Best Webcams im Test
The ergonomics found in a well-equipped corporate workplace have become more important to those of us who have spent the last 18 months working from home.
Being at a meeting with coworkers face to face is an experience that’s difficult to duplicate in the virtual world. Up until now, we’ve all had to rely on videoconferencing for business communications. However, this does not imply that we must accept grainy, ugly video as the default option.
According to Consumer Reports’ recent research, a dedicated camera with superior picture quality than the webcams incorporated into most computers may be purchased for not much money. Other benefits come with using a dedicated webcam. For starters, you may put it anywhere you want to get the best possible shot.
Retail stores have an unlimited supply of models for sale. The Lenovo, Logitech, and Razer cameras we evaluated are some of the most popular models on the market today.
Instead, we selected products that are more likely to be popular among those who want to appear their best during videoconferences. However, we provided a premium option for gamers and YouTube and Twitch content creators as a point of reference. This may cost up to $200, while the rest are priced between $25 and $100.
How We Ran the Trials
Pictures, audio, usability, versatility, privacy, and security were all evaluated across the board for all seven models. As you might anticipate from a webcam test, we prioritized picture quality over other factors.
The webcams were utilized for two still shots, one of a standard resolution chart and the other of a human, to assess picture quality.
To see if movement caused fuzzy or smeared pictures, we recorded three videos: one of the resolution chart, one of a person talking, and one of a moving hand. A frame rate of 30 frames per second is standard for most cameras, making them suitable for video conversations. For more intense action, higher-end versions may function at 60 frames per second.
All of these experiments were carried out in three distinct lighting situations to imitate various working contexts…………………………………… We also tested the cameras on a MacBook Pro and an HP Envy 15 to see how they compared. After all, there’s no use in spending money on a webcam if the built-in camera on your laptop is just as good.
We then used high-end headphones to listen back to recordings made with the built-in microphones and assess the audio quality.
All seven cameras were examined for their privacy and security as well. This is an area that Consumer Reports examines in a large number of linked items. Webcams, which are recording devices that sit on your desk and send audio and video via the internet, seemed particularly appropriate in this context.
This included checking whether or not the cameras had any known security flaws that hadn’t been addressed and whether or not the makers had clearly stated out their data gathering rules when you use their equipment, amongst other things.
A issue with the status indicator light emerged during our privacy and security testing that we believe manufacturers should address, namely that the light often only illuminates while the camera is active, but does not do so when the microphone is active. See what the manufacturers have to say about webcam security and what you can do to be safe by reading our article on the subject.
Let’s see how the webcams did now.
Observations We Made
We evaluated seven cameras, and one was obviously superior to the others, while the picture quality of the other was lower to the webcams incorporated into the two laptops. For the most part, the remaining five products were adequate, and for many buyers, the best value may be found among them..
There was just one standout model, and that was the Logitech Brio, with the greatest image and second-best audio quality. It’s capable of recording video at 30 frames per second at a resolution of 4K. (1080p video can do 60 frames per second). You can capture good audio with the built-in microphone, and it also comes with useful accessories like a privacy shutter to hide the camera, as well as a tripod mount, so you can set up the webcam on your desk without any hassle.
It was, however, the most costly model we examined, retailing for between $165 and $200.
Despite its up to $80 price tag, the Microsoft LifeCam Studio camera takes pictures that are of worse quality than those found in our MacBook Pro and HP Envy 15. On the plus side, it was the only webcam with an audio recording alert light that was included. (A $70 camera dubbed the Modern Webcam was just produced by Microsoft but was not available at the time of this story.)
Things really start to heat up with the addition of the last five models.
Lenovo Essentials FHD, the Logitech C920 HD Pro, and the Razer Kiyo round out the list of contenders. Most people will be happy with an Aukey or Lenovo since they give better image quality than a laptop for $40 to $50.
Because it costs $50 less than competing models from Logitech and Lenovo, the Aukey PC-LM1E is a great deal for consumers. This card can play videos up to 1080p at 30 frames per second in high definition. Color correction and noise reduction increase image quality without requiring the user to fiddle with any settings manually, and it contains most of them.
It has one of the smallest fields of vision of all of the cameras we tested, at just 55 degrees. However, if you’re used to presenting on Zoom by yourself and are only looking to optimize your workplace, this may not be an issue.
For a variety of reasons, Aukey has subpar security and privacy ratings. For example, there is no official means for security experts to disclose vulnerabilities at the organization. It’s unclear how long the company keeps user data. In addition, it does not provide consumers with a method of erasing this information.
Currently, Aukey goods are only available on Aukey’s website due to a lack of distribution.
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