Need Advice on Buying Webcam: Intel vs. IBM...

asellon

Junior Member
Sep 19, 2001
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Hi! I'm shopping for my first webcam, and willing to spend up to about US$100 for a USB model. I've narrowed down my selection to either the Intel Pro PC Camera ($99 but offers a $30 rebate) or the IBM Net Camera Pro ($99). Does anyone have any hands-on experience with either of these cams, or have another they would strongly recommend from personal experience? I want to make sure the one I buy has the best picture for the price, ability to handle low light reasonably well, and a decent software package.

I'm using a Dell Dimension 4100 866Mhz Pentium III with 384 megs of SDRAM, 30gig hard drive, Soundblaster Live Digital.

If you can recommend a reliable, prompt vendor with better prices than those I list above, I'd love to know that, too. So far the prices seem pretty much the same wherever I've looked.

Many thanks! :)
 

gtd2000

Platinum Member
Oct 22, 1999
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Goto the "hot deals" section - do a search for the Intel Pro cam which "was" on sale at dell.com for 9.95 after MIR etc.

Otherwise if you need more reviews check out www.cnet.com etc for a wide range of opinions ;)

I use an Ezonics EZ Cam Pro which has very good image quality - I have heard that quite a few of the other Ezonics models are junk though - do not bother with a Logitec Quickcam Express (even for low $$$) - it is complete junk!

The Kodak DVC 325(?) often gets very good reviews but I have seen it in action - the Ezonics blows it away in every way.
I have no idea why it gets such good reviews.

Also check out the 3com cams if you want to spend near the $100 mark.

But check out the hot deals forum before you go any further with any purchase.
 

WonderLlama

Banned
Jul 19, 2001
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in addition,
check out pricewatch for the lowest prices on anything.
then check out reseller ratings to see the ratings of these online vendors. you might find some place selling it alot cheaper, but with no customer service, bad shipping, or any other problems. hope you find the cam you are looking for
 

asellon

Junior Member
Sep 19, 2001
7
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Thanks, WonderLlama -- I'll definitely check out PriceWatch; sounds like a great site to know about!
 

gtd2000

Platinum Member
Oct 22, 1999
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Yeah remember with pricewatch to factor in the shipping costs too!

Don't just assume lowest advertised price = lowest overall cost ;)
 

asellon

Junior Member
Sep 19, 2001
7
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Thanks again, folks -- Dell is now selling the Intel Pro PC Camera unit for $70; the real cheap deal was discontinued (bummer), but with the $30 rebate from Intel, it still ends up being a hot price for what I hear is a good webcam; better than the $99 in retail stores, and better than any factory-new prices listed at PriceWatch.com. Plus, Dell's shipping is only $4.50, which is a pretty good deal, too. So I went ahead and ordered one. Thanks again for the tips; I appreciate it!:D
 

gtd2000

Platinum Member
Oct 22, 1999
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ehm...did u check if Circuit City still have a deal on this in the Hot Deals section?
I'll check for ya - see if I see what I thought I read about it...I think there is a further rebate (manufacturers?) of $30 as a MIR...might be dreaming but might as well check
 

asellon

Junior Member
Sep 19, 2001
7
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Hey Gavin -- thanks for the followup! Yeah, I had seen that other post, and checked at my local Staples and Circuit City locations, as well as on Intel's site. The only rebate out there right now (as of the week of 9/17) is the one I have for $30. So, had I been looking for a webcam 2-3 weeks ago, I could've taken advantage of one of a couple of good deals. But the deal with Dell ($74.50 including shipping) minus the $30 rebate is still pretty good, so I guess I'll have to be content! Still better than the $99 ticket price. ;)
 

gtd2000

Platinum Member
Oct 22, 1999
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Yeah it is a good camera even for that price - my mate/buddy Dave got one at $9.95 and he is very impressed with it.

My Ezonics cam cost around $75 when it was new (almost a year ago) even that was a good price at the time but probably over the odds with the current pricing/deals available.

If you need advice on software for webcams - as in "conferencing" let me know - I've been doing this since 1998...and have a reasonable feel for what is good and what is not... ;)