I’m thinking of getting one, they start at $5 & $4 for S/H on pricewatch but i dont know if there is a quality difference among those and the higher end models. Are they all essentially the same or do the intro models have alot of problems.
The cheapo ones are cheap for a reason. They cut a lot of corners. E.g., not as many pixels, pin-hole “lens” instead of a real one, not able to capture a frame quickly or doing a reasonable video rate, poor color matching, looks bad in less than ideal light, etc.
So it depends on what you’re planning to do with it. (The Number One thing to ask yourself about all computer purchases.) If you just want to videophone with relatives, then a $20 cam will be good enough. If you want to record something for prosperity, then at least $40 is needed. If you want to go into the Internet TV business, then the sky’s the limit. Motion is also important here, if you don’t plan on moving much, then cheaper is okay. If you will be capturing moving stuff, then cheap cams will only show blurs.
Important note: If you will be doing job interviews or other such important video meetings using the cam, get a really good one.