The webcam is increasingly considered as a standard piece of computer equipment. They are relatively cheap and frequently find their way onto gift lists, and their low cost makes a useful give away with new computers.
So if you have a webcam, is it actually connected to your PC? We guess probably not. Many webcams are sitting in drawers or cupboards without being used.
Maybe this is because you have yet to realise your gadget's full potential. If that rings true for you, or if you are considering buying your first webcam, read on.
Anyone thinking about purchasing a webcam may feel a little overwhelmed by the range on offer. We've chosen a representative sample and put them through their paces.
Although dedicated webcams are still available, it's also possible to buy digital stills cameras that double as webcams and many manufacturers favour this flexible approach.
Some of the cameras featured here claim to be stills cameras away from the desktop, but they are not suitable for anything other than fun photography, as they lack features and options in order to keep the prices down. They all shine as webcams though.
CREATIVE WEBCAM
Peripherals don't come more simply titled than this. The Creative Webcam is as straightforward an example as you could hope to find. It connects to a PC using USB and that's about all you need to know about its set-up.
The software supplied supports all basic webcam functions, and images are captured at a resolution of 352 x 288. It's small and cute, and certainly unobtrusive enough to keep tucked away when not in use. The range of movement on the small base is adequate to point the camera in whichever direction you require.
Making it take still snaps is a doddle thanks to the snapshot button on top. If you fancy using it as a video phone, you'll need a separate microphone as none is built in. For £25 though, it is difficult to fault.
Price: £25
Contact: www.creative.com
LOGITECH QUICKCAM PRO 4000
The QuickCam Pro 4000 from Logitech has lots of extra features over the Creative Webcam to make it more flexible and ultimately more fun.
The most noticeable is a built-in microphone, which is great for web chats or using instant messaging services. It captures video at a 640 x 480 resolution which is better quality than the budget Creative PC-CAM 300 and still image capture is at 1280 x 960, approximately 1.3 megapixels.
That's very impressive but, as a dedicated webcam, it has to be connected to the PC at all times to take pictures. Sending such big files via email will win you few friends as they take much longer to download at the other end.
The QuickCam looks like you imagine a webcam should, and it has a good range of movement for easy and precise positioning.
The bundled ImageStudio software facilitates video broadcasting, motion detection and all manner of other webcam functions and makes the QuickCam a good choice for the beginner, if you can justify the price tag.
Price: £80
Contact: 01753 870900
www.logitech.com
SONY CMR PC2
If you're a notebook owner, you probably don't want a whacking great webcam towering over your neat little computer. You might prefer a webcam that's easy to carry around so you can use it where you'd normally use your computer.
There are several small webcams around that are ideal for portable computer owners, although there's nothing to stop you using them with a desktop machine as they can sit there unobtrusively waiting to do their thing.
Sony's CMR-PC2 is a very small device and is one of our favourites. It doesn't have a stand and instead clips neatly onto the back of a flat notebook PC lid so that it sits behind the screen.
You can also use it in this way on flat panel monitors, and if you have a more old-fashioned monitor you get a small stand to stick to the monitor and hold the camera in place. With the camera in position, its lens can be swivelled through 180 degrees.
Being a Sony, the CMR-PC2 looks pretty neat with its silver casing and comes with a carrying case and a rather nice, discreet lapel-clip microphone.
The software includes a face-recognition application that only grants access to your computer if it recognises your features, as well as video conferencing software and digital still and video capture tools.
It's a fairly staid software bundle for a webcam that is probably more suited to professionals than fun users but, if discreet is what you are looking for, this could fit the bill nicely.
Price: £90
Contact: 0800 26237669
www.sonyisstorage.com
LOGITECH CLICKSMART 310
The ClickSmart 310 is another webcam which doubles as a digital stills camera. You can slip it easily out of its desktop docking station and carry it around for taking snapshots.
It can cope with 160 still images on its 2MB of built-in memory or up to 15 seconds of video. In digital stills camera mode it needs four AAA batteries.
The camera has a nice feel to it and when in webcam mode its docking station has a very wide angle of swivel and a good, solid base. It's a bit awkward to swivel with the camera in place, though, as it has a tendency to slip out of its holder easily.
If you're unimpressed by the camera's mere 2MB of internal memory for use away from the computer, the accompanying software should endear it to you, especially if you are a newcomer to webcams.
The bundle includes a version of Logitech's QuickSync software, which is used to transfer images from the camera to the PC. All the software is controlled from a single front screen via an array of buttons, and you can create videos, video emails, set up a webcam to function via a web page, make time-lapse animations and use the camera as a motion detector.
Price: £60
Contact: 01753 870900
www.logitech.com
TRUST 120 SPACEC@M
Trust produces a huge range of digital cameras of varying specifications, many of which double as webcams. The new Trust 120 Spacec@m is available at an extremely low price. Its features are limited but it captures stills and video and can be used with third-party software such Microsoft's NetMeeting.
So if you aren't sure whether you'll benefit from a webcam, it could be a useful camera with which to experiment.
The 120 Spacec@m has a rather nice design and the stand has a solid base allowing the camera head to swivel through a reasonably wide arc. There isn't a snapshot button or any other controls come to that, so all image capture and management needs to be done from your computer.
Two applications are supplied: Arcosoft PhotoImpression for capturing and managing stills, and Arcsoft Video Impression for moving image capture and manipulation. This is a basic camera but it is sold at a very reasonable price.
