- Has Poor, Blueish Color Balance & Awful Light-Sensitivity, NASTY Sounding Microphone. But if a CHEAP WEBCAM is what you're after - it's what alot of site visitors buy - and live with. Sometimes really cheap products just aren't worth the cost and hassle of returning.
DRIVER-FREE UVC WEBCAMS : CROSS-PLATFORM
Choose and Buy the RIGHT webcam online at the best prices. Learn about and compare web cameras that are compatible with all modern oerating systems for use with your favorite chat, messenger, video capture and video-conferencing VOIP voice phone applications. Universal Video Class cams are the best webcam to buy for Apple Macintosh, Windows or even *nix computers.USB Video Class - Universal USB 2.0 webcams are the de-facto standard, the SMART choice for getting online and connected to pals, family and friends with the least amount of hassle and cross-platform compatibility. No driver required on modern computer operating systems Native driverless OS-level web cam support is now built into Mac OS X Lion, Leopard & Tiger, Windows 8 & 7, Vista and XP Service Pack 2 or 3 - and Linux.
| Best Cross-Platform Webcam | Creative Labs Webcam | Top Mid-Range Camera |
|---|---|---|
#1 Choice Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro Hardware AutoFocus + RightLight2 
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Creative Live! Cam For Vista/Windows7 and OSX 10.5+ 
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2MP Logitech Webcam Glass Lens, Great Quality Microphone 
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SHARE YOUR WORLD: VIDEO CHAT FOR BUSINESS OR FUN
Whether you use your web cam for AOL or Apple iChat, Yahoo or MSN Messenger, Skype, ISPQ, ICUii - or any other number of popular video chat sites, video conferencing or capture programs... Feel Confident. These researched, tested, and reviewed web cameras are the smart ones to buy - and will serve you well for years to come.
QUALITY WEB CAMS CAN BE AFFORDABLE:
Webcams can be broken down into tiers: Luxury HD Webcams like the Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro Webcam
| Laptop Webcam | Pop-Out Web Camera | Hi-Quality Fixed Focus |
|---|---|---|
NoteBook Cam Clip-Mount w/Mic Color Choices: Silver Pink Red Blue 
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Blue Microphones Webcam + Top Quality Condenser Microphone  Blue EyeBall 2MP Camera 
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Glass Lens & Quality Microphone Logitech Ultra 
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WEB CAMERA FEATURES TO LOOK FOR:
USB Video Class driver compliance makes these web cams Just-Plug-It-In easy. Look for a quality glass lens if possible. Evaluate whether you prefer an adjustable focus, want a fixed-focus lens, or cameras that support Auto-Focus. You may also want a webcam with Built-In USB microphone which most - but not all have. Look for good low-light sensitivity to give great image quality for both day AND night lighting conditions. Cams that refer to Auto Exposure and Auto White-Balance indicate a webcam that can adapt to changes in lighting. Look for smart, thoughtful design in the camera itself: A webcam mount and design that's versatile and adjustable - when perched atop or clipped to a laptop or notebook screen, that can sit on your desktop or monitor, or those that have a standard camera mount for attaching to a webcam tripod.
FOCUS ON WEB CAMERAS:
Fixed-Focus Webcams
For MOST people a simple, hassle-free, futz-free fixed lens cam may be your best straight-forward choice. Set it. Forget it.Adjustable-Focus Webcams
Web cams with an adjustable focus ring imply a bit of fiddling. And often, just touching them to fine-tune it's focal length often knocks it out of position. The same problem occurs with some webcams that may have a still-picture snapshot function or button to trigger movie recording. Simply touching the camera to enable it knocks it out of alignment - and focus.However adjustable cams and are useful for primarily two reasons: 1. You really need to zoom-in on an object at very close range to show someone something in detail. Or, 2. For adult sex xxx webcam needs you may actually want to SOFTEN the focus somewhat to take off your rough edges and smooth your flaws and bumps a bit!
Auto-Focus Webcams
Autofocu cams can be a double-edged sword: The can adapt to normal range or show close-ups without manual adjustment. BUT BE AWARE, there's often a second or two lag to compensate, and if you move alot or guesture when your talk - the camera may struggle to keep up. Recently with Hardware-Based Autofocus as in the newest LOGITECH VISION PRO - it needs NO software drivers - unlike other webcams that only support auto-focus on the Windows platform with required drivers. *If* you want AutoFocus - choose a Hardware-based model like the Vision Pro or HP Elite 3MP cam. Otherwise all other AF cams from Creative Labs, HP and Logitech will simply perform like a fixed-focus model on Mac and Linux.
WHAT TO AVOID: BEFORE YOU BUY A WEBCAM...
These driverless cams REQUIRE USB 2.0 ports to deliver high resolution at good frame-rates, so make sure your PC or Mac has USB 2.0 speed ports, and your Operating System is current and up to date. The high-end, high-res webcams above 1.3MP also ideally need a FAST computer to provide the best frame-rates anyways. Avoid cheap no-name import webcameras with poor warranty or absolutely no tech support. Some claim to be 'USB 2.0 COMPATIBLE' but their sensors are really only _downward 'compatible'_ and run at USB 1.1 slo-mo speeds.
Avoid webcams from no-name companies, are not driverless Video Class compliant, that are poorly constructed, have cheap plastic lenses, flimsy thin cables, poor mounting designs. The Western market is being flooded with cheap 'driverless' web cams from overseas - and the overall reliability, compatibility and quality has been a mixed-bag at best. Trust select models from brands like Logitech Microsoft Microsoft and Creative for quality. If you find a camera on eBay
SHOP & PRICE CAMS SMART:
Comparison shop at ONE location. The webcam marketplace at Amazon provides one-stop shopping; Look for "Also available from these 3rd-party sellers" to assess the best webcam price and availability from multiple vendors - all under one roof. Compare their shipping charges - or trust Amazon with Free Super-Saver shipping - on it's way - today! You don't need to waste hours slogging across the web to make a good cross-platform webcam choice at a low-price. We've done the hard work for you! The BEST webcams are linked below and in the sidebar.
Cross-Platform Web Camera System Requirements
UVC (USB Video Class) compliant web cameras work with any systems supporting UVC:Linux : USB video class webcameras is provided by the Linux UVC driver.
Apple OS X : OSX version 10.4.3 and later supports UVC web cameras (iChat requires version 10.4.9+).
PlayStation : Play Station 3 Firmware version 1.54 and later webcam support.
Solaris : Express build 56 and later with the usbvc webcam driver for OpenSolaris.
Microsoft Windows : Windows 7, XP (Service Pack 2 or up) and Vista support UVC cams.
