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Opal Tadpole – A webcam for laptops

opalcamera.com

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Re: Opal Tadpole – A webcam for laptops

#51

Post by OkayPhysicist »

berbec wrote: post #5

What is the market for this product? I can't see their being enough people who a. have a laptop without a camera/need a better camera b. are willing to lug this thing around and c. are willing to pay $200. How is web design this bad acceptable? It's insanely slow, annoying to read and impossible to navigate.

Anyone who wants use web conference software should invest in an external webcam. Not only is it good for privacy (I don't trust software solutions, peripherals should have hardwired indicator lights and/or a way to hardware disable them when not in use), it's also a game changer when it comes to looking good on camera, because you can angle the webcam at angles that are far more flattering than the typical "looking up your neck" one that gets defaulted with built-in laptop webcams, and the quality difference between "adequate" and "good" is a big differentiator.

Now, I haven't used THIS webcam, but it's definitely the sort of thing I'd be interested in.

Re: Opal Tadpole – A webcam for laptops

#52

Post by sebtron »

yjftsjthsd-h wrote: post #32
sebtron wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, I can't tell. Literally: I clicked on the link and all I could see was a white dot blinking on a black background. After about 20 seconds I gave up.

Does it change if you scroll down? I also thought it was broken until I started scrolling and the page decided to show itself to me after all.

No, blinking dot all the way down. Waiting some more does the trick.

Re: Opal Tadpole – A webcam for laptops

#54

Post by rexxars »

heeton wrote: post #18

I could never recommend this. I own a C1 and it's completely ruined by terrible software. On MacOS (various versions, on M1 and now M3), it stops randomly, needs regular reconnecting. I'm on an old version of the app because the new version doesn't even work at all (hard freeze after an hour). Countless examples from forums and elsewhere of the same issues. Shame, because the hardware is cool.

I own the C1, and while I’m no big fan of the software - the quality is significantly better and makes it worth it in my opinion. I have occasional connection issues when I plug it in, but it usually settles after a few seconds.

Most importantly, the new camera does not need any software - it’s just a high quality webcam.

Re: Opal Tadpole – A webcam for laptops

#56

Post by TD-Linux »

This is not a "mirrorless camera sensor", at least how it's meant to be interpreted. While technically mirrorless like all webcams, the sensor is under a quarter of the area of the smallest Sony mirrorless intechangeable-lens cameras.

Re: Opal Tadpole – A webcam for laptops

#59

Post by fermentation »

I purchased the Opal C1 and have had nothing but issues. Additionally, my experience with the company has been shady and disingenuous.

My C1 has been far too hot ever since the day I got it. The heat causes it to shut down and disconnect after using for more than 5 minutes. The only way I can actually use it is in low power mode, which removes all of the cool features and makes the video look worse. I have tried all of their software updates for the past year and nothing changed. I reached out to them multiple times over email for support and none of their suggestions helped much. Additionally, they advertised that PC support would come soon. It never came, and when I asked for a refund because they cancelled PC support I was ghosted.

They texted me ads multiple times today.

Re: Opal Tadpole – A webcam for laptops

#60

Post by eclipxe »

callumprentice wrote: post #40

I use the Camo software that turns my phone into a webcam and the quality is astounding but it still suffers from the "appear to be looking elsewhere" issue. I have sketched out a design for a bracket that dangles your phone upside down, in front of the screen and turns the phone front camera into a webcam that's much closer to where you are typically looking. The interesting bit is that software on the phone display…

The hardware exists - PlexiCam (https://www.amazon.com/PlexiCam-Pro-Position-Anywhere-Deskto...)

I use https://snakeclamp.com/ - you can build a custom arm setup. I use a magsafe attachment and mount a phone running Camo on it. Works wonderfully and easy to move out of the way when it's blocking my screen.

Edit: Sorry didn't see the part about the part that projects your screen portion to the area that is occluded. That seems interesting but not sure how that would actually work...

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