We look at over twenty webcams and bring you the Editor’s Choice for the top three.
The results of our reviews of the most popular webcams show that webcams in general are getting much better in quality and are becoming more sophisticated in features.
Webcams are growing in popularity and MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, AOL AIM and Skype have all included a webcam option in their messaging applications.
Webcams are also used for video conferencing, remote home monitoring, and web- or podcasting.
Using high speed Broadband Internet Access, the images from the webcams are smooth and clear [especially when there are no firewalls].
Results
According to CNET, the best webcam under US$100 is the Logitech QuickCam Pro 4000
CNET rating: 7.8/10
According to PC Magazine, the best webcam under US$100 is the Logitech QuickCam Fusion
PC Magazine rating: 4.5/5
According to Tom’s Hardware, the best webcam under US$200 is the Watchport/V2
Tom’s Hardware evaluation: Winner of Webcam Shootout
According to Frank’s Webcams Review, the best webcam under US$100 is the Logitech QuickCam Fusion
Frank’s evaluation: Winner of the best overall camera
According to Frank’s Webcams Review, the best webcam for a laptop under US$100 is the Logitech QuickCam for Notebooks Pro
Frank’s evaluation: Best portable webcam
Editor’s Choice
The two most recommended webcams are the Logitech QuickCam Pro 4000 and the Logitech QuickCam Fusion.
Both have very good image quality and excellent low light sensitivity.
The Logitech QuickCam Fusion has a 1.5 megapixel image sensor whereas the Logitech QuickCam Pro 4000 has to interpolate to obtain the same resolution.
We recommend the Logitech QuickCam Pro 4000 because it has a relatively smooth video streaming at 640 X 480 resolution (30 fps) and does not require a powerful CPU. The Logitech QuickCam Fusion is also a great choice especially if your computer has a very powerful processor and USB 2.0 High Speed interface so as to be able to obtain the best results.
Webcams Reviews and Evaluations
| Webcams | CNET Rating | PC Rating | Tom’s Hardware | Frank’s Evaluation |
| Logitech QuickCam Pro 4000 | 7.8/10 | 5/5 | Fair | Very good |
| Logitech QuickCam Fusion | 7.6/10 | 4.5/5 | - | Best Overall |
| Watchport/V2 | - | 4.5/5 | Best | - |
| Logitech QuickCam Orbit | - | - | Good | Quite Good |
| Logitech QuickCam Pro 5000 | 7.0/10 | - | - | Very Good |
| Labtech Webcam Pro | - | - | Poor | |
| Creative Webcam Live! Motion | 6.7/10 | 4.0/5 | Bad | Fair |
| Microsoft LifeCam VX-6000 | 7.0/10 | - | - | - |
| Creative Live Cam Voice | 7.2/10 | - | - | - |
| Creative WebCam Live Ultra | 7.0/10 | - | - | Good |
| Apple iSight | 7.2/10 | 5/5 | - | - |
| Veo Advanced Connect | - | - | - | Fair |
| Veo Velocity Connect | - | - | - | Bad |
| WiLife LukWerks | 7.1/10 | - | - | - |
| Ezonics EZCam II | 5.0/10 | - | - | - |
| Creative Webcam NX | - | - | - | Fair |
| Logitech Quick Cam Messenger | - | - | - | Poor |
| Logitech QuickCam Orbit | - | 4/5 | - | - |
| DLink VisualStream camera DSB-C110 | - | 2/5 | - | - |
| Creative Labs PC Cam 600 | - | 3/5 | - | - |
| Orange Micro iBO T2 Webcam | - | 2/5 | - | - |
| X10 FloodCam | - | 2/5 | - | - |
| Ezonics EZphone Cam | - | 4/5 | - | - |
| Xanboo Internet Home Management sys | - | 4/5 | - | - |
| Octave Multipod 5 in 1 | - | 3/5 | - | - |
| Creative Webcam NX Ultra | - | - | Fair | Good |
| Creative Webcam NX Pro | - | - | - | Good |
| Intel Pro CS430 | - | - | - | Best picture |
| Laptop Webcams | CNET Rating | PC Rating | Tom’s Hardware | Frank’s Evaluation |
| Veo Mobile Connect | 7.3/10 | - | - | - |
| Logitech QuickCam for Notebooks Deluxe | 7.3/10 | - | - | - |
| Logitech QuickCam for Notebooks Pro | 7.0/10 | - | - | Best |
| Ezonics iContact Pro | - | 2/5 | - | - |
| Creative Webcam Notebook | - | 3/5 | - | Fair |
| Creative Live Ultra for Notebook | - | - | - | Good |
Picture Sizes
There are basically three screen sizes for webcams.
The smallest being 160 X 120 pixels (1.67 X 1.25 inch or 5 X 3.75 cm).
This is pretty small and not very suitable for chatting.
The next size is 320 X 240 pixels, which is 4 times bigger than the previous one.
It is possible to have 30 frames per seconds at this resolution.
The image quality is smooth, depending on how fast your PC is.
The common biggest webcam size is 640 X 480 pixels.
At this resolution the frame rate is usually 15 fps.
The image could be choppy and blurry if there are fast movements.
Some of the latest webcams can have a screen size of 1.3 megapixels but the frame rate would be too low for a smooth display.
It is possible to adjust screen sizes other than the mentioned standard ones.
Webcams Tips
To obtain the best webcam pictures you would need:
- A very good webcam, preferably with a USB 2.0 connectivity. Ensure your computer also has USB 2.0 ‘High’ Speed interface, not 1.1 [Editor's note: don't get fooled by USB 2.0 'Full' Speed claims: it's really the 40x slower USB 1.1 given a more sexy label]
- A broadband Internet Access
- A computer with fast processor - CPU running at 1.7 GHz or higher
