Hi,
"USB cameras are definitely 'pot luck', depending on the chipset used."
I think you must be right.
I have a Logitech like that one. I can't remember the exact model name. May be 920. There is an SN on a tag attached to the wire but It didn 't work for long. I bought it may be 7-8 years ago, around €70 from memory. (I'm French)
Time passes. I kept it in a drawer for years, hoping it will work again one day. I plugged it into several computers, never detected. I'm finally going to put it in the recycling ! it's time.
The cam of my All In One under Linux Mint is not great but so, I have a decent cam on my laptop.