can I use a webcam for image aquisition

[apatas]

Because I want to keep the cost of my application as low as possible I was wondering if I can use a simple webcam just to grab an image every let's say 30 secs

[BruceAmmons]

The short answer is: Yes, you can use a webcam. There are numerous postings discussing drivers.

The long answer is: I don't necessarily recommend it. It really depends what you are trying to do. It is a low price solution, but you get what you pay for. You will have higher noise, no field of view options, and no selection of lens focal length. Light levels will vary and the webcam may or may not automatically compensate for this. If you just want to display an image, the webcam will work great. If you want to analyze the image, you may not get very good results. Image calibration would probably be difficult also.

Bruce

[crelf]

I agree totally with Bruce - with the amount of time you'll need to spend trying to get a webcam applicaiton up and running, it will be cheaper to go with an IEEE1394 FireWire solution, which will be faster, bettwr quality, etc. Webcams are generally for that only - web conferencing, where resolution and accuracy aren't really important.