If can also recommend the Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 for visual computing projects like this. I was pleasantly surprised of the range of focus and that everything can be controlled via UVC. It could be cheaper though...

I'm looking at doing a project similar to this and happen to have that Webcam already! Thanks for the info, that will make things easier for sure.

Which of the two do you think would function better for moving objects. I got a crappy off the shelf camera to put on a robot I made to do some work while moving horizontally.... it moved too fast to acquire anything.

If you can control the lighting, you can use an LED strobe to capture sharp images while moving.

decrease your shutter speed.