Making my own webcam

Since I got a second monitor, I've been meaning to install a webcam so that I can look at my main screen instead of my laptop screen when on video calls. According to The Wirecutter, the Logitech C920S is the best webcam out there at the moment.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the webcam is out of stock at all the usual resellers, but you can find it on eBay for £180, instead of the usual £85. Apparently drop shippers have switched from hoarding toilet paper and hand sanitiser to work-from-home tech?

Then I remembered that I actually just want a good-quality video feed, and that it doesn't necessarily have to be a webcam. A lot of people have been using point-and-shoot cameras combined with an HDMI capture card. That made me wonder if the new Raspberry Pi high-quality camera module could be used a as webcam?

Yes, it can. So I've ordered a Raspberry Pi Zero W, a HQ Camera module, 6mm wide-angle lens, camera cable and micro SD card. I'm looking forward to putting this together, with the hope that it will be a better quality video feed than what would've been possible with the Logitech webcam. DIY FTW!


I’m publishing this as part of 100 Days To Offload. You can join in yourself by visiting https://100daystooffload.com.

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