[ubuntu-uk] Detecting the built-in camera in a Lenovo N500 running Lucid Lynx

[Rowan Berkeley]

On Fri, 2011-05-20 at 15:56 +0000, Liam Proven <lproven at gmail.com>
wrote:

> On 20 May 2011 15:39, Rowan Berkeley <rowan.berkeley at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Hi, people,
> >
> > This is apparently quite a common problem, to judge by the number of
> > queries I have found on forums, and there never seems to be a reply
> > to it. The problem is that the F-Spot Photo Manager does not detect
> > the built-in camera. I am aware that in more recent releases of 
> > Ubuntu the Photo Manager is no longer F-Spot but something else, so
> > the problem may not occur.
> >
> > I downloaded and installed Gtkam Digital Camera Browser, in the hope
> > it might help, but it requires the user to specify the type of 
> > camera and the port it is connected to, from drop-down lists, before
> > attempting to detect it. The camera is apparently made by Chicony, 
> > which is not listed among the types in Gtkam's drop-down list. Gtkam
> > is probably intended for external cameras, not built-in ones, so the
> > user would at least know which port he has the camera connected to,
> > which I do not.
> >
> > Oddly enough, the camera is detected and brought online quite 
> > painlessly by the Gmail audio-video chat client, which I installed 
> > from the Gmail chat window in a Linux 32-bit version a few days ago.
> > But I would like to be able to use it outside the context of the 
> > chat client, and I would assume F-Spot is supposed to be able to do
> > this. So, any advice appreciated, thanks.
> 
> I think you're using the wrong type of tool. F-Spot & Shotwell are
> tools for extracting photos from stand-alone digital stills cameras,
> connected by a USB cable for moving the photos off them. That is not
> what is built into your notebook. You have a webcam, which is a
> low-res moving-image video camera for use in video chat. If GoogleTalk
> detects it, then it's working and has drivers installed. If you want
> to play with it outside of chat, try installing the Cheese webcam
> application, for instance. Webcams and digital cameras are not the
> same thing and this do not use the same tools.

Aha, OK, thanks for the clarification; I shall try Cheese.