Could You recommend me a webcam that is working under linux without problems ? I was considering Logitech QuickCam Chat (Skype version) but I found that it has problems with some versions of ubuntu (it was a bug that is fixed now or will be fixed soon I guess). It is also important that webcam could be mounted on notebook (as I can see QuickCam Chat can be mounted on laptop screen, yes ?)


thanks,
Michael


EDIT: On this page: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SkypeWebCams
There's nothing about problems with gamma on QuickCam Chat...

I bought a LogiTech QuickCam E 3500 webcam.

It works perfectly with Skype on Ubuntu Linux 8.10. It also works perfectly with Ekiga.

I have yet to get it working with any app than actually *capture* video, but Skype and Ekiga both work fine.

Would you recommend this same camera for my computer; I cannot get my webcam to work either for Ubuntu 8.10.

Any webcam supporting UVC should work just fine. I find logitech UVC models particularly easy to get going. Only the uvcvideo kernel module needs to be installed (usually is by default). Plug in -> it works!

Best cheapie is the Logitech Quickcam 3000 for business (OEM), got one for about £13. For a nice but pricey cam look at the Quickcam 9000 pro or Quickcam pro for Notebooks (both are essentially the same cam, the latter has a different form factor more suited to notebooks). Typically these nicer models are around £40-£50.

Havin a few issues with skype video calling at the moment (with any cam), all the buttons disappear from the videocall window and I don't see my own thumbnail, also using the hi-res camera hack seems less stable since using it I've had a couple of crashes from Skype. I think these issues may be connected with the version of QT installed; the problems appeared since I rolled back to a more stable QT for other reasons (4.4.0).

Hate to chime in on the Skype for Linux thing but I really hope we see some updates soon. Even some basic improvements and bugfixes to Skype 2 would be welcome.

I also suggest buying something that is UVC compatible. I would also recommend to get something even slightly expensive.

Most cheap webcams have rubbish quality image in linux. I have philips spc-610nc, and SPC210NC. both show really good quality in XP but very dark images in linux.

I have a logitech quickcam pro for notebooks and it works very well. However I have the same issues as sebt. When I turn video during a call, the buttons in the video call dissappear. They come back only if I stop using video.

I'm also using libqt 4.4.3 right now. Although I blame this issue on the fact that I'm using skype's 64-bit version hack (a 32-bit skype with the right library paths). I say this because I recently installed the same Linux distro (Debian 5.0.2 Lenny) but 32-bits on another laptop, and this behavior is not present.

I found these links:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=795676

They solved the problem using the static version of skype which doesn't depend directly of libqt4.