Can digital camera be used as webcam?

"pjp" <pjpoirier_is_located_.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:MUvFb.18231$IF6.763903@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
 > My Fuji S602Z works great EXCEPT there's no brightness or contrast
 > control(s) provided in the driver so one can't adjust for light
conditions.
 > The "default" requires light on the order of outside or a bright office
and
 > is next to useless in a normally lit basement rec room type of setting.
 >
 > Bill Anderson wrote:
  > > I am considering buying a Fuji Finepix S5000 and wondering if it be
  > > used as a webcam.
  > >
  > > Thanks.
 >
 >

I have that camera and found that I had no problem using it indoors with
normal lighting in PC Camera mode.

Rob<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Can digital camera be used as webcam? 

I do, I find it too dark and am disappointed that they didn't go the extra
step of adding brightness and contrast controls to the capture driver. In my
dimly lit rec room, my cheap Creative Webcam does a better job acting as a
webcam (although no comparisn in actual image).

Canopus wrote:
 > "pjp" <pjpoirier_is_located_.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
 > news:MUvFb.18231$IF6.763903@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
  >> My Fuji S602Z works great EXCEPT there's no brightness or contrast
  >> control(s) provided in the driver so one can't adjust for light
  >> conditions. The "default" requires light on the order of outside or
  >> a bright office and is next to useless in a normally lit basement
  >> rec room type of setting.
  >>
  >> Bill Anderson wrote:
   >>> I am considering buying a Fuji Finepix S5000 and wondering if it be
   >>> used as a webcam.
   >>>
   >>> Thanks.
  >>
  >>
 >
 > I have that camera and found that I had no problem using it indoors
 > with normal lighting in PC Camera mode.
 >
 > Rob<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Can digital camera be used as webcam? 

"pjp" <pjpoirier_is_located_ RemoveThis @hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:NFFFb.18364$IF6.772076@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
 > I do, I find it too dark and am disappointed that they didn't go the extra
 > step of adding brightness and contrast controls to the capture driver. In
my
 > dimly lit rec room, my cheap Creative Webcam does a better job acting as a
 > webcam (although no comparisn in actual image).
 >
 >
 >

Have you tried adjusting brightness and contrast on your graphics card? I
don't mean overall screen brightness and contrast, but, a different setting
I only recently found called Overlay. You tend to have to dig deep for it
and maybe not all graphics cards support it, Nvidia GForce 2 does. As well
as contrast and brightness it has sharpness, hue and saturation and Gamma
correction and is applied to such things as video (including VCD) and PC
Camera capture. In other words it just effects the screen within the main
screen. Some VCDs I borrowed were far to dark, I thought they were recorded
badly as no amount of adjustments to my screen seemed to help until I found
the Overlay adjustments.

Rob<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Can digital camera be used as webcam? 

Running a Radeon and an Xpert98 (dual monitors) and yes I also have Overlay
"Gama" control etc. Doesn't change the fact one shouldn't have to
specifically adjust such a setting for each device depending on which is
being used at the time. Fuji should have a brightness/contrast control in
the driver.

When I think about it, I have had all three video input devices (Creative
Webcam, Fuji S602Z & camcorder connected to Radeon's composite in) I use all
displaying an image on the screen at the same time. I'm pretty sure the
only one that uses the hardware overlay feature of the Radeon is the
composite video it provides, at least under that scenario as only one
hardware overlay surface is possible at a time is my understanding of the
underlying API.

Canopus wrote:
 > "pjp" <pjpoirier_is_located_.DeleteThis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
 > news:NFFFb.18364$IF6.772076@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
  >> I do, I find it too dark and am disappointed that they didn't go the
  >> extra step of adding brightness and contrast controls to the capture
  >> driver. In my dimly lit rec room, my cheap Creative Webcam does a
  >> better job acting as a webcam (although no comparisn in actual
  >> image).
  >>
  >>
  >>
 >
 > Have you tried adjusting brightness and contrast on your graphics
 > card? I don't mean overall screen brightness and contrast, but, a
 > different setting I only recently found called Overlay. You tend to
 > have to dig deep for it and maybe not all graphics cards support it,
 > Nvidia GForce 2 does. As well as contrast and brightness it has
 > sharpness, hue and saturation and Gamma correction and is applied to
 > such things as video (including VCD) and PC Camera capture. In other
 > words it just effects the screen within the main screen. Some VCDs I
 > borrowed were far to dark, I thought they were recorded badly as no
 > amount of adjustments to my screen seemed to help until I found the
 > Overlay adjustments.
 >
 > Rob<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Can digital camera be used as webcam? 

I also have such adjustments, ATI Radeon here. The difference in opinion
about usability may simply be what I cionsider a dark room? I've tried using
it in a typical basement rec room (12'x20') at night with only two 60 watt
lamps illuminating the room, e.g. typical gamers illumination It fails
where-as my cheap webcam and it's automatic brightness and contrast feature
provides a "good enough" image. I feel the Fuji would work extremely well in
a well lit room (e.g. ordinary house/apartment with daytime sun coming into
room) or pointed outside during daytime. However, my "webcamming" tends to
be in the middle of the night in said "dungeon"

As far as the overlay goes. That'll only work if/when the capture software
is using "overlay" (often called preview) mode. Not all software uses this
including, I believe, NetMeeting and the newer Messenger. Also, changing the
overlay brightness would affect both the "other" webcams/video-in capture
devices I have, DVD playback and as well avi/divx etc. and as they're just
fine as is, a brighter overlay would "wash them out".

I have three "webcams", a cheap Creative Webcam (USB), camcorder connected
to video-in on video card and the Fuji S602. By far the best image is the
Fuji, the worst is the cheap webcam. However, the most versatile and usable
is the camcorder's (turned on, no tape, no timeout) composite out connected
to the Radeon's video-in. Reason is because the zoom as well as the
automatic brightness and contrast control a camcorder typically features all
work. For example, if it's setup some distance away from subject (far corner
of room), said subject can more or less freely move around room and stay in
focus, camera will adjust for shadows and other lighting changes etc. etc.
Also I'll note, given that most webcamming is person to person video, a good
camcorder captures a more than adequate pic Give me a nice view out the
window at some mountains or some jagged ocean coastline and then I'd use the
Fuji

Only problem I have is ATI doesn't provide a VFW driver but only a WDM
driver for the Radeon hence camcorder can't be used in some software.

..
Canopus wrote:
 > "pjp" <pjpoirier_is_located_.DeleteThis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
 > news:NFFFb.18364$IF6.772076@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
  >> I do, I find it too dark and am disappointed that they didn't go the
  >> extra step of adding brightness and contrast controls to the capture
  >> driver. In my dimly lit rec room, my cheap Creative Webcam does a
  >> better job acting as a webcam (although no comparisn in actual
  >> image).
  >>
  >>
  >>
 >
 > Have you tried adjusting brightness and contrast on your graphics
 > card? I don't mean overall screen brightness and contrast, but, a
 > different setting I only recently found called Overlay. You tend to
 > have to dig deep for it and maybe not all graphics cards support it,
 > Nvidia GForce 2 does. As well as contrast and brightness it has
 > sharpness, hue and saturation and Gamma correction and is applied to
 > such things as video (including VCD) and PC Camera capture. In other
 > words it just effects the screen within the main screen. Some VCDs I
 > borrowed were far to dark, I thought they were recorded badly as no
 > amount of adjustments to my screen seemed to help until I found the
 > Overlay adjustments.
 >
 > Rob<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Can digital camera be used as webcam?