Especially if youre regularly working from home, you probably need something a little better.
If youre new to the world of webcams, though, the vast array of options might be overwhelming.
This is why your built-in laptop camera feels pixelated.
When youre buying a new camera, 1080p is the baseline.
Dont buy a 720p camera.
If you’ve got the option to afford it, go for a 4K webcam.
Frame Rate
Frame rate signifies the smoothness of the video.
Lenses
Again, the bigger the lens, the better.
A bigger lens means more light reaches the sensor, making you look better.
This is called aperture size, and its measured in f/(number) format.
Most webcams lie in the f/2.0 to f/2.8 range, so you dont need to worry about it.
Field of view
The lens also determines the field of view.
This denotes how much area is captured by the video.
A wide field of view will capture a lot more of the room.
Webcams usually range between 60 to 90 degrees field of view, and 78 degrees is the most common.
Autofocus
Most inexpensive webcams youll find on Amazon are fixed focus.
We would recommend you use a webcam with autofocus for a better experiencemost webcams these days offer the feature.
Microphone
Some budget cameras come with microphones, but you dont need them.
Its best to use the microphone in your headphones.
Many high-end cameras, like the Dell Ultrasharp Webcam, dont come with mics anymore.
Can you get away without a webcam?
While it can feel like a logistical hassle, using your smartphone as a webcam is fairly straightforward.
you’re free to even turn yourDSLR camera into a webcam.
Here are our picks.
Its a square, 1080p webcam specially designed for the YouTube generation.
Even in the default controls, its great for recording video interviews and podcasts.
Plus, it shoots 1080p videos at 60 fps, giving you smoother, natural-looking videos.
StreamCam has a very versatile mounting system, and it comes with a tripod stand.
At $40, its a basic webcam that has its fundamentals clear.
Its a 1080p webcam that records at 30 fps.
But where Nexigo shines is its software.
While the camera is basic, the software gets pretty good video quality out of it.
But for just $40, its a good buy.
The most reliable workhorse:Logitech C920x HD Pro
The Original C920 webcam came out in 2012.
The reason is simple: Its an absolute workhorseyoull find this camera in practically every office conference room.
The 1080p webcam will record at 30 fps, at 78 degrees field of view, and with autofocus.
Razers Kiyo X is a refined version of their previous Kiyo webcam.
They added the X and dropped the microphone and the ring light.
But the webcam is still good at what it does, which is image quality.
You get 1080p video at 30 fps, or 720p video at 60 fps.
It has autofocus, and it comes with a versatile mounting system.
Where Razer wins is its video customization and prefs.
Razer is good at balancing whites and the exposure on its ownjust give it enough light.
It also supports 1080p at 60 or 30 fps if you dont have the bandwidth to stream 4K video.
The camera doesnt have a microphone, but as we mentioned above, you dont really need it.
