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Tag: Webcams

  • Our Favorite Webcam Is Marked Down by $35

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    Looking to upgrade your home office setup and impress your fellow remote workers? Consider the Logitech Brio 500, a variant of our favorite webcam, which is currently marked down by $35 at Best Buy, bringing the price down to just $95. While not everyone needs a webcam this loaded with features, it’s a good choice for anyone who frequently hosts meetings or presentations via software like Teams or Zoom.

    Photograph: Brenda Stolyar

    This upgraded webcam has a 4-megapixel sensor, which results in a sharp image. It’s capable of capturing 1080p video at 30 fps, or you can lower the resolution to 720p to raise the frame rate to 60 fps. It has an adjustable field of view with three options at 90, 78, and 65 degrees, so you can really lock in the perfect picture for that next presentation. The stereo microphone has a stated range of up to 4 feet, so you can sit back and relax and know that you’ll still be heard. You can attach it to your monitor or laptop with either the included clip, or using the adhesive on the mount, which we found stayed nice and sticky even when moving it frequently.

    You’ll also get access to a variety of helpful features bundled into the Logitech G Hub software. The classics are here, like autofocus and white balance, or you can let Logitech’s RightSight tech automatically tune everything, including centering you in the frame and zooming to get a good shot of your face. For anyone who needs to demonstrate or show off products, you can easily tilt the webcam down to point it at your desk.

    If you’re wondering about the numbers, I did some poking around on the Logitech site, and the cameras have essentially identical specifications. It looks like the Brio 500 is the one that’s sold on most consumer sites with a one year warranty, while the Brio 505 is targeted at businesses, with a longer three year warranty. If that’s important enough to warrant the full $30 price point, you can find that webcam here, or check out the other options on our roundup of the best webcams.

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    Brad Bourque

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  • The Best Webcams for Looking Brighter and Better

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    Compare Top 7 Best Webcams

    Before You Buy, Try Using Your Smartphone

    You may not need a dedicated webcam at all. It’s actually really easy to use your smartphone’s cameras as a webcam instead, and they’re usually far superior. Recent iPhones, for example, have a feature called Continuity Camera—this works with certain MacBooks and allows you to wirelessly use the iPhone’s camera as a webcam. Apple even sells a Belkin mount that lets you hang your iPhone off the top of your MacBook or external monitor for the full effect.

    Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

    Belkin

    iPhone Mount With MagSafe for MacBooks

    Google Pixel phones also now feature wired webcam support. All you need to do is plug in a Pixel to your computer and choose the Webcam option for it to work. You’ll just need a tripod to keep it propped up; something like this Joby GripTight will do the job.

    Don’t have either of these devices? Don’t fret. We have a full guide on How to Use Your Smartphone as a Webcam with multiple methods no matter what PC or phone you own. Got a professional camera? We have a guide on setting it up as a webcam too.

    Lighting and Microphones Matter

    An easy way to improve your existing webcam is to add a light source. Webcams have small camera sensors so they often need a lot of light to deliver good results.

    7 Best Webcams  Tested and Reviewed

    Courtesy of Lume Cube

    Lume Cube Mini LED Panel for $70: Something simple like this will do the trick. You can adjust the brightness and the color temperature to match your room’s lighting. It works off of battery power or you can leave it plugged in via the USB-C cable to run for however long you want. The two quarter-inch threads mean you can use any tripod or light stand to mount it on your desk. It also comes with a diffuser to soften the light when it illuminates your face. We have more lighting options in our Home Video Gear guide.

    Webcams also have poor microphones. They’ll do the job but you’ll probably sound tinny. There’s a good chance your laptop’s mics are actually better, so try using those instead. Videoconferencing apps let you choose which mic you have to use, so just because you have a separate webcam doesn’t mean you have to use its built-in mic. Another option is to upgrade to a USB mic.

