The Webcam I bought finally came and to be honest, I was not expecting much apart from it being able to give me clear videos. I do know there are possible APPs which allows Android phones to become a Webcam but man, hanging a heavy phone from a shelf is asking for trouble…
One of the features I was looking for in the Webcam was the manual focus since I plan to produce more content for my YouTube channel. It was strange that the Webcam could not focus on short distances despite my turning the lens many times. And as expected, this roughly USD10 Webcam experience went downhill from here…
Apart from securing the actual camera to the casing, there were no other screws. After a few tries with fingernail, I was able to pry the cover off. This allowed me to examine the Webcam closely and also, answer my question why the captures sound was so bad. The microphone was not located behind the scratched front fascia but rather, way at the back where it was soldered to the PCB. Secondly, the camera lens bezel was a lie. The whole lens was secured with a very hard and effective hot-melt glue. After removing the glue, I was able to adjust the focusing. This was the image I wanted but because of the lens, the camera was actually about a feet away. So, I would need to find another M12 2MP CCTV lens, maybe an 8mm might do it since the only anchor for the Webcam was 2 feet high. I have no idea what this lens is, but I could be a 3mm. The Webcam’s Sensor which makes me think this could be a Widescreen camera but alas, it is not. The red and green LEDs represents the Power and Microphone respectively. All they do was to cat reddish reflection on my subjects.
So, I am almost there, and all I need now is a proper lens. Or maybe, I can just get some PVC pipes and do a 1 feet makeshift stand for the Webcam. And then do some more tests to determine both video and sound quality. I foresee the need to leave the cover off for the microphone to pick up better sounds.
