I actually need to capture documents like NRIC, Driving License etc via webcam. However, normal webcam are giving very distorted image with low resolution too. Is there a macro lens for webcam or is there a webcam that has very good lens to produce less distorted image? Can I use any low cost commercial macro lens to "add on" to the webcam, or simply use the CCD with a good quality macro lens provided all position are fixed?
Macro lens for Webcam?
- Thread starter iMbEst
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iMbEst said:
just get a closeup filter to fit infront of the lens.... quality is subjective...
and most of the time, webcam only have res about 640x480, or lower... and it need come how brighter light source for clearer image.
my purpose is to capture an image that's as close as a scanned image from a scanner. However, scanner takes more than 5 seconds to complete the capturing process, I only have less than 1 seconds, that's why webcam is a must.
Del_CtrlnoAlt, could you advice where can I get a closeup filter and how much does it cost(for the cheapest smallest close up filter)? Thanks a lot!
Del_CtrlnoAlt, could you advice where can I get a closeup filter and how much does it cost(for the cheapest smallest close up filter)? Thanks a lot!
Ah. I see what you're into. Webcams are probably out for you. You may need to get a good CCD camera which can fit a C-mount lens. There are quite a number of good C-mount lenses for industrial inspection purposes which has very low distortion. You might want to check out Edmund Optics. They may even have some lenses which may fit the thread of a webcam. You can request for a catalog from there also..iMbEst said:
http://www.edmundoptics.com/sg/
Otherwise, you can try Logitech's webcam or Philips ToUCam. They boast quite good optics and can focus up quite close and works well in low light situations also. So you can try to see if they are suitable for your needs. But they can never be close to a scanned image because you will not get the resolution. A DSLR with a macro lens would be closest but you will need to work on getting a uniform illumination. That's the hard part.
People have been using the ToUCam for astrophotography. I got mine through mail order. I don't think they cost a bomb, there should be cheaper ones which may fit your needs but I'm sure they will cost more than a flatbed scanner. I think a card scanner might be faster, have you tried that already? Then there is the problem of the focusing plane. You will need to mount the camera at a fixed distance over a plane where the card will be so that you do not need to adjust the focus all the time.iMbEst said:
Just checked out some pricelist. ToUCam is available in SLS for $80+, the model is 840K, i do not know what does it mean coz it doesn't tally with its resolution. I heard that it's using Sony HAD CCD ICX098BQ, there is another model cost $30+ which is using 300K as part of its name. Philips is also using DMVC and PCVC as part of the model name, which is kinda confusing to me.
I need it for heavy use, therefore a card scanner with motor built in will wear out easily, the "mouth" of the card scanner may be too thin for some documents compared to namecard, unless you can tell me if there is any card scanner that required no motor movement. Fixing a distance between the card and camera is also a challenge to me, do you guys have any suggestion what kind of tripod or tool can I use to find the best distance to capture the pictures?
I do see some namecard scanner like this but they seems to be using some very solid OCR to recognize the fonts although the image may not be very clear. I have to pay a premium to use their API. Currently I have completed my own OCR API which is still not very optimized yet
as you can see, they are using a super lousy webcam to capture.
I need it for heavy use, therefore a card scanner with motor built in will wear out easily, the "mouth" of the card scanner may be too thin for some documents compared to namecard, unless you can tell me if there is any card scanner that required no motor movement. Fixing a distance between the card and camera is also a challenge to me, do you guys have any suggestion what kind of tripod or tool can I use to find the best distance to capture the pictures?
I do see some namecard scanner like this but they seems to be using some very solid OCR to recognize the fonts although the image may not be very clear. I have to pay a premium to use their API. Currently I have completed my own OCR API which is still not very optimized yet
as you can see, they are using a super lousy webcam to capture.
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