Best cameras usb or PAL?

Question

Do you know what gives the best results for captured jpg on motion?

1. USB camera with decent 640x480 CCD such as Toucam Pro? or 2. PAL CCTV connected to WinTV and captured images

Thanks

Environment

Motion version:	3.2.3
ffmpeg version:
Libraries:	ffmpeg, mysql, postgresql
Server OS:

-- TWikiGuest - 18 Oct 2005

Answer

The general answer is that a good CCTV camera is always better.

The Toucam Pro is probably the best USB camera and it is cheap. But a professionel CCTV camera which cost 5-20 times more is much better because of better light sensitivity. auto iris, better optics etc etc. A CCTV camera may seem to have less resolution but often the actual CCD in a USB cam is not that large. It just makes the extra pixels in software. A good CCTV camera with a good lens that zooms in on a face is 100 times better than a cheap USB cam. You also have to remember that a CCTV camera can maintain framerate and short shutter times in low light. The Toucam Pro looks great in almost darkness - until something moves. Then you see the moving person splashed out because the shutter time is maybe 1/20 or 1/5 of a second.

But who has 1000 USD or more for a camera as a hobby guy? Very cheap CCTV camera are worst than the Toucam Pro.

-- KennethLavrsen - 18 Oct 2005