PCI vs. USB interfaced image grabber/camera?

[Lili05]

I am in search of an image grabber card (with camera) for real-time image processing applications, but not sure whether a PCI or USB-interfaced grabber/camera satisfies the needs better, regarding the image acquiring speed. The cost is also a concern.

Thanks.

[BruceAmmons]

It really depends on your application.  If you just want to take pictures, you could probably find a relatively cheap USB camera that would do the job.  If you need to do analysis, you probably need a higher quality camera.

Medium quality images would be a standard analog camera with a PCI board.  Only use color if you need it, because grayscale cameras give better quality images.

High quality images require a digital camera.  I would recommend looking at firewire cameras, which offer a large number of resolutions and speeds.

Bruce