Quality of WebCam - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Wile E · 05-11-2003, 05:58 AM

I have a cheapo HiVal usb webcam. I bought it primarily because I was using it with my laptop and it was the best I could find that was designed for this duty. I have thus moved it to my desktop and am really disapointed with its quality. Its dark as hell. Theres no settings physically or software wise to change it. The room is not dark, but the light does come from above. So shadowing occurs. But I can't believe that its totally a lighting issue because my workspace is flooded with light. Will a better webcam make a difference? Is it worth it to go out and spend $100+ for a new one? Any thoughts, suggestions? The lighting will not change in here, so please aim answers towards cam issues. Thanx.

steveincolumbus · 05-12-2003, 06:02 AM

i would try and find one with a CCD not a Cmos sensor, the CCD's are much higher quality...... The intel cams were GREAT but they stopped makeing them..........

Wile E · 05-12-2003, 10:51 AM

Actually just bought a Logitech Quickcam Pro 4000. Amazing difference. It was well worth the money. A lot cleare, quicker and adjusts to the light 20times better. A nice cam. Highly recommended.

Wile E · 05-12-2003, 11:27 AM

Oh one thing....Its a bitch of a thing to use with a flat screen monitor though. This is one thing I did not take into consideration. I had to make a funky bracket for it to sit up there. So if you have a flat screen, you might want to see what options there are.

jujueye · 05-12-2003, 03:57 PM

Believe it or not, I found an old Compaq cam that had its own power supply. It rocks! It even has hardware-based white balance, brightness and contrast. The colors are correct, and the output can be sent (via rca cable) to another webcam or even a capture card. No, I have no idea where to find these now, but I imagine a used computer store would have them and really not know how good they are. It seems to be more of a video cam than a webcam.

Yes, buy the best one you can afford. You'll get better hardware, and possible even a glass front lens (instead of plastic.) Keep in mind that USB only supplies something like 5v. If you have a bunch of stuff handing off of that USB bus, there are possible voltage drops, which could choke certain items further down the food chain (like a webcam!)

hotzot · 05-13-2003, 07:41 PM

I use my video camera and Dazzle. The quality is excellent

05-11-2003, 05:58 AM	#1 (permalink)
Wile E Insane Location: Burbs of NYC	Quality of WebCam I have a cheapo HiVal usb webcam. I bought it primarily because I was using it with my laptop and it was the best I could find that was designed for this duty. I have thus moved it to my desktop and am really disapointed with its quality. Its dark as hell. Theres no settings physically or software wise to change it. The room is not dark, but the light does come from above. So shadowing occurs. But I can't believe that its totally a lighting issue because my workspace is flooded with light. Will a better webcam make a difference? Is it worth it to go out and spend $100+ for a new one? Any thoughts, suggestions? The lighting will not change in here, so please aim answers towards cam issues. Thanx. __________________ "We got no food, no clothes...our pets HEADS ARE FALLIN' OFF!"

05-12-2003, 10:51 AM	#3 (permalink)
Wile E Insane Location: Burbs of NYC	Actually just bought a Logitech Quickcam Pro 4000. Amazing difference. It was well worth the money. A lot cleare, quicker and adjusts to the light 20times better. A nice cam. Highly recommended. __________________ "We got no food, no clothes...our pets HEADS ARE FALLIN' OFF!"

05-12-2003, 11:27 AM	#4 (permalink)
Wile E Insane Location: Burbs of NYC	Oh one thing....Its a bitch of a thing to use with a flat screen monitor though. This is one thing I did not take into consideration. I had to make a funky bracket for it to sit up there. So if you have a flat screen, you might want to see what options there are. __________________ "We got no food, no clothes...our pets HEADS ARE FALLIN' OFF!"

05-13-2003, 07:41 PM	#6 (permalink)
hotzot We're having potato pancakes! Location: stalag 13	I use my video camera and Dazzle. The quality is excellent __________________ The Bully Boys are here!

05-12-2003, 06:02 AM	#2 (permalink)
steveincolumbus Psycho Location: BFE, Kentucky	i would try and find one with a CCD not a Cmos sensor, the CCD's are much higher quality...... The intel cams were GREAT but they stopped makeing them..........

05-12-2003, 03:57 PM	#5 (permalink)
jujueye alpaca lunch for the trip Location: in my computer	Believe it or not, I found an old Compaq cam that had its own power supply. It rocks! It even has hardware-based white balance, brightness and contrast. The colors are correct, and the output can be sent (via rca cable) to another webcam or even a capture card. No, I have no idea where to find these now, but I imagine a used computer store would have them and really not know how good they are. It seems to be more of a video cam than a webcam. Yes, buy the best one you can afford. You'll get better hardware, and possible even a glass front lens (instead of plastic.) Keep in mind that USB only supplies something like 5v. If you have a bunch of stuff handing off of that USB bus, there are possible voltage drops, which could choke certain items further down the food chain (like a webcam!)