Best Webcams: Independent Top 6
My grandmother is already 90 years old, and she lives in another city, a thousand kilometers away from me. Constantly calling up is expensive, and so that the old woman saw her beloved grandson more often, she had to find an alternative to the phone. Skype via webcam. While I was looking for a better WEB-camera, willy-nilly I learned a lot of interesting things about them, which I will tell you about now, and at the same time I will present my subjective rating of the 6 best webcams
How to choose the best webcam
Resolution
Perhaps the main parameter for a webcam. So that your interlocutor can look you in the eye, and not just look at a blurry spot, it is better to choose a camera with a resolution of at least 1280 x 720 pixels. But if you will be watched on a large display, say on TV, it is better to splurge on a camera with FullHD resolution. 1920 x 1080 pixels. In principle, you can find cameras with resolutions up to 4K, but this is already an overkill: the corresponding screens are still not enough, and in order to transmit a picture of this quality in real time, you need a damn fast Internet. So stop at regular HD or FullHD. depending on the budget and specific goals. If you are thinking of writing a video for Youtube, you better go broke on 1080p, plan to communicate at work. 720p is enough.
This abbreviation denotes the number of frames per second that the camera can transmit to the person with whom you are communicating. Want a more or less smooth picture. choose a webcam with 25 frames per second. Otherwise, instead of a video, your interlocutor will see a slideshow. For a more realistic image, you need 60 frames per second.
Microphone
Most modern webcams are equipped with built-in microphones: plug in and use. True, these microphones are usually imagination, to put it mildly, are NOT amazing. Chatting with colleagues, in principle, will do, but, say, sticks out with a built-in microphone, I would NOT recommend it. Therefore, if you have at least some separate microphone for a PC, it is better to use it and especially on a webcam DO NOT count on.
Mount
This point is constantly forgotten, but a good mount is just as important to a webcam as resolution or frame rate. The most common option. an ordinary clothespin for attaching the camera to a computer LCD monitor. In most cases, this is also the most convenient option. There are models with a clamp or just with a flat base: these can be installed on a desktop, on a shelf or on an old-fashioned CRT monitor (if you have one, of course). The choice, in general, is yours, but you cannot ignore this moment when buying a webcam.
Logitech HD Webcam C270
Inexpensive model. Transmits an HD picture in a resolution of 1280×720 pixels at 30 frames per second. Attaches to the monitor with a clothespin. Built-in microphone with RightSound technology perfectly picks up sound. Connecting to a PC using a 1.5m USB cable is literally one move. no additional settings are required. The clothespin is flimsy, but otherwise. great solution for your money.
Microsoft LifeCam HD-3000
A slightly more expensive model with a price of about 1,500 rubles. The characteristics are similar to the previous webcam: the same resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels, the same mounting on the monitor with a clothespin, the same connection to a PC using a USB cable. A very decent microphone is built into the device. The main disadvantage. quite a high price for such characteristics, but you have to pay for the name and reliability of Microsoft.
SVEN IC-350
The most budget-friendly webcam in the entire collection: it costs only about 700 plus rubles. The sensor here is tiny, at just 0.3 megapixels, and the resolution is very modest. 640 by 480 pixels, but what did you want for the money? Clip for mounting on the monitor, button for quick photography, manual focus, USB connection. For communication with distant relatives, it will do.
Best Full HD webcams
Logitech C922 Pro Stream
And this is a device of a completely different level for completely different money. about 7,500 rubles. High-quality picture in FullHD-resolution, good built-in microphone. Reliable and weighty monitor mount, includes a small tripod for installation on a desktop. For full operation of the device, you need to connect it via the USB 3.0 port. In addition, some users complain that the webcam does not work very well on Windows operating systems older than version 10.
Genius WideCam F100
A good and NOT too expensive webcam with a price of about 3000 rubles. Produces a picture in a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels at 30 FPS. Large viewing angle. 120 degrees, so the whole room will fit in the frame at once. Among the shortcomings, it is NOT the widest dynamic range and not a very good microphone, so it is better NOT to shoot in the backlight and use a separate T-shirt.
Razer Kiyo
Like all Razer products, this camera is beautiful, reliable, and very expensive. almost 9,000 rubles. The main feature is here. a flashlight built into the camera, the front light of which helps to seriously improve the picture. It produces stable 30 frames per second without brakes. Mounts to the monitor, there is a thread for mounting on a tripod. True, for that kind of money, the microphone could be better: the built-in microphone is NOT enough for anything serious. The rest. very solid device, which is suitable for streams and for communicating with relatives.
Logitech HD Webcam C270
Transmits HD-picture in a resolution of 1280×720 pixels at 30 frames per second, attaches to the monitor with a clothespin.
Microsoft LifeCam HD-3000
Resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels, mounting on a monitor with a clothespin, connecting to a PC using a USB cable.
SVEN IC-350
The matrix is only 0.3 megapixels, the resolution is 640 by 480 pixels, a clothespin for mounting on the monitor, a quick photo button, manual focus, USB connection.
Logitech C922 Pro Stream
High-quality picture in FullHD-resolution, good built-in microphone, small tripod included for installation on a desktop.
Genius WideCam F100
Provides a picture in a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels at 30 FPS, a large viewing angle. 120 degrees, so the whole room fits in the frame at once.
Razer Kiyo
The built-in flashlight in the camera, the front light of which helps to seriously improve the picture, produces a stable 30 frames per second.
Why do night vision webcams see in the dark, but have a human eye, and how does it work? Night vision cameras perceive the world in the infrared range. In fact, they illuminate the surrounding space, we just DO NOT perceive this light. No magic, just physics and biology.
Recommend a webcam around the middle price range In the selection above, all cameras are good. In the average price range from 1,500 to 2,500 rubles, you can pay attention to the Logitech HD Webcam C270, Microsoft LifeCam HD-3000 or Genius WideCam F100.
Do you glue webcams? Glueing cameras is pretty pointless, hackers are unlikely to spy on you. Although if you are so calmer, then no one will forbid you to close up the peephole of the webcam. For example, my mother-in-law even tied a special case on the camera for safety. But this, as for me, is already extremes: you DO NOT glue the windows?