Use qv4l2 to preview the capture. Just make sure you "open" the correct video device (probably /dev/video0 or 1). It will give you control over brightness and contrast that you can adjust for capture.
You can use ffmpeg's histograms and other video analyzers to adjust levels properly. Info on how to configure them is available
in the fancy filtering section of the documentation.
Once you do the above (or fail on some step), you will know if you can capture OS-wise.
I can't comment the quality of the video card itself, though.