    Blue Yeti Nano Microphone

    Courtesy of Amazon

    Logitech Blue Yeti Nano USB Mic for $98: These microphones are the standard-bearer in the world of USB microphones, and the Nano packs everything most people need in a smaller footprint. Plug it into your computer and once you choose this mic in your video-calling settings as the default, you’ll immediately start hearing the compliments from people on the other end. Read our Best USB Mics guide for more details.

    Most videoconferencing software cap the resolution at 1080p for bandwidth purposes, so a 4K webcam may not be necessary at all. However, almost all 4K webcams come with software that lets you crop in or re-frame the image, allowing you to, say, move something in the background of your home office out of frame. This won’t affect your image quality much either, at least compared to cropping in on a 1080p webcam. 4K webcams often have better image quality in general too. They’re more expensive, but if you can afford it, they’ll serve you better.

    Also, it’s important to consider that 4K webcams often shoot at 30 frames per second, but often give you 1080p at 60 frames per second, which can be important, depending on the use case.

    Understanding Megapixels, Resolutions, and Sensors

    What matters with a webcam is the picture quality, but there are a number of camera specs that play into that. For starters, what we usually just call “resolution” is the pixel count of the final image, usually either 1080p, 1440p, or 4K. The sharpness of this final image is important, but it doesn’t alone tell the whole story on image quality.

    The camera sensor itself also has a resolution, which is usually referred to in terms of megapixels, which is just the total number of pixels (rather than resolution, which uses a width by height dimension). More megapixels can produce higher-quality images, but the physical size of the sensor is also important. A larger sensor with a lower megapixel count will often result in better images. There is, of course, other important parts of cameras, such as aperture of the lens, which controls how much light is captured and can effect low-light performance. Most webcams have an aperture of f/2.0, but some models that have better low-light performance like the Emeet SmartCam S800 or Insta360 Link 2 have a wider f/1.8 aperture.

    And lastly, the image processing has a lot to do with the final quality of the image. Webcams these days use lots of AI-based image processing to sharpen and balance the image around your face, including filtering out noise and smoothing out skin tone. Most of us want this to look as natural as possible, and there’s no question that some webcams are too heavy-handed.

    Other Good Webcams

    7 Best Webcams  Tested and Reviewed

    Photograph: Luke Larsen

    Emeet Pixy for $128: With its dual camera setup, this adorable little PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) camera is like having a little robot friend hanging out on your monitor. Like the Insta360 Link 2 or Obsbot Tiny 2, the Emeet Pixy can detect your face and follow you around your setting, as well as respond to hand gestures. The tracking was quite good, though in terms of image quality, it didn’t quite live up to my hopes. It’s 4K and has a half-inch sensor, but it can’t handle tough lighting situations as well as something like the Emeet SmartCam S800. Still, it’s a solid, cheaper alternative to the Obsbot Tiny 2 Lite—and it’s just downright cute.

    Logitech Brio 4K for $170: 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 a privacy shutter, but the old model is still a fine purchase that’s a little cheaper. The white balance is still accurate, and my skin color always looks normal, whether I’m in a sunny room, in limited light, or using artificial light. The autofocus is fast and subtle when refocusing, and the image is razor-sharp. Plus, you can choose from 65, 78, and a 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 face authentication to log in.

    Dell UltraSharp Webcam

    Courtesy of Dell

    Dell UltraSharp Webcam for $156: The UltraSharp Webcam feels incredibly substantial and is solid enough to take with you anywhere. Everything from the webcam body to the stand to the included tripod adapter is made of brushed aluminum. The stand and tripod adapter connects to the webcam body with a magnetic post that makes for a secure mount. The privacy cap connects magnetically and stays put with a satisfyingly strong hold, but it isn’t hard to remove. The inside of the cap is padded with a soft-touch fabric to keep it from scratching the lens. Even the forward-facing part of the stand is covered in soft-touch rubber to keep you from scratching the back of your laptop lid if you get a little reckless when setting up for a Zoom call. You can adjust the viewing angle between 65, 78, and 90 degrees and record in 4K resolution at 24 or 30 frames per second, as well as in 720p or 1080p resolutions at 24, 30, or 60 frames per second. However, the picture quality of the Dell isn’t any better than the Logitech MX Brio. It doesn’t have any microphones.

