Comparison of camera methods

A quick comparison of different methods you can use for April Tag Tracker (ATT). You should always just test whatever you have at hand first.

Using a USB webcam:

Pros:

• No latency

Cons:

• Some webcams may not have manual exposure control

If you have a USB camera, you should try that first. If it turns out to not support manual exposure control, you can switch to a phone later. A ps3 eye camera will work, but just barely due to its low resolution.

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Using IP-Webcam wireless:

Pros:

• Fairly simple to setup
• Plenty of video options

Cons:

• Requires a good WiFi connection
• Your PC and phone must be connected to the same network
• Only for android phones

If you have your PC and android phone connected to the same router and you have a strong WiFi connection on your phone, this is the option you should use.

Tutorial:

Download the app IP Webcam from the play store. Start the app. Under video preferences->video resolution, select the resolution you wish to use. You should try to use a 4:3 aspect ratio with a resolution of around 800x600. Then, go back and click start server. Try to connect to your phone through your browser: click the help icon if you don't know how.

To ensure the camera is working as well as it can, refer to the Start/Stop camera part.

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Using IP-Webcam wired:

Pros:

• Plenty of video options

Cons:

• A little harder to setup
• May not work on all phones and computers

If you don't have a good WiFi connection, but have a half recent android phone, you should try this option. It may not work, however.

Tutorial:

For this we will use our phones network over USB feature. This is usually used to share the phones network or WiFi with a computer, but if we disable WiFi and mobile network on our phone, we can also use it as a direct connection between our phone and PC. First disable WiFi and mobile network. Then connect your phone to your PC with a USB cable. Now enable the internet over USB option on your phone. Now, you can follow the same instructions as for the wireless one!

NOTE: Make sure that your networks are disabled or this won't work!

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Using DroidCam OBS:

Pros:

• Should work on any device, including iPhones
• Wired or wireless

Cons:

• Doesn't support manual exposure control
• Higher latency

While this one can work, I would suggest against using it as other options perform better.

Tutorial:

First, follow the DroidCam OBS official tutorial to get the phone-OBS connection. Use the 720p video resolution to ensure there is no watermark. Then, follow the OBS VirtualCam plugin tutorial to stream to a virtual camera. The phone will now act as a regular webcam.

NOTE: OBS built in virtual camera does not work with ATT, you need to download the virtualcam plugin!

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Using Reincubate Camo

Pros:

• Works on iPhones
• Supports manual exposure control

Cons:

• FPS is locked at 30
• Free version doesn't support manual exposure or focus control.

Tutorial:

Use the app to connect the phone to a PC, after which it will behave as a regular USB webcam. Set the resolution in ATT to the exact output resolution in Camo Studio, 720x1280 is the default.

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Using iOS Camera Plugin for OBS

Pros:

• Works for iPhones
• Supports manual exposure control

Cons:

• Very intrusive watermark for free version.

This option was found just recently, so it isn't as well tested yet, but it seems to work well with all the required features. It seems like the best option for iPhones.

NOTE: OBS built in virtual camera does not work with ATT, you need to download the virtualcam plugin!