Topic awaiting preservation: Need Help Choosing a Webcam (Page 1 of 1)

So I was thinking for my upcoming trip that I would mount a webcam in my vehicle and automatically snap shots of where I am every 15 minutes or so. I believe I may have discovered a way to record the GPS coordinates with each shot, too, so I might think of something nifty to do with that.

Anyhow, what I'm looking for would meet these requirements:

• Very small. As small as possible. I want to mount it well out of the way, maybe on a sun visor or between the passenger seat and its headrest, and I want to leave it there and not have it attract undo attention when I'm not in the vehicle. One of those ball cams might do the trick if I can take it apart and stuff the innards in something small.
• No external power and no batteries. It has to be one of those USB-only deals, no small point-and-shoot/webcams that I'll have to keep checking the batteries for or have to plug into a power source.
• Very inexpensive. If it gets broken or melts in the Arizona sun, I want not to care. Quality isn't a huge issue, it's just a nifty thing to play with.
• It must be able to see in bright daylight. Explanation below.

I tried one of these things because it was only $20 at Fry's and was nice and tiny. It also looked easy to yank out the USB cable and rewire it with a longer one I could run along the car's interior. Unfortunately, however, the damn thing completely blows out in sunlight. Works OK (for a webcam) in decent room light, but it can't take anything much brighter. I figured the more light the better with these things, but this one, at least, can't compensate over a certain point. I guess that makes sense, I just hdan't thought about it.

I know I can put a neutral-density filter over the front of it, but if I'm going to spend the extra money on that, I might as well just get a different camera if there's a cheap one that can compensate.

There are a couple of other cheapies at Fry's I can try, but I hate to keep returning stuff across town. So before I do that, I thought I'd see if anyone else has any ideas.

Why not try to make your own filter using an old sunglass lens (polaroid type). Head to the nearest thrift shop...about a buck a pair... if that.

Of course in the 'Forward' to your book-to-be you could include "Webcam supplied courtesy of Logitech....." and then tastefully bestowe the virtues of this webcam that can of course deal with bright light. =) Contact their PR dept. Worth a shot I figure.