    Obsbot Tiny 2 Webcam for $299: I used Obsbot’s first Tiny 4K PTZ webcam with great results for more than a year, 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 movement. The company has also really polished its software over the years, offering lots 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. It’s quite expensive, though. We haven’t tested the newer Tiny 2 Lite, but it’s cheaper, more compact, and has a smaller sensor.

    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 follow, refocus, and zoom in and out (up to 4X zoom) automatically as you move around the screen. It’ll even zoom in on presentation boards or papers you want to show off on your call. It offers outstanding sharpness, color contrast, and white balance in the choice of recording in 24, 25, and 30 frames per second in 4K resolution. There are dual noise-canceling microphones and a screw mount on the bottom for attaching it to a tripod, too. The only thing it lacks is a physical privacy shutter, but the camera points downward when it’s 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.

    Don’t Bother With These Webcams

    Image may contain Electronics Camera Webcam Power Drill and Tool

    Courtesy of Adorama

    Not every webcam is an upgrade over the built-in one on your laptop. These are the models I tested that ranged from merely unimpressive to ones that made me look like the subject of a second-grade art project.

    Microsoft LifeCam Studio for $85: It says it’s a 1080p webcam, but there’s a catch—that’s only for recording video. Using it for video calls restricts you to 720p. My coworkers commented on how out of focus I constantly was. The white balance was so off that I looked more orange than an Oompa Loompa. And the exposure was so blown out that I never stopped looking like I was living through the last scenes of The Lighthouse. There was also a lot of lag in my movements and bad motion blur.

    Logitech Brio 500 for $130: This webcam has wacky adjustments. Held onto the base via a magnet, panning it downward often pulled it off the base instead of adjusting the angle, and swiveling it left or right caused it to loosen so much it wouldn’t stay put. That meant I kept having to pull it off the magnetic stand, screw the mount back down, and reposition it—and then not adjust it during the rest of the Zoom. That said, the image quality of its 1080p 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. The autofocus could stand to be a touch quicker. Other positives are that you can get it in black, white, or pink, two more colors than what most webcams offer.

    Logitech Brio 300 for $60: The image quality is lacking on this one. Even in a fairly well-lit room, my picture was grainy. It also did weird things with the white balance as it autofocused. The field of view is quite narrow at 70 degrees and non-adjustable, so the image onscreen is up in your face. You’ll want to scoot back quite a bit so everybody else isn’t looking up your nose. 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 for this price without these image quality oddities.

    Razer Kiyo X for $48: The Kiyo X does away with the integrated ring light of the original Kiyo, but it does have automatic white balance and color saturation. Video picture settings can be tweaked in the Razer Synapse app, too. It also shoots 1080p-resolution video at 30 frames per second or 720p resolution at 60 frames per second. Its field of vision is a slightly wide 82 degrees. The built-in mics are nothing to write home about, so stick to the ones in your laptop or grab a USB mic. Sadly, there is no privacy shutter.

    Razer Kiyo Pro for $130: Although it looks similar to its cheaper, non-pro sibling, the Pro ditches the light ring and instead relies on software to compensate for low-light conditions. I resented having to download the Razer Synapse app to get a decent image out of the Kiyo Pro. Yes, fine-tuning settings is a very WIRED thing to do, but most people just want to plug their webcam in. Once you fiddle with the app settings, the image is sharp and beautiful. However, it has the same overly obvious autofocusing as the regular Kiyo, and it’s also a little overpriced. It’s not a bad pick, but again, the Logitech Brio can do 4K/30 fps, as opposed to this camera, which tops out at 1080p/60 fps.

