IFOC Catcams

ANSWER:

Let's meet the cameras:

Camera #1 - NCL Security IPC-WZ300N.

I got this sucker on woot.com for a steal. It has wireless and LAN capability, IR LEDs on the front for night-vision. Simialr chassis to the Hawking, but much better controls and performance. Works great as a food bowl camera because that area is pretty dark..

Camera #2 - Logitech Quickcam Pro 5000.

Wow. The RealImage or RealWhatever combined with the software lets this camera handle the sunlight wonderfully. It's got a wide viewing angle to it, and it's perfectly focused. The only drawback is that Logitech has gone from industry-standard screw-bases to proprietary bases with weird grippy-things. Makes it hard to fix the camera into one position with a clamp.

Camera #3 - Panasonic BL-C30A.

Zippy little security camera with decent PTZ capabilities. Strong wireless, decent camera quality. Apparently has a heat-sensor for tracking things, which we'll see how well it works with cats.

Cameras #4 & 6 - Logitech Communicate SFX.

This is a simple USB camera with a gripper stand. The manual controls for light levels and color boost are a bit annoying, but at least it doesn't have a motorized pedestal like the Orbit does, which reset after every reboot. The base is weird, and I probably should have paid 20 more bucks for a 4000 or 5000.

Camera #5 - Logitech Orbit.

The orbit has a great image quality and focus. Being able to steer it is kinda neat, but a pain in the ass when Camera Assistant goes nuts and crashes the box. Still, it's better than the constantly out-of-focus piece of crap it replaced and I'll figure out how to disable the reset of position when the system reboots.

Camera #7 - Hawking Technologies HNC 320W.

Inexpensive wireless standalone camera that can self FTP to site with auto-adjust for light sensitivity. Nice mounting bracket, industry-standard threading on top and bottom of camera. I currently have it mounted on a GorillaPod hanging from a table lamp. Not exactly the best quality, color is washed out, but good for a throwndown last-minute portable camera.