Activate webcam in Linux: fswebcam

#apt-get install fswebcam

OK! got images taking with

fswebcam -d /dev/video0 fsnap0.jpg

where we can loop it at 5 sec intervals with:

fswebcam -d /dev/video0 fsnap0.jpg -l 5

and set resolution with

fswebcam -d /dev/video0 fsnap0.jpg -l 5 -r "1280x800"

however the latter is timing out, i cant yet get hi-res images
it supports great options in ~/.fswebcam.conf -- http://www.r3uk.com/index.php/home/38-software/100-webcam-capture-using-fswebcam
also see resolution experiments here: http://www.mattfischer.com/blog/?tag=fswebcam
fswebcam on a Raspberry Pi: http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=15045&sid=7fd929685ea144861d356e488cd3c21a
This forum says:

At higher resolutions you have to skip a few frames before the exposure "settles" (also this example saves to PNG at maximum compression instead of to JPEG):

fswebcam -r 1280x1024 --png 9 -D 1 -S 3 --save shot.png