    Creative Labs Live! Sync 4K for $57: I was skeptical about a 4K resolution webcam for this price, and my skepticism was validated in the wildly strange white balance that turned me and everything faintly orange. It may be the only webcam that made my room look darker than it was. The privacy shutter is a rubber cap you put on and take off. The bit that holds it to the webcam when it’s off is flimsy enough that if you’re rough or careless, you could rip it off, but it’s nice that it isn’t plastic, which would weaken over time. A minor issue is that the black cap blends in with the black webcam and lens, so, at a glance, it’s hard to tell whether the cap is on or off.

    Cisco Desk Camera 1080p for $131: Not to be confused with Cisco’s almost identically named Desk Camera 4K. I tried the 1080p, 8-MP version in a variety of natural and artificial lighting, but my fellow Gear Team members and I couldn’t help but notice that no matter how I used it, the video looked overly pixelated. Unless a webcam can make me look as good pixelated as Axel from Streets of Rage, then I want smooth video that looks like it’s 1080p. During Zooms, the Desk Camera 1080p had trouble with focusing and zooming, frequently and jarringly refocusing but never getting it quite right.


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    Luke Larsen, Julian Chokkattu

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  • This 4K Webcam Has a DSLR-quality Sensor and a Noise-canceling Mic

    This 4K Webcam Has a DSLR-quality Sensor and a Noise-canceling Mic

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    Insta360’s new 4K webcam has a 1/2″ optical sensor, allowing it to deliver crystal clear images, natural bokeh, and lightning fast autofocus. It also has a dedicated mic for noise cancellation and can track people, whiteboards, and even documents. If you don’t need the gimbal, grab the more affordable Link 2C instead.

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    Lambert Varias

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  • Obsbot Finally Brings Its Quality and Smart Tech to an Affordable 4K Webcam

    Obsbot Finally Brings Its Quality and Smart Tech to an Affordable 4K Webcam

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    Finally, a high quality sub-$130 webcam. The Meet 2 is a tiny but powerful webcam that shoots at up to 4k/30fps, with 1080p/60fps also available. It attaches to its stand magnetically, not just for convenience but to easily switch between landscape and portrait modes. It also has phase detection autofocus, autoframing, and two omnidirectional microphones.

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    Lambert Varias

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  • Obsbot Gets Closer to a Great yet Affordable Webcam with the Tiny 2 Lite

    Obsbot Gets Closer to a Great yet Affordable Webcam with the Tiny 2 Lite

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    Obsbot has been putting established webcam brands to shame since they first came out. With the Tiny 2 Lite, they’re inching ever closer to an affordable webcam that doesn’t skimp on quality or features. The webcam has a 0.5″ CMOS sensor capable of capturing 4K/30fps video and a 2-axis gimbal that leverages Obsbot’s signature auto-tracking features.

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    Lambert Varias

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  • How to Turn Your Smartphone Into a Webcam

    How to Turn Your Smartphone Into a Webcam

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    Tired of looking like a pixelated blob on your Zoom calls? Why use that pesky, tiny, low-quality webcam embedded in your laptop when you have a seriously great smartphone camera in your pocket? It has become really easy to use your smartphone as a webcam these days, and some options don’t even require you to plug anything in. We’ve detailed how to do this whether you have an iPhone or Android, on Windows or Mac.

    We also have instructions for using a professional camera or GoPro to handle the same task. If you don’t want to fuss with apps, check out our Best Webcams guide.

    Updated June 2024: We’ve vetted every pick again, removed older methods, and added steps for Pixel and Motorola phones.

    Table of Contents

    If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more.

    How to Make a Video Call With Just Your Phone

    Before converting your smartphone into a webcam for your computer, the obvious thing might be to try using your smartphone to run a video meeting. Services like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams generally have Android and iPhone apps available. All you need to do is install the app, log in, and use your phone’s selfie camera and microphone to participate in the meeting.

    Whether you do this or follow our methods below, invest in a small tripod to prop your phone up so you don’t have to balance it against a pile of books. The Joby GripTight is a popular and affordable tripod with legs that can contort to stay stable on almost any surface, though a height-adjustable tripod like this might be a better option. Lume Cube’s Panel Mini is also a nice way to illuminate your face.


