Advice on a webcam

[Johnny Robbo]

I'm without a webcam at the moment & a new online tuition business idea has got me thinking I should really replace my old Logitech QuickCam. Truth be told I never liked the damn thing as it's sound quality was appalling! It was OK for speech... just about, but the moment I tried playing guitar it would clip & fart and sound utterly horrible - unusable, in fact! I used to have to record my guitar in a DAW, then output the audio from that. Then I would spend ages in Windows Movie Maker lining up the audio with the video. Then record a different video for my spoken bits & stitch it all together in Movie Maker again... what a carry on! A 10 minute video lesson for YouTube would take a day to produce.

So... what I'm after is a HD webcam that will mount on my monitor (which is sat on my computer desk - as are my PC monitor speakers) which won't break up & clip the sound when I play at anything above a whisper. I'm not wanting to "turn it up to 11" - I just want to be able to play at "living room" volumes and get a usable sound quality from the camera. I can probably stretch to about forty quid for it.

There are plenty of webcams that fit these criteria, but you know what it's like... you read 20 good reviews, but just one bad write-up will stop you hitting the "BUY" button. Any suggestions, chaps?

Cheers,

John.

[Mike_S]

If it was me, I think i would use my digital camera and just position it say on the back of a chair or something at the correct height instead of getting a web cam. This would mean you would need to already own a half decent digital camera tho (with acceptable sound and a movie mode), and then then upload the vids to the computer.

Maybe not the  help you need, but just a thought.

[Johnny Robbo]

Nah, mate... the only camera I've got is the one on my phone... and that's useless :-)

[Mike_S]

Nah, mate... the only camera I've got is the one on my phone... and that's useless :-)

Ahh... we are nearly the same Johnny...

Here is mine (or pretty close to it)!

[Blooby]

My Betamax flashes "12:00."

[Lurker]

I have an old Flip video camera that sounds ideal for the kind of recording you want to do.  The video is HD and the sound is not bad for a one-button camera.

Here is a video we made a few years ago:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyfMgwuUPkY

These are the drawbacks:
   1) It won't mount on your monitor.  It does have a standard tripod mount.
   2) They aren't making them any more.

However, they can still be found on Amazon and eBay.  You can find some affordable deals.

Here is one I found on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Flip-UltraHD-Video-Camera-Generation/dp/B0023B14TK

There are a number of variations on this camera.  Check it out.  It might work for you.

[Johnny Robbo]

Thanks mate... a bit too pricey for me, to be honest. Just checked Amazon.co.uk & they're up there for about 80 quid which is out of my price range. I'll keep my eyes peeled on eBay though

[Hook]

Wish I had some insight to lend brother. I love the two cameras I have ones that a tascam which is great audio or  and the other ones at Cannon  and they both take great pictures and even the can and has pretty good sound but they both are pretty expensive, not that I know what a quid is worth.
Good luck!

[Lurker]

Thanks mate... a bit too pricey for me, to be honest. Just checked Amazon.co.uk & they're up there for about 80 quid which is out of my price range. I'll keep my eyes peeled on eBay though

On my Amazon page, there is an option for a white camera that cost substantially less than the black that is featured.  Then again, if they're only in the US, the shipping could cost more than the camera. 

I've been shopping off and on for a camera with a remote mic input.  I'll let you know if I find something that may work for you.

[Johnny Robbo]

Thanks Lurker... yeah I've been stung by Customs & Excise before when I've imported stuff from North America, so now I don't bother even trying. My wife is Canadian & I ordered her some Toronto Maple Leafs stuff a few years ago for her birthday... it only cost around £50 (including shipping). A couple of weeks later, though, I got a letter from Royal Mail telling me that my stuff was at a depot & I could come & pick it up as long as I brought another £40 with me to cover the import duties. Since then, I only order anything online from a UK/EU supplier.