I haven’t done exhaustive testing yet, but I do have two webcams from Logitech, and both seem to do the job for telepsychiatry. The first of these is the Logitech Webcam Pro 9000
Logitech Webcam Pro 9000
which retails for $76.99 at Amazon right now. I have this camera on my computer in my office. The video quality on this camera and the next one is great. I’ve got a 30″ monitor at home and I don’t see any pixelation on the images from either of these cameras unless I maximize the Skype image to full screen. (When I do this, people almost look cartoonish because their face is about twice life-size!). Audio quality is good, with just a tad bit of echo.
The other is the Logitech 2 MP Portable Webcam C905 / QuickCam Pro for Notebooks
Logitech 2 MP Portable Webcam C905 / QuickCam Pro for Notebooks
the webcam I use at home. Amazon has it for $74.95 right now. This camera is basically on par with the previous one. However, it has one feature, a stand, that makes it my first choice for a webcam, even if you aren’t using a notebook. The camera on the stand looks like this:
Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks on stand
What I’ve found when I set this camera up on its stand, directly in front of my monitor, it really helps the patient on the other end because, as I’m looking at the screen, I’m simultaneously looking directly into the camera, and that means that the video that the patient sees is one where I appear to be looking directly at them. I think that this trick works so well that I’m about ready to give away my Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 and just replace it with another Logitech 2 MP Portable Webcam C905 / QuickCam Pro.
Bottom line: Buy the Logitech 2 MP Portable Webcam C905 / QuickCam Pro. The other webcam is nice, but lacks a stand.
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