    Ways to Use Your Phone as a Webcam

    You can use a videoconferencing app on your phone if you quickly need to sit in on a meeting and chime in now and then, but you’ll need a better system if you’re presenting and have to share your screen. That’s where it could help to convert your smartphone into a webcam.

    General tip: Make sure your preferred videoconferencing app is closed when installing a webcam client on your desktop PC or laptop. You may need to relaunch the app or restart your computer to get it all working.

    How to Use Any Phone as a Webcam for Mac or Windows

    The solution that works—whether you have an iPhone, Android, Mac, or Windows, in any combination—is a service called Reincubate Camo. It’s compatible with more than 40 video-calling apps, from Google Meet and Zoom to FaceTime and Discord. The steps below will work if you’re trying to connect an Android to a Mac, an iPhone to a Windows PC, or vice versa.

    Photograph: Reincubate Camo

    Steps to Set Up Camo:

    1. Download the Camo app on your Mac or Windows machine. Then download the app on iOS or Android. Android phones need to be running version 7.0 and up, and iPhones need to be on iOS 12 or later. It’ll work with Windows 7 (64-bit) or newer, and macOS 10.13 or later. (Camo also works with iPads.)
    2. Launch the app on your PC and smartphone. Camo supports wireless video transfer, so all you need to do is press the Wi-Fi icon in the Camo app on your phone (after permitting it to use your microphone and camera), and a QR code scanner should pop up. In the desktop client, click the drop-down menu under Device and choose Pair a Device. You should see a QR code. Scan it and your phone should connect immediately. Skip to step four if this is working.
    3. If you don’t want to go the wireless route, plug in a cable from your phone to your computer—make sure it’s a data-supported cable (not all USB-C cables support data transfer). (If you have issues, try another cable.) For Android phones connecting to a Windows PC, you’ll need to enable USB debugging mode. To do this, head to Settings > About Phone and then tap Build Number seven times to enable Developer mode. Once turned on, you can find it in Settings > System > Developer Mode, though some of the navigation menus may differ based on your Android phone. Scroll down to find USB Debugging and toggle it on. You might see a pop-up asking whether you want to allow USB debugging. If it’s not working, unplug the cable and plug it back in. Connecting an Android to a Mac? Turn USB debugging off. If you never turned it on, you should be good to go, or head to Developer mode again and turn it off. iPhones connecting to Windows PCs or Macs shouldn’t require additional steps (press Trust if the pop-up appears on your phone).
    4. You should now start seeing your rear camera’s feed on the Camo desktop app. If you don’t, and you’re connected via a cord, unplug the cable from your phone, then restart the Camo app on your computer and phone. Plug it back in and you should see the feed.
    5. Go to your video conferencing app’s device settings and choose Camo as the video camera, and your phone camera’s feed should pop up. You can also change the default microphone to Camo if you want to use your phone as a mic.

    You get quite a few options to choose from in the Camo desktop app to customize the video feed. That includes 720p video quality and zoom options, and you can remove the watermark. Much of this is free, but unfortunately, you’ll need to pay for Camo Pro for several nifty features, like 4K recording, the ability to switch lenses, and Portrait mode (iPhone owners are likely better off using Apple’s Continuity Camera, which we detail further below). Camo offers a few payment options: a lifetime license ($100), an annual subscription ($50), or a monthly subscription ($9).


    How to Use iPhone as a Webcam for Mac With Continuity Camera

    Apple’s Continuity Camera lets you use your iPhone as a webcam for your Mac—no third-party software required. Your iPhone needs to be on iOS 16 or later, and your Mac needs to be on macOS 13 Ventura or later. (iOS 16 isn’t available for the iPhone 7 or older, so you’ll need to upgrade your device.)

