Back to Linux . . . cameras

[Bradley Miller]

Speaking of Linux . . . I've been hammering away on tons of PHP solutions
for client web sites.  90% of what I do now from scratch is in PHP.  

Here's an interesting problem I'd love to solve via Linux:

I'm wanting to setup a high resolution web cam -- basically a megapixel++
camera that snaps photos and has photos sent to a web site.  I've tried the
Axis camera and the $1000 model (based on Linux) has the capture stuff, but
still doesn't have the quality I would like.  I would like stunning lake
photos with zoom type camera -- not these wide angle shots that the Axis
camera gives me.   Any suggestions?   A distro would need dialing
capability, and USB support as most cameras use this for transfer.  I would
probably have to build a remote trigger for the camera because most of them
do not have "on dock" triggering.

This is the quality I'm getting now:

http://www.golakeozarks.com/html_includes/golakeozarkscam.php

I found out the Axis 2100 cameras that I'm using are not happy with outdoor
light . . . the box says for indoor use only, but I assumed that to mean
"don't play with this in the rain" like most appliances would say.  They
have a "outdoor light" setting and say "don't point to sun" but it never
says "this camera is for indoor shots with natural light and don't point it
out a window".   

The next step up the evolutionary ladder with the cameras offers an
auto-iris lens, but the quality still doesn't go up -- it's still 640x480
camera basically.  

The ideal situation would be a digital megapixel++ camera that would snap
photos when the computer triggers it.  I'll settle for a camera that can
have a remote trigger, or even something as mundane as a basic servo to
press the button to take a photo.  The thing I need most is high quality
shots at regular intervals without worry.   Any suggestions?

-- Bradley Miller