What should I know about buying a web cam?

[Fidelia]

I would like to get a webcam to stay in touch with my nieces and nephews on Skype (doing flashcards with them etc), to visit with a couple of my friends who have moved to Europe and also possibly to do some long distance music lessons with people. Do you have any advice about brands, considerations, price etc? I have a desktop, and I have never had a computer with a webcam.

 

[gromit]

My laptop didn't come with one either, so I went to Best Buy and got the cheapest one. It's a logitech and seems to work fine.

 

[Fidelia]

What do you have to do to hook it up to the computer (pardon my ignorance!)?

 

[Atomic Fiend]

Plug into USB drive.

That's about it.

 

[mavericknm]

If the relatively simple instruction manual for any electronic device seem a bit daunting, usually someone from your local store should be able to help you out.

For example, pick a slow time of day such as 2 pm on a tuesday and go to Best Buy. Ask any of the sales staff to teach you about webcams. This part can seem daunting because you might feel they might be trying to sell you things you don't need. However, once you find something you feel comfortable with, ask if they would mind opening up the box you intend to purchase and walking through all the parts and software with you so that you know what they all do and how to use them. Usually they're willing to do so free of charge and with a smile, especially if its a non-commission store.

 

[JocktheMotie]

Need a good resolution/MP count and built in mic. This one in particular seems a good balance between affordability and functionality:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104368

Also, keep in mind webcams inevitably lead to sin.

 

[ThatGirl]

Also, keep in mind webcams inevitably lead to sin.

This was going to be my post, lol.

 

[Atomic Fiend]

It's funny because it's true.

Seriously, don't have too much fun with that webcam Fidelia... or do.

 

[The Ü™]

The more expensive it is, the better quality pictures you can take.

 

[rav3n]

http://webcam-review.toptenreviews.com/

This might give you a better understanding of what you're looking for in a webcam.

 

[Lark]

I would like to get a webcam to stay in touch with my nieces and nephews on Skype (doing flashcards with them etc), to visit with a couple of my friends who have moved to Europe and also possibly to do some long distance music lessons with people. Do you have any advice about brands, considerations, price etc? I have a desktop, and I have never had a computer with a webcam.

I've got an inbuilt webcam in my laptop, so far as I can tell its pretty much a standard feature now but I did buy a webcam set for my last laptop and was using it to broadcast myself on hotmail/MSN before skype, there are two things I would keep in mind:

- Its probably a good idea not to go too low budget if you are going to be giving it some serious use, ie as much as you would a mobile phone for instance. A lot of the really budget or "newbie" offers on these kinds of things provide something which wears out quickly or is lousy at fixing to a monitor, whether its a desktop monitor or laptop monitor.

- Just as important as the webcam, possibly more so when I think about it, is the headset/mic you'll inevitably need too, its much better than relying upon the built in mic in the computer to pic up your voice or the speakers to convey conversations, I dont know perhaps its different when you're playing music (although I know you can get small mics to affix to stands for recording music anyway).

- I know people have said logitech is grand, mine was logitech and it worked fine, although I never used mine that much and it was never as decent a standard as my present built in system. I'd recommend something better than that.

 

[gromit]

What do you have to do to hook it up to the computer (pardon my ignorance!)?

Plug into USB drive.

That's about it.

Yeah plug it into USB. There was maybe some software that installed itself but it was pretty straightforward. I can use it for skype and google video chat.

 

[Fluffywolf]

What should I know about buying a web cam?

My msn?

jk, my laptop came with a webcam, as far as brands go, if I would buy a webcam that is standalone, I'd personally go logitech, but that's just because I have good experience with the brand. I don't know much about the webcam market.

 

[Fidelia]

Thanks folks - I kind of forgot that I had made this thread because it didn't get much action right away. I did end up buying a Logitech webcam. Haven't plugged it in yet, but I'll check it out when I get back from holidays.