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That tiny webcam on your laptop has probably gotten more use in the last year than ever before. Many of our professional lives have been infiltrated by a never-ending stream of Zoom meetings, and for some, that new routine isn’t going away. Once an afterthought, your computer’s webcam has become one of its most important components — and the fact is that most built-in lenses are not designed to provide consistent, high-quality video chat experiences.
Many realized that quickly last year and turned to the internet in droves to pick up external webcams. In addition to leveling up your appearance in could-have-been-an-email work calls, external webcams also make you look better on video chats with your friends and family, and they’re essential if you do any live streaming on Twitch or another platform.
But as with most PC accessories, it can be tough to sort through the sea of options out there. We at Engadget tested out a bunch of popular webcam models to see which are worth your money and which you can safely skip.
What to look for in a webcam
Resolution and field of view
Most built-in webcams have a resolution of 720p, so you’ll want to look for an external one that’s better than that. FHD (1080p) webcams will give you a noticeable bump in video quality and ideally you’re looking for something that can handle 1080p at 60fps or 30fps. If you’re considering a cheap 720p webcam, look for one that supports at least 30fps (most will) or even better, 60fps. However, if your primary concern is looking better during video conference call, 1080p is the way to go.
Some webcams can shoot in 4K, but that’s overkill for most people and most video conferencing services like Zoom, Google Meet and Skype don’t even support 4K video. When it comes to streaming, Twitch supports up to 1080p video but YouTube added 4K live streaming back in 2016. Ultimately, with 4K webcam shots having such limited use, most people can get by with a solid 1080p camera.
Field of view controls how much can fit in frame when you’re recording. Most webcams I tested had a default field of view of around 78 degrees, which was enough to capture me and enough of my background to show that I really need to organize my home office. You’ll usually see narrower fields of view (around 60 degrees) on cheaper webcams, and those aren’t necessarily bad. They won’t show as much of your background, but that also means you won’t be able to squeeze as many friends or family members into frame when you’re having Zoom birthday parties. And on the flip side, more expensive webcams may let you adjust the field of view to be even wider than average.
Valentina Palladino / Engadget
Autofocus and other “auto” features
Webcams with autofocus will keep you looking sharp without much work on your part. You should be able to move around, step back and forth, and remain in focus the whole time. Some models let …….
Source: https://www.engadget.com/best-webcams-123047068.html