I generally use a OBSBOT Tiny 4K Webcam – and lovely it is too. But today I was trying to download a manual for another product (Switchbot Smart Wall Panel) and as I could not on this occasion use my phone camera and the only way to get the user guide was via a QRCode on a card supplied with the panel – I went to the standard Windows Camera app to bring up the camera. Good – BUT no matter what I could not get it to focus close enough up to read the QRCode…
It was at that moment I remembered that ages ago I bought a simple USB zoom camera from AliExpress (here’s the info – this isn’t a recommendation, just an example) and it was sitting on a shelf. I’m sure mine didn’t cost as much as 29 Euros – but it looks the same so maybe…
I was just about to go off and buy one of these tripods from AliExpress (see image on the right – Mini Tripod) when I spotted a white unused mini camera holder from an older blog entry (most likely Reolink – maybe a base for a solar panel) skulking in a corner and grabbed that.
With the camera sitting on my desk and after a slight adjustment and at the top right of the Windows camera app clicking the “change camera” icon top-right, I got a perfect QRCODE – the Windows camera app automatically grabbing the website link for the manual I was after, just as if I’d grabbed the image on my phone.
So – a camera I thought wasn’t up to much turns out to be useful after all.
