Other good webcams
Photography: Logitech
Logitech Brio 4K for $170: The original Brio from 2017 was one of the first 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 previous model is It is still a good buy that is a little cheaper. The white balance remains accurate and my skin color always appears normal, whether I’m in a sunny room, dimly lit, or using artificial light. The autofocus is quick and subtle when refocusing, and the image is very sharp. Additionally, you can choose between 65, 78, and 90 super-wide degrees for your field of view, giving you some framing options. If you are using a Windows machine, you can configure it to work with Windows Hello for facial authentication to sign in.
Obsbot Tiny 2 Webcam for $299: I used Obsbot’s first Tiny 4K PTZ webcam with great results for over a year, and after switching to the new Tiny 2, it’s just as great. The 4K-compatible image quality looks excellent and the camera does a great job of tracking my movements. The company has also polished its software a lot over the years and offers a lot of customization. It can respond to your hand gestures, but you can also purchase a remote control to control it, making it ideal for presentations and group video calls.
Insta360 link for $180: This 4K webcam is an impressive beast. Mounted on an electric gimbal that rotates horizontally and vertically, Insta360 Link (8/10, WIRED recommended) will automatically track, refocus, and zoom in and out (up to 4X zoom) as you move across the screen. It will even zoom in on presentation boards or documents you want to show on your call. It offers exceptional sharpness, color contrast and white balance when recording at 24, 25 and 30 frames per second in 4K resolution. There are dual noise-canceling microphones and a screw mount on the bottom to attach it to a tripod as well. The only thing it’s missing is a physical privacy shutter, but the camera points downwards when not in use. The Link 2 is a better buy, but this model has a three-axis gimbal which 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 30fps or 720p at 60fps, making the Razer Kiyo X its main competition. But it’s more expensive and has a slightly narrower 78-degree field of view. It’s a good webcam, but you can get a comparable Kiyo X for less money.
Don’t bother with these webcams
Photography: Adorama
Not all webcams are an upgrade from the one built into your laptop. These are the models I tried that ranged from simply unimpressive to those that made me look like the subject of a second grade art project.
Microsoft LifeCam Studio for $100: It says it’s a 1080p webcam, but there’s a problem: it’s only for recording video. Using it for video calls restricts you to 720p. My coworkers commented on how unfocused I was constantly. The white balance was so off that it looked more orange than an Oompa Loompa. And the exposition was so extensive that I never stopped looking as if I were living the last scenes of The lighthouse. There was also a lot of lag in my movements and one bad movement.
Logitech Brio 500 for $130: I’m struggling to think of a reason why Logitech decided to mount the Brio 500 using an adhesive patch on its stand, which doesn’t have to be removed once placed on a laptop or monitor. What if you want to use it on multiple computers, like many of us, or if you change the case on your laptop? The fit is crazy too. The webcam is attached to the base using a magnet. Moving the camera down often caused it to come off the base rather than adjusting the angle, and turning it left or right made it so loose that it wouldn’t stay still. That meant I had to remove it from the magnetic mount, screw the mount back on and reposition it, and then not adjust it for 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. Autofocus could be a little faster. Other positives are that you can get it in black, white or pink, two more colors than most webcams offer.
Logitech Brio 300 for $60: The image quality is lacking on this one. Even in a fairly well-lit room, my image appeared grainy. It also did weird things with the white balance while autofocusing. The field of view is quite narrow at 70 degrees and is not adjustable, so the on-screen image is in front of your face. You’ll want to back away a little so that others don’t look down your nose 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 for this price without these image quality quirks.
Razer Kiyo Pro for $130: Although it looks like its cheaper, non-pro sibling, the Pro ditches the ring light and instead relies on software to compensate for low-light conditions. I was annoyed that I had to download the Razer Synapse app to get a decent image from the Kiyo Pro. Yes, adjusting settings is a very wired thing to do, but most people just want to plug in their webcam. Once you play with the app settings, the image is sharp and beautiful. However, it has the same overly obvious autofocus as the regular Kiyo and is also a bit pricey. is not a bad Take your pick, but again, the Logitech Brio can run at 4K/30fps, unlike this camera, which maxes out at 1,080p/60fps.
Live creative labs! Sync 4K for $50: I was hesitant about a 4K resolution webcam at this price, and my skepticism was validated by the wildly strange white balance that turned me and everything slightly orange. It may be the only webcam that made my room look darker than it was. The privacy shutter is a rubber cap that snaps on and off. The part 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’s not 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 quick glance it’s hard to tell if the cap is on or off.
Cisco 1080p Desktop Camera for $121: Not to be confused with the almost identical Cisco name. 4K desktop camera. I tested the 1,080p and 8MP version in a variety of natural and artificial lighting, but my Gear Team colleagues and I couldn’t help but notice that no matter how I used it, the video looked too pixelated. Unless a webcam can make me look as pixelated as Axel from streets of rage, so I want a smooth video that looks like 1,080p. During Zooms, the Desk Camera 1,080p had trouble focusing and zooming, refocusing frequently and jarringly, but never quite getting it right.