No, it’s not what you’re thinking.
I teach classes on how to do henna and I’d like to expand this to teaching online so I can reach people who are far away but still want to learn. I think it would be cool to have a webcam so I can do my usual class and actually show people how to do whatever, then I could take questions via IM or something, so it would be almost like teaching in person. I need to buy something that will help me send out relatively clear live video and sound over the internet. What features should I be looking for? Anything to steer clear of? Any brands or sellers that you’d recommend either buying from or avioding?
Thanks!
HennaDancer
When it comes to webcams, there is the cheap, the usual, and the high end. Cheap webcams are generally under $50 and often have a less than impressive picture with little or no control over it. The usual webcams are in the $75 to $125 range and generally have a better picture, more features and often can serve double duty as digital snapshot cameras. At the high end are most digital snapshot cameras (the ability to streaming video is a common feature) and digital camcorders.
From what you have said, I would recommend something like the Logitech Zoom. At $80 retail it is a good general use webcam and would allow you to easily move back and forth from long shots to closeups.
Be aware that the cam is just one piece of the puzzle. You will also need to consider how you plan to distribute your live video. For example, I use my own computer as the server for my webcam and for my chat which works great since it gives me complete control and I rarely have more than one or two viewers at a time to worry about. However, if I get more than two people pulling video and chat, my poor little DSL connection runs out of bandwidth and everyone gets slower video updates.
If you plan to have more than one or two people viewing your video, then you need to consider having someone else host the sessions. There are webcam communities like iVideochat or ICUII where you can setup a private videoconferencing room and they handle the bandwidth requirements of the watchers or you can, as you suggest, just setup a webcam page at one of the free website places and chat via IM. Streaming from some of the free sites can be problematic, so choose carefully.
Webcams are fun!