The pandemic has caused the video conferencing programs to ‘ZOOM’ 
, and reviewed brand name webcams to become unavailable or the prices have gone up in multiples for places like Amazon or Newegg. :person_facepalming:
You would think it was toilet paper. :money_mouth_face:
There are off brand in eBay or sites like Bangood. I’m after a decent one but does not have to be excellent, just reliable and maybe under $50?
Not too happy with my laptops system, though it does work. Have a presentation to a Club in about a month and would really rather use my desktop.
You can try the Sony PS3 Eye. It’s not the latest 4K but it’s quite capable for a web cam.
It’s got 640*480@60hz and 4 capsule microphone array. Has 56° field of view for chat and 75° field of view for long shot. Plus you can do some cool hacks with it if you search online. I’m sure you can find one in your local Craigslist. That’s where I got mine.
An alternative which I use is to plug my phone into the PC and use Epoccam, which turns your cell phone camera into a web cam. Works well, but you’ll have to MacGyver a way to mount it.
Got a Sony PS3 Eye on the way. Will try that out, see how it does.
The C920 is a bit more than that buyt maybe you can find a used one for $50.
It’s basically one of the top 3 webcams that exist so…
That’s interesting. I’ll keep that in mind of the PS3 doesn’t work out. $50 seems to be a sketchy ‘bottom’. New is going $130 and up.
See if you can pick up a wyze cam. I heard they have software for turning it into a webcam now
The Sony PS3 Eye with the driver patch for a PC does work. Turns out I have a bit of a glitch with my audio driver so that created a hassle, not the camera’s fault. It has 640x480 resolution so is no better than my laptop. I’ve decided for now to just stick with the laptop.
I’m also using my laptop camera for Zoom. It’s a Dell and the camera is located below the screen. And I’m using an external monitor.
Everyone on Zoom gets to look up my nostrils from the side. :smiling_imp: :smiling_imp: :smiling_imp:
FWIW, I ended up getting this off Amazon:
Actually came from China. Had some shipping issues that got promptly resolved after a letter to customer service. Took ~ month.
Simple plug and play. (Had to remove the PS3 driver, which messed it up).
Vastly better than the PS3. Better resolution, better color, better dynamic range, better mic., more adjustable and even a mini tripod. No contest.