which web cam to get?

October 8, 2007 1:15 PM

Which web cam should I get? My beloved guitar and banjo teacher moved away and we are going to try to continue lessons via web cam. Trouble is, I've never used one. I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop with Windows XP; he has an Apple with the built-in camera. What can I get that will be compatible? Tangential question: is this a crazy idea? Will I be able to see his fingers and hear him clearly?
posted by pipti to Technology (3 answers total)

It's not a crazy idea. As long as everything's well-lit, you should be able to see just fine. I use Skype for webcam communicating and I never have lag or sound problems, but you'll probably both need to wear headphones to reduce feedback.

I have a Mac so I don't know too much about the camera brands, but Logitech cameras served me well when I was on a PC.
posted by lhall at 1:22 PM on October 8, 2007

2nding lhall. I just got a cheapass webcam, and it looks tons better than I thought it would.

The more important considerations are the lighting (use lots!) and glitches in your connection/processing speed (which will cause jumpy images no matter how good your cam is.
posted by Rykey at 2:27 PM on October 8, 2007

Not crazy, definitely try it. I have had tons of success with the Logitech web cams. High quality with full support with every app I've ever used. They make a nice one that snaps onto the top of a laptop.
posted by wile e at 6:17 PM on October 8, 2007