If you're still confused at the end of the article I'll show you a website where you can find out some more information on the various webcams on the market.
In the event you just need a webcam for video calls to family and friends you might not require an upscale HD webcam. A high definition webcam will provide a smoother video capturing experience that's more suited for people trying to get the most from their webcam. If you're looking to record and publish footage onto the internet or just want a great video call experience a High definition web camera is the best decision.
Webcam designs vary by manufacturer, where you are using your webcam can make choosing the right type a little less difficult. There are a few different types of webcams, some are more suited to clipping onto laptops/netbooks and some are definitely more suited for sitting atop monitors or on a desk.
Based upon which kind of webcam you want will depend on your price range. Obviously the extra money you spend the better your webcam will be. I'd strongly urge spending no less than $ on a webcam, anything below that and the film quality suffers too much.
Nearly all standard webcams will come with resolutions anywhere between 320x240 to 640 x 480 but hd webcams can record all the way up to 1280 x 720, some even being able to record in 1080p.
Together with choosing a webcam with a good resolution, a good frame rate is crucial for a slick video experience. A webcams frame rate will determine how fast it can capture and move film. Nearly all webcams these days are able to record up to 30 frames per second with a few featuring even greater frame rate capture.
Another factor to look for is what style of lens the webcam has, keep in mind that a glass lens is a lot more effective than a plastic one. A glass lens will provide a better picture and increase the quality of the image and several good quality lenses provide optical and/or digital zoom.
For basic use, you shouldn't really have to adjust the focus too much but if you need to show close ups then you will require a camera that comes with a focus ring or a program that enables you to manually adjust the focus.
Be sure you purchase a webcam which has USB 2.0 functionality, the majority of webcams will support the USB 1.1 interface however the resolution and capture rate of USB 1.1 is way slower and in most cases will result in your webcam not performing to the best of its capacity
Keep in mind webcam sluts that some video conference applications will automatically cap your frame rate. If you have bought a HD web camera make sure you're using software that allows HD video. Just about all webcams come packaged with video conferencing programs, like Microsoft Live Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger or Skype. A number of packages also include out of the box solutions for video editing, taking pictures etc.
That just about does it for selecting a quality webcam that won't fall apart. Remember to stick to the guidelines I mentioned above and you will be okay.
