Webcams: pointless novelty or essential
accessory? We help you decide what webcam you want - if any!
Video conferencing never quite took off the
way that the science-fiction imagineers of the past seemed to think it might.
That’s probably because conversing with friends and family in a grainy,
low-detail image the size of a postage stamp failed to capture the public’s
interest in the early years of the technology. However, things have changed.
Webcams, in particular, have significantly improved, and now that phones,
laptops and tablet PCs all have video conferencing capabilities as standard,
it’s increasingly becoming a good idea to have a webcam for your PC so that it
can keep up.
How
To Buy… A Webcam?
So what might you use one for? Well, the
best reason to get a webcam is that they allow you to take part in video chats
with others using services like Skype or Google Talk. It may seem awkward at
first, but video conferencing isn’t just for international businessmen anymore:
it’s also useful for families and friends separated by large distances, whether
that means down the M1 or on the other side of the world.
And unlike phone calls, video conferencing
is free when done over the internet. If you talk on the phone a lot, you could
start saving money in weeks! And that’s not all they’re good for. You can use a
webcam to record video blogs and YouTube responses, to take photographs, and
you can even use them as security devices. There are multiple ways to use the
technology that allow you to save money and have fun. Why would you deny
yourself that?
Buying a webcam isn’t a difficult thing to
do, but when the quality and capabilities of the various available models
differ so radically, it makes sense to learn as much about them as you can
before buying one. Hopefully, once you’ve read this guide, you’ll feel better
equipped to go out and buy yourself the webcam you deserve.
How Much Should You Spend?
The cheapest webcams are incredibly
inexpensive. You’ll probably be surprised, even though we’ve warned you that
you’ll be surprised. A webcam with similar capabilities to those found in
smartphones and tablets - which is to say, those with sensors capable of
capturing between 1.3 and three megapixels (MP) of static image - can be picked
up for less than $9.6. That’s an insanely low price for any piece of computer
hardware, let alone something as notionally complicated as a webcam.
How
Much Should You Spend?
Admittedly, the stand won’t be very good
and it might not even have a microphone, but you don’t have to pay much more to
get something with entirely reasonable specs: a 4MP webcam with a microphone
and a decent clipstand can cost as little as $12.8. When prices are that low,
it seems almost crazy not to own a webcam.
However, let’s assume you don’t want the
cheapest one in the catalogue. Let’s say you want something that’s good enough
to be future-proof and which won’t broadcast images of you that look like they
were sketched from memory by an artistically disinclined chimp. How much do you
have to spend to get something that goes beyond decent and into being good?
Well, if you’re willing to spend closer to
$48-$80, you can get 720p video capture (even 1080p in some models) and 8MP
sensors along with the kind of extras that vastly improve the appearance and
clarity of images. Integrated lights, folding/poseable stands, mechanised
autofocus, optical zoom, even automatic head tracking. The list of features
goes on. At this price range, the software is also much better, making
uploading and sharing videos or establishing voice connections a simple,
one-click process once they’ve been properly configured.
And what of the top-end devices? Spend
$96-$160 and enjoy full-FPS HD video, wide angle lenses, improved resolutions
and more. At this price, you can also afford to buy IP cameras, which have
built-in web servers and can be used for home security and surveillance. We
don’t think you should, necessarily, but if you want to, the option is there.
As with most areas of computing, it’s possible to waste thousands of pounds
trying to get the best camera available, so our advice is to stick to the
mid-range unless you have a specific professional use in mind.
What Make/Model/Manufacturer Should You Look For?
There are a few companies making reasonably
good-quality webcams at the home consumer end of the market, but the truth is
that none stand out as making webcams that are particularly good for the money
or substantially better than the competition.
Microsoft’s
LifeCam webcams are popular for their design and reasonably low prices, but
their performance as cameras is distinctly average, with reports of
over-zealous autofocus and poor microphones.
Microsoft’s LifeCam webcams are popular for
their design and reasonably low prices, but their performance as cameras is
distinctly average, with reports of over-zealous autofocus and poor
microphones. Logitech’s C-series webcams often look ridiculous, but have a
large range of features and good software at fair prices, but again, they won’t
blow you away. Lesser-known brands like Trust and Xenta produce nice-looking
cameras that are priced surprisingly low for their capabilities but which feel
flimsy and under-engineered. We can’t really say any of those brands is worth
buying over any other, so follow your instincts.
All that said, if there’s a specific
stand-out webcam at the moment, it’s the Logitech HD Pro C920. It’ll cost you
close to $80, but the features you get are considerable: 1080p video calling,
LED recording lights, integrated stereo microphone, 15 megapixel still image
resolution, facial recognition and face tracking - it has everything a home
user could need, and more besides. If it was priced $24 less, it’d be perfect.
A lower price is often preferable, of
course, but the C920 should be sufficiently future-proof that you’ll make your
money back in the long term. Frankly, we’d be willing to pay the extra to know
that we’re buying something that’ll stand the test of time.