Price: £20
Contact: 01376 502050
www.trust.com
CREATIVE PC-CAM 300
This is pretty large in webcam terms and you will certainly notice it on your desk. You will also notice it in your pocket as it doubles as a digital stills camera and the four AAA batteries make it rather heavy.
Its 8MB of internal memory will store a maximum of 255 images but beware of the claims on the box that it has a resolution of 1,280 x 960. This will only be achieved by computer enhancement techniques called interpolation. The top resolution is actually 640 x 480, which is good enough for sharing over the internet but it's a poor digital camera.
The camera's snail shape might look odd but it actually feels quite good when held in the hand for use away from the computer. The large shutter button falls comfortably to hand while the bevelled part of the casing is comfortable to hold.
The status screen is nicely visible with this arrangement. Left-handers should note that the PC-CAM 300's design makes it only suitable for right-handed users. The cradle allows for a relatively limited range of movement of the camera's lens when it is on your desk in 'docked' mode.
The camera can capture video and sound but don't expect camcorder-quality output. This device is strictly for fun. The software bundle provided is competent, including media management tools, motion sensor software, photo editing and video conferencing applications.
Price: £85
Contact: www.creative.com
Webcam activities
We've shown you some of our favourite webcam solutions but the problem is often not which one to buy but what to do with it. Well, there are a surprising number of activities that a webcam will enable you to enjoy.
Some are of course related to using your webcam for internet-based activities but others are a little less obvious.
Web conferencing
If you've got friends and relatives around the world, you can keep in visual contact via a web conference. Make sure that you both have webcams and that you also have web conferencing software.
Microsoft's NetMeeting is a useful application for getting to know more about web conferencing because it's free and easy to install and use. If you don't already have it, and it didn't come with your new webcam, you can download it here.
Follow the instructions on how to use it and you'll be chatting face to face with your friends in no time at all. Windows XP includes Messenger instead.
Home security
Quite a few webcams come with some sort of motion detection software and if yours doesn't there are many shareware options such as HomeWatcher.
The idea is that you set the software up and then leave the webcam running when you are away. When the camera detects motion, it takes a snapshot.
We aren't suggesting that you use a webcam instead of a full home security system as it's not always the most discreet option. But there are other interesting possibilities.
Younger family members might like to play James Bond or you could use it to find out which neighbourhood cat is eating your own moggy's food when your back is turned.
It's also an excellent complement to an audio baby monitor as it can provide video evidence of what's making Junior fractious.
Video mail
We all know about email and many of us find ourselves sending digital images to friends and family from time to time. But have you ever thought of sending video mail? These can be far nicer to receive than a relatively impersonal greetings card from a nondescript website.
Of course, you don't want Gran to be downloading your lovingly created video mail for hours before she can see it, so you'll need to keep the clip as short as possible.
A quick rendition of Happy Birthday rather than The Rime of the Ancient Mariner should keep file sizes sensible. Set the frame rate relatively low and keep the image size itself relatively small too.
It's a good idea to choose the lowest quality settings that your software offers for starters, then preview your video mail and see if it's alright to view. If the quality is a bit too low, keep adding to it until you reach a healthy compromise between quality and performance.
Play snap
We've established that digital images taken with webcams aren't of a quality to produce standard sized prints on photographic paper. But this doesn't mean that you can't use them creatively. Taking a webcam snap should ensure a small file size, which is very suitable for emailing or posting on a website.
One idea is to use the camera to take shots of things you no longer want and would like to sell. You can then use these to illustrate advertisements at online auction sites like eBay. A picture really does speak a thousand words, showing the goods off to far more advantage than descriptive text ever can.
Have fun with print projects
Even though you can't get photographic prints from a standard webcam, you could still use the images for personalising greetings cards, calendars and many other print projects you can do with suitable PC software.
Manage your website
It's as easy to take snapshots with a detachable webcam as it is with any other digital camera and as easy to get those images into your computer when you're ready to make use of them. If you just want digital images to smarten up your website, then a webcam that can function away from your computer is ideal.
To make the most of the available storage memory in your webcam, set the image quality as low as the camera offers as it will probably be fine for website use.
Set up an internet webcam
Now that internet connections are starting to take off, it is technically possible for anybody's computer to store a live website with the ability to change constantly and reflect real-world surroundings.
Setting up your own computer to constantly feed a website with new information does require you to take some security precautions. It's not something we would suggest you do without thinking it through thoroughly and researching the security points in particular.
But, if you do decide to go ahead, you could join the thousands of people who maintain live feeds to the internet via their webcams, featuring all sorts of weird and wonderful things. To see what we mean, visit UK Webcameras and have a hunt around.
Make a time-lapse presentation
Some digital cameras come with software for taking time-lapse images, and this can be great fun. One of the most rewarding time-lapse projects is to photograph a plant as it grows and moves towards the sun but there are other options.
Point your camera at a busy street and watch the movement patterns during the day, or shoot a sky scene over a 24-hour period to watch day roll into night and back again.
If your software lets you take images at intervals of a second or less, you can come up with some fun time-lapse sequences of pets or home life in general.
Get the message
You don't need a webcam to share pictures with people that are far away from you. The latest mobile phone technology in the form of picture messaging lets you take a snapshot with your mobile phone and send it to someone with a compatible phone.
The two most popular models at the moment are the Sony Ericsson T68i with Communicam attachment and the Nokia 7650. Plenty of other manufacturers are planning to roll out their photo-compatible models in the coming months.
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