This unbelievably small USB camera is great for embedded projects that have USB host support for standard UVC cameras, and not a lot of space. Sure you could get a desktop USB camera at any tronix shop, but would it be so incredibly small?

This was probably originally designed for use inside monitors or products that need a simple video sensor with 640x480 output and 8mm x 25mm x 4.5mm PCB. Inside is a GC0307 image sensor SM3762 camera-to-USB adapter chip wired up to a 1mm pitch connector for power/ground/D+/D-. An adapter cable that converts this to a USB A port is included, but of course you can cut it for direct wiring.

No special drivers are needed, use your operating system's built in USB camera support for instant image/video data. Works with Mac, Windows, Linux, etc. Note this is not going to give you iPhone-quality output with HDR and low-light vividness, it's a basic camera that is inexpensive and compact, but should work for many vision recognition, and photo-taking situations.