    When you open a video-calling app with your iPhone nearby, you’ll see a pop-up explaining that you can use your iPhone as a webcam. The first time I tried to switch the camera it didn’t work, but a restart of my phone and MacBook did the trick.

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    Julian Chokkattu

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  • The Mevo Core Camera System Makes Multi-Cam Streaming a Breeze

    The Mevo Core Camera System Makes Multi-Cam Streaming a Breeze

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    Streaming video can be a big business, if a bit painful. Whether you’re playing games, making crafts, or just hanging out in a hot tub, one of the biggest streaming challenges can be finding a camera system that works for your needs. That’s what Logitech had in mind when creating the Mevo Core multi-cam system, and it’s an impressively simple solution to a modern problem.

    The Mevo Core is an unassuming cube-style camera that uses a Micro Four Thirds interchangeable lens system. The four sides flanking the lens each have a ¼-inch 20-thread mount, allowing you to mount it by the top, bottom, or sides. On the rear, there are two USB-C ports for charging or connecting as a wired webcam, a 3.5-mm audio output, an HDMI port, and a microSD card slot tucked behind a protective cover.

    The whole system is designed to be adaptable to a wide range of shooting situations. The camera can capture 4K video locally, and stream up to 1080p video over Wi-Fi 6E, and it even has an internal rechargeable battery that can record or stream for up to six hours on a single charge. It’s a fascinating camera system that walks the line between streaming webcam and more professional mirrorless cameras used for shooting video. But it’s the software that steals the show.

    A Studio, Made Simple

    The Mevo Core cameras are designed to be used in multi-cam setups—where you have multiple cameras around you for various angles—and to approximate one if you only have one camera. The Mevo Multicam app is the key that makes the whole system work. This app allows you to connect multiple cameras and feed them all to a single output for livestreaming.

    Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft

    The Mevo Core cameras are shockingly easy to pair with the app. Open the app and it will automatically detect the camera and walk you through adding the camera to your Wi-Fi network. Once they’re on the network, you can connect them to the app with the touch of a button.

    Once your cameras are connected, you can tap the source to swap the live output to that camera angle. In addition to the Mevo Core cameras, you can also add Mevo Start cameras, or, with a Mevo Pro subscription, you can connect any smartphone camera as another video source.

    On top of this, the Mevo Multicam app lets you add picture-in-picture presets as well as graphic assets like full-screen overlays, lower-thirds, and over-the-shoulder images. The result is a makeshift live studio that can run on equipment you can easily fit into a messenger bag.

    Streamers typically have to rely on apps like OBS and StreamLabs to manage video streams, and while those apps are certainly more robust, there’s a simplicity to the Mevo Multicam system that makes it incredibly easy to manage multiple camera angles while live. The app can show you all the camera feeds at once and let you quickly tap one to swap angles, adjust each one’s audio input levels, and add graphics with a tap. If that was all this system did, I’d be impressed, but then Logitech added something I would’ve wanted years ago if I’d thought to ask.

    Turning One Camera Into Many

    The 4K sensor inside the Mevo Core is solid and captures decent picture quality, but its better utilized as a 1080p streaming webcam. So why the extra resolution? Well, because when you shoot with more resolution than you need, it gives you the flexibility to crop in on the image without sacrificing picture quality. It’s partly why some of our favorite cinema cameras use 6K sensors for shooting 4K content.

    Usually, that’s a postproduction process, but the Mevo Multicam app makes it easy to use that flexibility for live productions. In the app, you can tap on parts of the frame to crop in on the subject and send just a portion of the videofeed to the output. This is a technique I’ve used myself when editing video essays, but this camera system brings it to live performances. You can use a wide shot, then crop into a medium shot to emphasize a line.

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    Eric Ravenscraft

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  • The Logitech Reach Is an Amazing Overhead Camera Arm. Too Bad You Have to Use Logitech’s Camera

    The Logitech Reach Is an Amazing Overhead Camera Arm. Too Bad You Have to Use Logitech’s Camera

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    If you went to school before the 2010s, you might’ve been taught with the help of an overhead projector. These gigantic light cannons blasted photons upward through typically transparent worksheets, through a lens and a mirror, projecting the image onto a screen so everyone could see. I can only imagine my teachers back then wishing they had something like Logitech’s Reach to make that process so much easier. Well, mostly.

