Although the first part of this should go in General Questions, I’m putting here because I also want opinions.
To put it simply, please tell me what I should look for in a webcam. I would like to keep the cost in the $50 range if possible, but if I can get something much better for a bit more, I’d be willing to pay for it. And give me your opinion as to the best webcam, under $100.
I should note that I impulsively bought the Rocketfish 2.0 MP Autofocus at Best Buy and of course will exchange it if this seems like the thing to do. My goal is to use the cam with Skype, but I haven’t tried it yet. I did test the cam, and there is about a half-second delay. Is this normal?
Even though I have my frame rate set at 30, it is only capturing 15 per second, which I assume is what is causing a delay. Why is it only capturing 15 if I have it set to 30?
You can get a Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 for just under $75 from Amazon - free shipping. It’s one of Skype’s recommended cams. I bought it and it’s TOTALLY awesome. Super picture, perfect sound, and cool software too.
Being completely new to webcams, I have no idea what a “super” picture looks like. With my Rocketfish, the picture looks pretty good, I guess, but is somewhat grainy, and I guess not as sharp as I would like. Is the Logitech’s better?
I’m new to webcams too. I looked at your webcam vs. the Logitech side-by-side, and it seems to me that the biggest difference is the Carl Zeiss lens on the Logitech. I’m not a camera expert but I have seen still digital photographs taken on a camera with a Carl Zeiss lens vs. ones taken at the same location on a non-Zeiss lens and there is a big difference in sharpness (Zeiss being much better).
I’ve also had no problems with frame rates in the Logitech. I also like the 6’ USB cable. It’s very handy to have such a long cable because of the distance of my towers to where I need to have the camera.
I did notice the Carl Zeiss lens on the Logitech specs. I have no idea who Carl Zeiss is, but I have seen the name before. You say you have no problems with the frame rates. Does that mean that there is no delay?
This is a subjective question, but on a scale of 1 to 10, how sharp would you say the Logitech picture is?
I sent you a PM with a link to a pic I just took from my webcam, so you can see what it looks like.
My friends and I use my webcam to chat, via Skype, with our friends who are out of town. We haven’t had any complaints about delay…but that doesn’t mean there is none. I wouldn’t want to tell you there isn’t and you get one and find that there is.
I also just looked in the software and there is no FPS settings. I guess it just stays at 30.
