC Pro magazine but some of the comments on ebuyer about it have put me off

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=327683 - MSI StarCam 370i Webcam

comments - http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...uct_uid=100455 (red) and http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=98542 (black)

Have now put this on the short list http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=58355 - Logitech Quickcam 4000 Pro

Maximum budget is around £60.

Any other recommendations?

Thanks.

[htid]

I have this http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=43571
and it works fine if you just want to use it as a webcam with a mic.

I think it depends what you want to do with it. If you plan to use it as a digital camera or video recorder and want high quality then i wouldnt recommend, but just as a webcam it works fine and is cheap. As far as i can see, the more you pay, the better the camera is for use as a digital camera rather than just a webcam.

All i can see why the Logitech QuickCam Pro 4000 is better than the Quickcam messenger, is that it can take still images at higher resolutions, which is a useless feature that you're paying extra for if, as i say, you just want it as a webcam. Thats my opinion anyway.

[amjedm]

I'm buying for someone. They're don't require still pictures but have said they're prepared to pay for a decent one.

Thanks for advice.

[htid]

Well the one i gave is a decent one just for a webcam, if u want ill take some video with it and post it so you can see the quality?

[amjedm]

Well the one i gave is a decent one just for a webcam, if u want ill take some video with it and post it so you can see the quality?

That would be great. Thanks.

[htid]

Hmm ive recorded a video looking outside so you can see how it works for far away shots, a video inside so you can see what it would be like at the distance you would use a webcam for (ie on the desk with someone sat around a metre or so away) and a video of me waving (dont laugh ). Now that i look at the videos they dont seem as good as i thought, but then again ive asked friends to make screenshots of what they see of my webcam (through msn messenger) and because of msn/yahoo, you wont get the full quality and frame rate the cam can deliver anyway. The more expensive cams may be better, i havent see the video quality myself, but as i said msn etc will limit the performance anyway. So here are the videos, up to you whether thats good enough

(you should save them to disk rather than opening them, when it asks, cos for some reason when i tried to open them without saving, it didnt show the picture)

http://www.killamarshphotoclub.co.uk/outside.avi
http://www.killamarshphotoclub.co.uk/inside.avi
http://www.killamarshphotoclub.co.uk/me.avi

[amjedm]

Will have a look a bit later.

Many thanks for the videos.

[Xet]

If it's for a notebook, I highly recomend the creative notebook webcam, got one myself and i'm very impressed with it. Think it only ran me £40.

Unfortunately it won't clip on to anything other than a notebook (although I've found a cd case propped against a large coffee mug makes for a good makeshift tripod)

[sidcos]

Cool, looks good to me! Whats the mic like, would it be fine for chatting using let say skype?

[htid]

The one i posted, or the one Xet is talking about?

[Xet]

The one i posted, or the one Xet is talking about?

The one I mean doesn't have a mic (unless there is a later revision that does!) so it must be you

For skype I use a USRobotics handset I picked up, exactly like talking on a real phone

[htid]

lol ok Xet, i guess he does mean me.

ANyway sidcos, it does have a decent mic yes, as good as a real phone (so the people at the other end tell me) and i use it on skype without any problems so it should be fine!

[sidcos]

Thanks.
Went with the Logitech Quickcam stx with free headset.
Works a treat

[amjedm]

Thanks.
Went with the Logitech Quickcam stx with free headset.
Works a treat

Where from?

Edit: is the video capture quality better than the htid recommended?

Thanks.

[cotswoldcs]

I saw the review in PC Pro and am very tempted. There are certainly some mixed reactions with people who love it and others who don't. I'm still tempted myself but then I want to use it more for security than as a webcam.

I don't think the MSI is the best choice if it's going to be used with a laptop.