I'm building a 3D laser scanner and I need one or two linux compatible cameras for it. I already purchased two logitech quickcam express webcams, but I have only been able to get them to work badly at best and accessing both at the same time causes a kernel panic.

I've looked at various hardware compatibility lists, but they can be outdated(manufacturer starts using a new chipset, etc...)

Color is not required, since I will probably be using a filter matched to the laser. The resolution should be at least 640x480, although slightly less is ok. I need to be able to aquire images with a perl script (probably running a command line capture program). Video is not required, but it should be able to do a few captures per second(no long shutter delay).

Can anyone suggest a linux compatible and inexpensive camera that would meet the above requirements? Preferably something that will be as trouble free as possible. Ideally, under $100 per camera (buying them used on E-Bay is okay).

I'm running kernel 2.6, so something that only has 2.4 drivers won't work.