Choosing a WebCam

What web cam is best? That is a tough question. There seems to be no end of the number of web cams available with a wide range of prices from $10 to thousands of dollars fitting every imaginable application.

The word "ultimate" in the title refers only to supporting basic video picture quality while conferencing with Skype.

If you need more detailed information I would suggest looking at Home Office Reports who have compiled information on over a 100 or more web cams.

Webcams come in two basic varieties. They use either CMOS or CCD technology to capture light. If your budget permits narrow your search to those using CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) technology. This is the same technology used by the Hubble Space Telescope. They have excellent light gathering power. My Logitech 4000 Pro is CCD (price is about $80 US dollars). I can actually deliver a quality image in a dark room lit only by my two 17 inch LCD monitors. (Note the Logitech Quick Cam Zoom is NOT CCD! Even with a lamp shining in his eyes Carlo’s face is still too dark at night. But Carlo's cam looks just like mine...don’t you just love marketing people?)

My camera supports a frame rate of up to 30 frames a second. Most of the applications I test run at 15, but as the applications improve 30 frames per second will likely be more common so why not invest to have that extra fluidity in your videos in the future.

What resolution should you get? 640x480 or 320x240? Get the 640x480. Why? That is a big question. I suggest going here to find out why and just how much better one is than the other.

Update the camera driver. Even if you bought it today. Same goes for Microsoft DirectX, one of the most frequent causes of poor video quality according to Spontania Product Manager Mario Silva Sanz.

Tommorrow I will cover how your bandwidth affects video quality.