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Capture professional-looking photo IDs by shopping our selection of TWAIN compliant ID cameras and digital cameras. ID Wholesaler stocks Credential Cam webcams, Credential Cam Pro and Credential Cam Pro Plus cameras, Canon Rebel cameras, and VALCam cameras. All are designed to work seamlessly with your current ID card badging software and offer varying features, including live image preview, high-resolution image capture, “face-finding” or autofocus, flash control, and more!

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Have Questions about Photo ID Cameras? We Have Answers!

Perhaps your company or organization has recently decided to implement a visual identification program and you’re new to the digital camera market? Or maybe you have an ID system in place, but are looking to upgrade from a standard digital camera to digital camera specially made for capturing ID photos to better streamline your process? In either case, you are taking the right steps by comparing camera features, reading customer reviews, and exploring all that ID Wholesaler has to offer in the way of ID cameras. Just as important as selecting an ID card printer and encoder, finding the right photo ID camera can make a considerable difference in terms of quality and efficiency.

When searching for the ideal photo ID camera to use with your card printing system, here are some questions to help narrow your selection:

  • What kind of image quality do you want?
    Start by considering the ID card printer that you are using or planning to use. For example, high-definition printers are capable of printing images of higher quality than the images produced by a standard webcam. A high-definition printer warrants a high-performance digital camera capable of capturing high-resolution photos. For the best in high-definition photo IDs, consider the VALCam 8500-630, most often used in government and license applications. However, if you are using a basic single-sided, low-volume ID card printer, a web camera such as the Credential Cam may be just what you need. You can determine the image quality output (resolution) of your ID photo camera by looking at how many megapixels it has – the higher the megapixel (MP) count, the higher the image resolution.
  • Do you need the flexibility to take your camera with you, or will the individuals being photographed be coming to you?
    Web cameras need to be connected to a computer to take photos. If you need to be mobile while photographing your subjects, make sure that you select a camera that is lightweight and easy to carry, and that does not need to be plugged in to a computer to work. If you will be producing your photo IDs from a standard computer workstation, on the other hand, make sure that the photo ID camera is TWAIN compliant (Hint: All of our ID cameras are!). TWAIN compliant cameras are able to link with and transfer data to your existing ID card software, allowing you to instantly view and edit your images.
  • What kind of lighting do you have in area where you’ll be taking the photos?
    Lighting for ID photos should be even and bright, and should not cast shadows anywhere on the subject’s face. Controlled natural light is best, but most people lack access to natural light from their workstation. If you don’t have great lighting at the location where you will be taking ID photos, we suggest that you select a photo ID camera with a flash, like the Credential Cam Pro Plus or Credential Cam Pro. The Credential Cam cameras are compact in size, high-resolution, and feature synchronized, USB-powered LED flash. The Pro Plus model has the added benefit of autofocus, which simplifies and speeds up your photo ID image capture process while helping ensure that you achieve more satisfying results.

    Additionally, if you have ample space, you may want to consider using a tripod and a photo backdrop with your ID camera to create a consistent and professional look with uniform lighting in your photo IDs.

While you certainly can use a standard digital camera to take your ID photos, doing so is going to create a great deal of unnecessary work. Photo ID cameras are TWAIN compliant, meaning that they are able to feed live images directly into your ID card software, saving you time and effort. Standard digital cameras lack this functionality, which means that you will need to connect your camera to your computer via USB cable, import your images, browse and upload the desired image to your ID card software, and then manually crop and edit the image to fit your template. This time-consuming process may work if you issue a very low volume of ID cards per year, but it quickly becomes inefficient and impractical if you are running a standard, mid-, or high-volume card issuance program.