Recommendations
on
the
Best Cameras for Stop Motionto
use
with
stop motion
GENERAL
REQUIREMENTS
Whether
you
choose
to
use
a
webcamera
or a
DV
camcorder
to
create
you
stop
motion
animation,
it
should
meet
some
basic
requirements
in
order
to
get
a
half
decent
movie
image.
Ideally
you
should
have
full
control
over
all
aspects
of
the
camera
such
as
focus,
white
balance,
zoom,
exposure
etc.
IMAGE
RESOLUTION
The
resolution
of
any
digital
webcam
or
camera
is
often
limited
by
the
camera
sensor
(typically
a
CMOS
sensor
chip).
Quality
digital
still
cameras
however
use
CCD
chips.
These
chips
turn
light
into
signals
that
circuitry
can
convert
into
image
data.
A
CMOS
or
CCD
sensor
is
made
up
of
millions
of
what
is
often
called
"buckets".
These
count
the
number
of
photons
that
strike
the
sensor
and
thus
relates
to
the
image
resolution
and
quality.
The
more
buckets
the
better
the
image
resolution.
The
number
of
resulting
pixels
in
the
image
determines
its
"pixel
count".
For
example,
a
640x480
image
would
have
307,200
pixels,
or
approximately
307,000
pixels.
| Width |
Height |
Aspect Ratio |
Pixels |
MegaPixels |
Example WebCams |
| 320 |
240 |
4:3 |
76,800 |
0.1 |
Cheap Webcams (Any) |
| 640 |
480 |
4:3 |
307,200 |
0.3 |
Mid Priced 40$ plus |
| 832 |
608 |
4:3 |
505,856 |
0.5 |
Logitech & Philips |
| 1,024 |
768 |
4:3 |
786,432 |
0.8 |
Logitech 80$ plus |
The
pixel
count
alone
is
will
not
however
alone
determine
the
resolution
of a
camera.
A
number
of
other
factors
impact
a
sensor's
resolution
such
as
sensor
size
and
lens
quality.
Resolution
is
only
really
of
concern
when
using
webcams
as
digital
video
or
still
cameras
will
have
640x480
resolution
as a
minimum
which
is
broadcast
or
TV
resolution
(in
general).
If
you
webcam
is
only
capable
of
320x240
then
you
will
not
be
able
to
create
stop motion
animations
that
fill
a TV
screen.
However
such
webcams
are
usually
quite
cheap
and
nasty.
MANUAL
FOCUS
You
can
forget
about
working
on
any
form
of
stop motion
animation
with
a
camera
(video
or
digital)
or
webcam
that
does
not
have
some
form
of
focus
control.
Many
webcams
for
example
come
with
autofocus
as
they
generally
are
targeting
the
video
conference
or
webchat
market.
This
is
of
no
use
for
3D
animation.
You
will
need
to
able
to
alter
focus
when
working
with
small
objects
for
animation.
Logitech
high
end
webcams
have
a
digital
focus
function
which
is
very
reliable
and
gives
good
results.
The
Philips
SPC625NC
has
a
manual
focus
on
the
rim
of
the
lens
again
which
is
reliable
and
works
well.
Digital
still
cameras
depending
on
quality,
price
etc.
may
have
both.
But
watch
out
for
autofocus...avoid
it
like
the
plague
when
using
it
for
stop motion.
|
|
MANUAL
IMAGE
CONTROL
Gain,
Exposure
and
White
Balance
are
three
factors
which
you
should
also
have
control
over
with
whatever
camera
you
choose
for
your
stop motion.
White
Balance
-
Some
Quick
notes
on
getting
best
result
for
stop motion
Animation.
The
real
purpose
of
white
balance
adjustment
is
to
compensate
for
the
color
influence
of
the
ambient
light
source
so
that
your
image
will
show
accurate
color.
Whether
you
do
so
by
making
adjustments
on
your
camera
before
you
shoot
or
on
your
computer
after
you
shoot,
the
objectiveshould
to
be
the
same. |
|
Other
aspects
of
manual
image
control
are
accessible
on
most
digital
still
cameras,
camcorders
and
high
end
webcams.
The
snapshot
on
the
right
is
from
the
Logitech
Quickcam
(Delux
and
Pro
series)
software
drivers
set.
You
can
see
that
not
only
do
you
have
manual
override
control
of
the
White
Balance
but
also
focus,
Brigthness,
contrast
and
color
intensity.
The
zoom
function
shown
here
is
digital
zoom.
Be
somewhat
weary
of
using
it
as
zooming
in
will
degrade
the
quality
of
image.
You
are
not
using
a
lens
to
zoom
in
this
instance
but
simply
zooming
in
on
the
image
at
its
current
distance
from
the
image.
So
use
is
sparingly
iif
you
are
concerned
about
maintaining
optimum
image
quality
for
your
stop motion
frames.
Read
on
for
more
information
on
next
page. |
 |
