I need a little webcam, short and cheap

October 20, 2010 3:39 PM

Looking for a unobtrusive cheap webcam to stick on my mid-sized laptop. What are my options?

I'm thinking $30 and under here. Running Windows XP on a 15.4" Dell. I imagine I'd probably put it on as needed, leave it off the rest of the time. Standard definition video should be fine, but I'll certainly take higher if I can get it.

posted by nrobertson to computers & internet (4 answers total)

I bought a bunch of Logitech C310s for users at my facility. It's $50 rather than $30, but it's small, has greatHD image quality and auto-adjustment, and integrated mike.
posted by Burhanistan at 3:46 PM on October 20, 2010

The Logitech C210 is $30, but I agree with Burhanistan that the extra $ to go from VGA to 720HD is worth it.

(I work for Logitech, but this is my personal, not work opinion. I have a C910, but if I didn't get the employee discount, I'd buy myself the C510 for the price/features/attractiveness ratio, but I also take a lot of pics with the webcam.)
posted by Gucky at 4:44 PM on October 20, 2010

My husband just bought me a Kodak S100. He forgets how much it cost, but he thinks it was in the 30.00 range. It works great.
posted by htm at 8:55 PM on October 20, 2010

I use the Microsoft LifeCam VX-5000. It's slightly more expensive then $30 according to the MS website, but I got it for less through Amazon. I use it exclusively for video chat through Gmail, and it works quite well.
posted by undercoverhuwaaah at 4:53 AM on October 21, 2010