Let’s talk a little bit about webcams. Here at Lucky-Star
Photo/Visual Alliance Media, we use our webcams for EVERYTHING. Classes,
communication and comedy (it’s great to be able to send a great little comedic
video “Hello”). So which ones are the best? How do I get the best quality? And
of course, where do I share my videos?
Let’s start with the first question. This is opinion to an extent, but numbers don’t lie. I’ll begin with built-in notebook/netbook webcams. According to several reviews and my own experience, here is the order of quality from best to worst:
MacBook/Pro, HP, Dell, Sony, IBM
I have found that the MacBook/Pro webcams have the clearest quality and most fluid motion. On a daily “on-the-go” use, I’ll utilize the webcams built-in to my HP DV2000 and Lenovo S10. The HP provides a richer sound and clearer picture than my Lenovo. Although, being a netbook it’s easier to carry the S10 wherever I go. It’s good enough for a quick video message, but nothing I would use professionally. Now, I’ll speak briefly about external webcams, because it’s definitely not my expertise. I own a Logitech Communicate STX and I find it to work extremely well on my computers that don’t have a built-in webcam. Nice picture and good sound. Here is a best of line-up that I found online:
Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000, Microsoft LifeCam Show, HP Elite Autofocus, Logitech Vision Pro, Macally Icecam 2
To find which camera is best for your needs and wallet, do your own research, there is a lot of information out there. Now, we are going to focus on getting the best quality.
The first things you should do or really remember is lighting…. Lighting lighting lighting! Lighting is what separates a professional’s photos, videos or even webcam videos. The average person does not have access to expensive Hollywood style lights, but don’t fret… You too can deliver an amazing picture. Let’s start small. Number #1, don’t shoot your video with a bright light behind you. Meaning a window or bright lamp. A lot of people seem to think this will light up your video. Instead, this causes the camera to go crazy and expose the shot for the brightest part of the scene (the window). When this happens you get a dark, silhouetted person. So if you have a bright over-head fan light, this would be a good start. This will provide a diffused soft light and will allow for a clearer and brighter picture. If you don’t have over-head lighting, use a desk lamp placed near the screen of your computer, or behind the webcam. Make sure the lamp has an opaque shade. This again, will provide a soft diffused light. With this technique you’ll be able to obtain the clearest webcam quality that your cam can deliver.
Number #2, stay still. Even with your webcams frame rate set to max, most webcams have a delay and when moving too much you’ll get a ghostly blur. So if you don’t have to move then stay still, don’t try to remain as still as a robot, just avoid larger extreme movements. Try it out and you’ll see an extreme difference. So, remember light to the best of your ability and limit your movements and you’ll be producing some quality web videos.
Now finally, we’ll talk about the best places to deliver your web media. My favorites are YouTube, FaceBook and MySpace. All three sites allow you to record directly from your webcam and embed away from there. Keep in mind, your video is being instantly compressed by each site. This will lower your quality a lot, so you will not be seeing the quality you may have seen with the camera’s software or via webchatting/conferencing. This is why your production value matters so much. If you start off with a bad picture, you’re going to get a worse picture once compressed. Light properly and minimize your movements and you’re video will looks its best once placed on the sites. You will of course need an account with the sites. On YouTube in the upload section, you’ll be able to arm your cam and record directly. Within MySpace, you will need to go to your video section. There you will record directly into your video page. Now with FaceBook, you’re able to record directly onto someone’s Wall (including your own) and within private messages. This is a unique way to send someone a message. So instead of typing what you need to say, you can be seen and heard.
Do some more research. Learn by trying. You can’t mess up, you can only get better. If something doesn’t look right at first, erase it. Give your thanks to the Digital Gods. Erase and redo. Do this over and over till you believe you’ve got it right. Play with it; send video message or even Vlogs. Have fun with your videos. That’s the whole point!
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