For the past week I've been reading several reviews on digital cameras/webcams (PC-Cams) in hopes of getting a good one. At first, I narrowed my choices down to a couple of selections.

Which were:

1.) Logitech ClickSmart 820


Main Features
Resolution 2.0 Megapixel
Webcam Capability Yes
Colour Support Colour
Optical Sensor Type CCD
Total Pixels 2,100,000 pixels
Effective Sensor Resolution 1,920,000 pixels
Digital Zoom 2 x
Shooting Modes Frame movie mode
Exposure Modes Automatic
White Balance Automatic
Digital Video Format AVI
Still Image Format JPEG
Video Capture 10 fps - 60 sec - AVI - 320 x 240 - with 8MB built-in memory
- 320 x 240 - web camera mode
- 640 x 480 - web camera mode

2.) Creative PC-CAM 880


Main Features
Resolution 2.0 Megapixel / 3.0 Megapixel (interpolated)
Webcam Capability Yes
Colour Support Colour
Optical Sensor Type CMOS
Total Pixels 2,000,000 pixels
Interpolated Image Resolution 3,145,728 pixels
Digital Zoom 4 x
Shooting Modes Frame movie mode
Exposure Modes Automatic
White Balance Automatic
Digital Video Format AVI
Still Image Format JPEG
Video Capture 8 fps - 76 sec - AVI - 640 x 480 - with 16MB built-in memory
15 fps - 98 sec - 320 x 240 - with 16MB built-in memory
10 fps - 640 x 480 - web camera mode

Although both cameras are very close in comparison, the difference that matters most to me is the sensor type. As you can see, the "Logitech ClickSmart 820" has a CCD Sensor (Charged-Coupled Device) while the "Creative PC-CAM 880" has a CMOS Sensor (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). Being that CCD sensors produce far better image quality than CMOS sensors, I decided to go with the "Logitech ClickSmart 820" due to the fact that it received better reviews than the "Creative PC-CAM 880" (which received several bad reviews).

I had my mind made up until I came across this marvelous device.

Trust 910Z PowerC@m Optical Zoom Home Page Specs


Main Features
Resolution 3.1 Megapixel / 5 Megapixel (interpolated)
Webcam Capability Yes
Colour Support Colour
Optical Sensor Type CCD
Effective Sensor Resolution 3,014,656 pixels
Light Sensitivity ISO 100, ISO 200
Digital Zoom 4 x
Shooting Modes Landscape, portrait mode, macro, night scene
Exposure Modes Programme, automatic
White Balance Automatic, presets
White Balance Presets Incandescent, fluorescent, daylight, shade
Still Image Format JPEG

So, in closing, I've decided to go with the "Trust 910Z PowerC@m Optical Zoom".

I have a problem though. I can't seem to find a vendor that has a US shipping option. Does anyone know if this camera is available in the US, and if not, is there an available english version?

And how much is the listed price in US money? Look Here

I added a .pdf document for those interested in CCD vs CMOS.

well, if you're looking in the 250 300 us$ range, take a look at the kodak dx 7440. picked that bad boy up a month ago and am happy with it. 4 MP, but with a 4x optical zoom. disregard digital zoom, since that's just the incredible inflatable pixel. ;)

depending on how serious you want to e snapping pix, this one is nice because you get decent pictures in the auto mode, and you can fiddle with the widgets to your hearts content on manual.

and what's all the bad vibes about trolls? they are some of my favorite SR chars...

ah, color me stupid. missed the webcam part.

hm. buy decent digicam, then standalone webcam? sounds to me like the combos give too much away on the digicam end, in favor of the webcam option...

and the video function is really nice. on the 512sd card i popped in i can take 48 minutes of 320*240 at good framerate.

well, yo piqued my interest on the subject, so i did a quick google, and it seems that quite a few of the fuji (www.fujifilm.com) have the webcam feature. they also seem like nice digicams. what is probably a big minus is the fact that they are rather pricey.

i stand by my previous verdict. forget about compromises. you never get what you really need. buy decent cam and decent webcam, probably save money in the process, and you can pick both for it's specialized features.

but then, i could be wrong.