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I am a software developer and I want to have picture taking in my app, but web cameras are too slow and when they are held for a picture the image is blurred.

First, is the the correct place to ask a question like this?

Second is there a camera that works like that (can be held to take HD picture that will be sent via USB or Bluetooth to a computer)?

Response to request for further information:
My application would be for a set number of users at my company. My company would buy the cameras for them, and then my application would ask them to take the picture at a specific time.

My application would catch the image and show it on the screen. After the image is approved it would be saved (along with a bunch of other stuff).

Our top end price is around $500-$700 per camera. We would need it to take quick blur free images when taking pictures while held.

Vaccano
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  • Most DSLR's are capable of capturing images and transferring them to the PC via USB. This is called tethering. It's not entirely clear to me how this would work in your app. Not all people have a DSLR, but most people do have a (built-in) webcam. Could you maybe explain more what you want to achieve? – Saaru Lindestøkke Mar 07 '14 at 00:47
  • @BartArondson - I updated my question with more info. – Vaccano Mar 07 '14 at 00:56
  • The 'blur' is all about lighting really. If its a dimly lit living room, a 'normal' camera with no flash will be blurry too because of the required shutter speed. – rfusca Mar 07 '14 at 03:51
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    This question appears to be off-topic because it is about making a security camera system or something, not photography. – mattdm Mar 07 '14 at 07:42
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    It also does not show much research effort. We have a number of questions along this lines already, like http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/40197/how-can-i-tether-a-camera-programmatically – mattdm Mar 07 '14 at 07:45

1 Answers1

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If you haven't already, check out the high-end webcam options, like the Logitech C920.

Most DSLRs & mirror-less cameras, as well as some point-and-shoots, support tethered shooting over USB.

  • This may require specific software for some cameras
  • Some have an API/SDK you can use to write your own software (e.g. Canon)
  • You can also use libgphoto2 for tethered shooting

Some cameras also support wifi transfer natively, and a lot of cameras that use SD cards support EyeFi for wireless transfer. You could set up the required FTP or Samba server as part of your app to receive the photos directly, or watch a directory for new files.

You may be able to get entry-level DSLRs for your budget, but it'll be close to the limit. It'll probably be the easiest to integrate/tether though (so will save on development/support costs). Wireless is probably not the best option for a corporate environment (probably already saturated with wifi, and may require user intervention to connect/reconnect).

If you can get some old Canon G9s or something like that, they too support tethering (but apparently Canon have stopped supporting tethering in their newest cameras).

Finally, there are a lot of USB (and Ethernet/Firewire) C-mount cameras, used for security applications. They're often quite low resolution, but are very controllable (I've used Prosillica ones in the past). They too will likely hit the limits of your budget though, but are at least much smaller and more discreet.

drfrogsplat
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