Webcam advice

[Binoculars]

Did a search for this topic, and the latest advice on just which webcam to get or whether indeed there is much difference was early last year, several generations in techology terms.

So I pose the question again from a webcam virgin. Is there a significant difference between cheapest and dearest? Does it matter for basic use (mother to daughter etc)? What are the features gained by paying more? etc etc

All advice or relevant urls gratefully received, thanks.

[Conan the Librarian]

I may be tightfisted, but I don't think I would part with more than a tenner for a webcam. There are lots of them around now and even the cheapest offer very acceptable quality. Like so many good ideas, they get used once and then forgotten, so if that is likely to happen, do it as cheaply as possible!

regards,


Conan

[FunkyMunky]

What are the features gained by paying more? etc etc

Generally you'll find as you pay more you might start getting stuff like autofocus, built in microphones, face-tracking and other gimmicks. All stuff you can live without, and as Conan rightly says, the cheapest still offer good enough quality for Internet use.

[Yeller_Gait]

You can get them on Ebay from £1 upwards . It is probably worth paying to get one with a built-in microphone though.

[Binoculars]

OK, I've ordered one for $10 (plus $15 postage!). I'll let you know how it turns out.

[Jemy]

Webcams

I have bought a pair of cheap webcams, but the software supplied with them is not that great. I have managed to get them working, but how do I transmit the image when using instant messenger such as the chat facility on Skype??

Any advice gratefully accepted

[126,7]

OK, I've ordered one for $10 (plus $15 postage!). I'll let you know how it turns out.

Geeez, thats some heavy postage....how far do you stay from the shops?



I bought a pair of creative webcams and they work fine with windows' own software. I never installed the software that came with the webcams!

Jemy
Try video 4 skype . Its a small extension and works well with skype.

[Jemy]

Thanks for the link.
Managed to download it on both computers I'm using, but having a problem. The process seems to stop when it "checks connectivity with....(skype user)" Webcams operate fine. Maybe I'm asking too much of my LAN connection to transmit and receive all that voice and webcam data. I'll keep trying.

[Binoculars]

Geeez, thats some heavy postage....how far do you stay from the shops?

The great god ebay, my friend. Cheapest webcam I could find in Oz was about $60 + postage. Mr Wong from Hong Kong sent me an el cheapo for the price mentioned. No fancy packaging a la Microsoft putting a single CD in a huge box and charging $700 for it, just a mini CD with barely comprehensible installation instructions, but the cam has been dropped on the floor at least three times and it still works. Good enough for me.