other good webcams
Photograph: Logitech
$170 logitech brio 4k, The original Brio from 2017 was one of the earliest mainstream webcams to offer 4K resolution at 30 fps. Logitech gave it a minor update in 2022 with updated software and privacy shutters, but the old model remains the same Still a good buy that is a little cheaperWhite balance is still accurate, and my skin tone always looks normal, whether I'm in a sunny room, limited lighting, or using artificial light. Autofocus is fast and precise, and the image is very sharp when refocusing. Plus, you can choose between 65, 78, and superwide 90 degrees for your field of view, giving you some framing options. If you're using a Windows machine, you can set it up to work with Windows Hello for facial authentication to log in.
Obsbot Tiny 2 Webcam for $299: I used Obsbot's first Tiny 4K PTZ webcam for over a year with good results, and after switching to the new Tiny 2, it's just as great. The 4K-capable picture quality looks great, and the camera does an excellent job of following my activity. The company has really improved its software over the years and offers a ton of customization. It can respond to your hand gestures, but you can also buy a remote to control it, making it great for presentations and group video calls.
Insta360 Link for $180, This 4K webcam is an impressive beast. Mounted on a powered gimbal that rotates horizontally and vertically, the Insta360 Link (8/10, Wired recommends) will automatically follow, refocus, and zoom in and out (up to 4X zoom) as you move around the screen. It will also zoom in on the presentation board or papers you want to show on your call. It offers excellent sharpness, color contrast and white balance in 4K resolution with the option of recording at 24, 25 and 30 frames per second. It has dual noise-canceling microphones and also has a screw mount on the bottom to attach it to a tripod. The only drawback is the physical privacy shutter, but the camera points down when not in use. The Link 2 is a better buy, but this model has a three-axis gimbal that makes it more versatile than the Link 2's two-axis gimbal.
logitech c922x for $99:The C922X is a capable webcam with solid specifications. It can stream 1080p video at 30 fps or 720p at 60 fps, which makes the Razer Kiyo But it's more expensive and has a slightly narrower 78-degree field of vision. It's a good webcam, but you can get a comparable Kiyo X for less money.
Don't bother with these webcams
Photograph: Adorama
Not every webcam is any more advanced than the built-in webcam in your laptop. These are the models I tested that ranged from simply unimpressive to models that made me look like the subject of a second-rate art project.
Microsoft LifeCam Studio for $100, It says it's a 1080p webcam, but there's a catch—it's only for recording video. Using it for video calls limits you to 720p. My coworkers commented on how I was constantly out of focus. The white balance was so bad I looked more orange than an Oompa Loompa. And the performance was so bleak that I never stopped looking like I was living during the last scenes lighthouseThere was a lot of delay in my movements and the motion blur got worse.
logitech brio 500 for $130, I'm struggling to think of the reason why Logitech decided to mount the Brio 500 via an adhesive patch on its bracket that doesn't have to be removed once placed on a laptop or monitor. What if you want to use it on multiple computers, as many of us do, or if you want to swap out the case on your laptop? The adjustment is also amazing. The webcam is held on to the base via a magnet. Turning the cam downwards would often move it off the base rather than adjusting the angle, and turning it left or right would loosen it so much that it would no longer stay in place. This meant I had to pull it off the magnetic stand, screw the mount back down, and reposition it — and then not adjust it for the rest of the zoom's time. That said, the image quality of its 1,080p resolution, white balance and color contrast was quite good if not excellent, and it came with a USB-C connection and a physical privacy shutter. Autofocus could be a little faster. Other positives are that you can get it in black, white, or pink, which is two more colors than most webcams.
logitech brio 300 for $60, The image quality on this is lacking. Even in a fairly well-lit room, my picture was blurry. It also did weird things with white balance due to it being autofocus. The field of view is quite narrow at 70 degrees and not adjustable, so the image on the screen is above your face. You'll want to run back a little so everyone else doesn't look at you. Like the Brio 500, it comes in black, white, and pink, connects via USB-C, and has a physical privacy shutter. There are better options at this price without these image quality inconsistencies.
Razer Kiyo Pro for $130: Although it looks identical to its cheaper, non-pro sibling, the Pro removes the lighting ring and instead relies on software to compensate for low-light conditions. I hate having to download the Razer Synapse app to get a good image from the Kiyo Pro. Yes, fine-tuning the settings is a lot of work, but most people just want to plug their webcam in. Once you mess around with the app settings, the photo image is sharp and beautiful. However, it has the same extremely sharp autofocusing as the regular Kiyo, and also costs a little more. this is not one Bad Choose, but again, the Logitech Brio can do 4K/30 fps, unlike this camera, which tops out at 1,080p/60 fps.
Creative Labs Live! Sync 4K for $50, I was skeptical about 4K resolution webcams at this price, and my skepticism was validated in the wildly weird white balance that made me and everything look pale orange. This is probably the only webcam that has made my room darker than before. The privacy shutter is a rubber cap that you put on and take off. The piece that holds the webcam when it's off is so weak that if you're rough or careless, you could break it, but it's nice that it's not plastic, which will weaken over time. One small problem is that the black cap blends in with the black webcam and lens, so at a quick glance, it's hard to tell if the cap is on or off.
Cisco Desk Camera 1080p for $121: Not to be confused with Cisco's almost identical name desk camera 4kI tried the 1,080p, 8-MP version in a variety of natural and artificial lighting, but I and my fellow Gear team members couldn't help but notice that no matter how I used it, video remained highly Looked pixelated. Unless a webcam can show me as nice pixelated as Axel streets of rage, Then I want smooth video that looks like 1,080p. During zoom, the Desk Camera 1,080p had trouble focusing and zooming, refocusing frequently and jerkily but never getting it right.