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Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

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Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#261

Post by lmilcin »

yarcob wrote: post #245
lmilcin wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am using two Ikea Skurup lamps ( https://www.ikea.com/pl/pl/p/skurup-lampa-stolowa-kinkiet-go... ) directly above and in front of my monitors, just outside of reach of webcam. Soft lighting is a result of geometry. You can use very huge source far away from you or smaller but very close. You also need to pay attention to how the light is scattered and that the direct light is not shining on your face. I have asked…

4x 5W LED isn't really a lot of light, especially if you are diffusing it. If your webcam can work with that, it's not that bad :) Edit: I just read your comment again and realized that you are putting the light really close to your face. I guess that's a way to get away with low power lights.

I just measured, the light is about 45cm from my face. Additionally, the lamp reflects most of the light in my direction.

I am not a model and am not used to have such bright light source so close to my face. I had to attenuate it because then it is just too uncomfortable but also to match light level on my face with that of the background.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#262

Post by mattgreenrocks »

iamacyborg wrote: post #184
mattgreenrocks wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m guessing this is why the cursor seems to visibly ghost when hooked up to my MBP.

I've not seen that, the bug I'm referring to is to do with putting the mac to sleep when it's connected to the screen.

Oh, I think I’ve had that: it’s a total crapshoot as to whether it wakes? I thought it was a USB power problem for the longest time.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#263

Post by rozab »

bipson wrote: post #259

A good webcam, in my opinion, is a device that provides a decent sound quality (from the article). Ehm, sure about that metric? Should a webcam not primarily offer good video? And why not having good audio by means of an external microphone in addition to a decent camera? If that's the primary metric, the rest of the article is flawed. IMHO the best setup has a dedicated camera and at least one dedicated microphone (…

Anyone not using headphones is going to have echoing and feedback anyway. May as well just use a headset.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#264

Post by lmilcin »

bambax wrote: post #226
yarcob wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's a trick how to get beautiful studio-like lighting for less than 50€: - buy two large sheets of white styrofoam (1m x 0.5m or bigger) - buy two cheap bright floodlights (the brighter the better) - get some mounting materials (eg. wood and screws, or cardboard and duct tape) - Place the two styrofoam plates right and left behind your laptop. - point the floodlights at the styrofoam, carefully positioning them so…

Buying "pro" entry-level photographic lightning equipment is about the same cost and much simpler to set up.

You don't need "pro" equipment for lighting. That's one area when you can get very creative. Most people can take lamps they already have and put some bit of white material on it, which is what I am doing for a very good effect.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#265

Post by aembleton »

bserge wrote: post #170
Hamuko wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't there a chance that the assembled Chinese monitors actually use second grade panels that the big makers wouldn't accept? I remember getting a 27-inch 1440p display from a Chinese manufacturer for really cheap back in high school. It should've been the exact same panel as was in Apple's iMacs. However, the were some quality issues with it long term and it's definitely suffering from burn-in that I don't think th…

That was the case with noname Korean/Chinese monitors a decade ago that used high quality IPS panels found in Apple and other professional displays - they used rejected panels, which had various issues (mostly dead pixels afaik). https://techreport.com/review/23291/those-27-inch-ips-displa... But overall, they were a great purchase quality/performance/cost wise.

I'm reading this on an IPS panel I bought a decade ago from South Korea. Works great, but with a bit of light bleed in the top left hand corner. I paid extra to have one without dead pixels.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#266

Post by [deleted] »

fuzzy2 wrote: post #152
thaumasiotes wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Manufacturers spouting specs like '4k' are deliberately misleading the public if the sensor and/or the lens aren't also upgraded. I vaguely remember reading about a video card that had more RAM than it was able to address.

You may be referring to the GeForce GTX 970. It had reduced bandwidth to parts of its RAM.

[deleted]

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#267

Post by Mediary »

Honestly, the Logitech c920 is still the 'good enough' option. It's cheap and produces a decent image.

However, the raw video can sometimes be a bit unflattering.

I would recommend using OBS as an intermediary between the webcam and other applications like Zoom or Skype. OBS has a virtual camera feature so that the output looks like just another webcam.

The reason you would do this is because OBS has powerful video filters you can overlay on top of the video feed, so that you can apply color correction and alter the brightness before sending it out. Even small changes can have a large impact on the quality of the video image quality.

I found this much more preferable to messing around with Logitech's unwieldy software.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#268

Post by 542458 »

fuzzy2 wrote: post #152
thaumasiotes wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Manufacturers spouting specs like '4k' are deliberately misleading the public if the sensor and/or the lens aren't also upgraded. I vaguely remember reading about a video card that had more RAM than it was able to address.

You may be referring to the GeForce GTX 970. It had reduced bandwidth to parts of its RAM.

Maybe the RX480? Many of the 4GB models sold were actually 8GB models with firmware locking them down.

https://www.guru3d.com/news-story/amd-radeon-rx-480-4gb-to-8...

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#269

Post by cjwebb »

milesvp wrote: post #69

This article sort of glosses over the actual cost of designing the hardware. You should be able to get 500 units made working through a factory. Though minimum qty for parts can be as high as 5000, usually factories can find most components in smaller qty for 2-5x the price, especially since they already have relationships with suppliers. At $25-$35 bill of materials for something retailing at $250-$300 you're only l…

Are there any good guides anywhere you'd recommend for hardware startups - and how to reduce this $30K upfront cost? That is a lot of money.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#270

Post by arendtio »

pembrook wrote: post #40

The reason you can’t buy a good webcam is the same reason you can’t buy a high quality monitor outside of LG’s unreliable apple collab. The lazy conglomerates who sell these peripherals often don’t actually produce the parts in them. They simply rebrand commodity cameras and IPS panels in a crap plastic housing and slap their logo on it. Then they give the product a hilariously user-hostile product name, like “PQS GR…

Why do you think the LG monitors outside of the Apple collaboration are not good?

Recently, I bought two 27GN950, which is a 27" 4k@144Hz gaming monitor with good colors. So far the worst part is the fan and in the long run the absence of HDMI 2.1 might be disappointing, but overall I have the impression of a good product.

Yes, it doesn't have the same PPI as smartphones, but I am not sure if we are going to see that happen ever.

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