    The Reach is a unique product in Logitech’s lineup. First announced in September 2023 as an Indiegogo project and successfully funded within five minutes, it’s shipping to backers in July for a retail price of $350. The Reach is an articulated camera arm designed to make it easier to get overhead views of objects sitting on a table while keeping your hands free. It’s handy for showing off books and worksheets in a classroom, demonstrating how to do crafts for a YouTube channel, or giving a bird’s-eye view of a board game.

    The arm itself is excellent. It’s easy to tilt the camera arm up or down, extend it farther from the base, and even slide it higher or lower off the table. It’s an ideal way to get overhead footage of almost anything, except for one pretty substantial problem: It’s designed to work only with Logitech’s Streamcam, a webcam that’s not great.

    A Thoughtful Camera Arm

    First things first. The arm is the star of the Logitech Reach and it’s an absolute delight to use and dead simple to install. There are two mounting options: a sturdy clamp that attaches to the side of a desk or a heavy base plate you can set on top of a table.

    The Logitech Reach with the base.

    Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft

    And when I say heavy, I mean heavy, which is a good thing. The base plate is so hefty that it counterbalances the weight of the entire arm and camera, even when fully extended. This keeps it from falling over or even tilting. It’s so effective that the only reason I can think of to use the clamp is if you don’t have space on your table for the base.

    The arm slides into the base with a metal peg that rotates freely and can spin 360 degrees. The USB-C cable that runs to the camera fits into a ridge along the length of the camera arm so neatly that it’s almost invisible. Since the camera and its cable are already set up, it takes only a couple of seconds to place the base plate on a table, slide the arm into the base, and plug the cable into a laptop, and you’re ready to go.

    The arm itself is so smooth it almost feels unreal. You can rotate the top section of the arm forward to a 90-degree angle from the lower section without fiddling with any controls or locks. It just moves easily into place. Likewise, the top section of the arm can slide forward and back, extending up to around 18 inches away from the base, and it stays in place. Again, no extra buttons, knobs, or clamps involved.

    Front and threequarter view of a black stand with a circular base on the bottom and a small square camera attached to...

    Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft

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    Eric Ravenscraft

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  • Enhance Your Presence Online With This AI Webcam App for $49.99 | Entrepreneur

    Enhance Your Presence Online With This AI Webcam App for $49.99 | Entrepreneur

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    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    The average professional spends more than half of their 40-hour work week in virtual meetings, according to a 2023 Gitnux report. That’s a lot of time to be facing your colleagues and partners from the same standard webcam angle.

    If so much of how others see you is through a screen, then part of your image as a professional is determined by the quality of your videos. Enhance it using FineCam Pro, an AI-powered app that gives you a variety of video tools that could turn your same old virtual meeting into a dynamic presentation.

    Use AI to enhance your presence in video conferences.

    FineCam is a presentation tool that uses AI and an intuitive multi-cam control panel to give you more options for how you present yourself. If your office lighting is unflattering, FineCam can color- and image-correct to help you look the way you want. It still maintains your natural appearance, but it helps you avoid looking washed out.

    Presenting with a visual aid? Don’t bother with a clunky picture-in-picture setup. Just replace your background with your presentation materials. You can also remove or blur your background to maintain your professional privacy if you’re working from home.

    If you’re creating content for social media, you can even use FineCam to add custom branding along with cinematic filters and effects. Record videos for social media on the same device you use to meet with your team.

    Get more control over your camera.

    Whether you’re meeting with a client or recording something for Facebook, you may not need to leave the comfort of your webcam.

    Get a FineCam Pro lifetime subscription for $49.99 (reg. $84).

    Prices subject to change.

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