What was the first ever web camera 'QuickCam' like?
The video camera ``
Connectix QuickCam - by John Paul Wohlscheid
https://computeradsfromthepast.substack.com/p/connectix-quickcam
The 1st ever webcam-Connectix Quickcam-YouTube
This is the QuickCam package.
The word 'webcam' is common these days, but when the QuickCam was released, there was no such word. In fact, the word webcam appeared a year or two after the release of QuickCam.
The contents are QuickCam main body
Floppy disk for installation
Manual.
Connect to PC via parallel port.
QuickCam can shoot at 320 × 240 pixels. In other words, 0.8 megapixels, but the 8-Bit Guy explains that such a representation did not exist in 1994. Also, QuickCam could express up to 16 shades of grayscale.
For installation, first prepare the attached triangular base.
It is said that it will be used with such feeling.
It also has a screw hole for attaching to a tripod, etc.
Although it is necessary to install software to use QuickCam, it takes less than a minute because it is one floppy disk.
Two softwares are installed: the basic 'QuickPict' and 'QuickMovie' for creating video clips.
QuickPict looks like this. In order to shoot a clear image with QuickCam, it was necessary to make fine adjustments such as brightness and contrast with QuickPict.
The frame rate was 15 fps, which The 8-Bit Guy said was 'horrible.' Below is my image that The 8-Bit Guy, who actually used QuickCam, shot in 1995-1996.
Speaking of cameras at that time, it was a film camera, but The 8-Bit Guy who felt it was troublesome to carry the film seems to have mainly used QuickCam.
The 8-Bit Guy also sometimes carried a camera attached to his PC.
It seems that what was actually shot was like this.
In addition, The 8-Bit Guy was shooting color photos with QuickCam, which can only shoot black and white. First, prepare red, green, and blue color filters.
Photographs taken through each filter are taken one by one and combined by software.
A stuffed animal whose original color is like this ......
You can shoot mostly accurately.
The QuickCam used by The 8-Bit Guy this time is an early version, but later a version with a USB connection and expanded gradation has appeared. QuickCam was doing well with 1 million units sold in 4 years, but in 1998 the developer, Connectix Corp, was acquired by Logitech.
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