Topic: High quality webcam....inexpensive

[alhamilton]

After fooling with the Toshiba IK WB11A and not liking the picture quality I have done some research. See webcams.bsch.au.com/setup_your_own.html
He describes the setup for a Olympus C4000 (I bought 2 for under $50. each on eBay). Free software at Erdman Video Systems (VM95) will run the camera in the PC mode. Now I have a new Dell w/VISTA at home and tried to use it as a test bed but the VM95 has a conflict. The tech at Erdman said that "yes its not compatable with VISTA". The computer that will run the camera at Shelter Cove is an older model with XPpro and that will work. The tech lady at Erdman was very helpful and told me to call back if I have any problems setting the camera up. Very helpful and nice.

[ncpilot]

"It's been said around the 'net that digital cameras aren't designed to be used/run for long periods of time and using them as a webcam will kill them" (from the article in the link you provided).

This is due to the image sensor being powered all the time, sensors in digital cameras aren't made to be constantly powered, and will generate heat, which is probably the main way the lifespan is reduced. This is a known and talked about potential issue in the newest SLR's from Canon (40d) and Nikon (d300) which have the "live view" feature.

Although... the sensors are smaller in the non-SLR cameras, so maybe they won't generate as much heat.

And in your application (VM95), it also depends on whether the software requires the sensor to be powered up 100% of the time, or if it can take a snapshot exposure at intervals.

But for $50 bucks... you can let us know how long the camera lasts...

Did you try to run VM95 in XP compatibility mode with Administrator privilege?

[ncpilot]

http://www.weather-watch.com/smf/index.php/topic,21797.0.html

Haven't read that whole thread yet, but might be pertinent...

[alhamilton]

The webcam at Columbia Airport has been running for 2 years and taken over 100,000 photos according to the admin. It is an old Kodak point and shoot 1.9MP. The Olympus point and shoot should last as long. The SLR's that have a mirror have a mechanical problem with high use. I haven't heard about heat being a problem but will let you know. MAC at pinetreecomputing.com also has a free program to operate the Olympus camera in PC mode also and he hasn't found a problem with long term use. Also the camera will only be taking a picture every few minutes and be shut off at night.
al

[ncpilot]

From a few other threads I've read, it sounds like the VM95 software will command the camera to take a photo, as if you pressed the shutter button (one user commented that he heard a "click" from his setup every time it took a picture). This method does not keep the sensor powered all the time, only when actuated... the only other issue might be simply having the electronics powered all the time--something it wasn't designed for, but doesn't mean it can't handle it...

But if you want live streaming, this isn't the way to go...

Along with the latest Logitech multi-megapixel cams, this method looks pretty interesting too...

Still, I hate to have that USB umbilical from camera to computer...

[jmcmurry]

http://www.weather-watch.com/smf/index.php/topic,21797.0.html

Haven't read that whole thread yet, but might be pertinent...

Yes, that long thread has a wealth of information in it.  I've been running my Olympus C4000Z for about a year now with no problems and figure that if it acts up I'll just get another.  I recently added a Logitech Quickcam for Notebooks Pro for streaming video ... different views of the weather with both low light and near realtime views.  http://jcweather.us/flashcam.php?hours=0&mitem=100

- Jim