The Best Webcams of 2022

Webcams were pretty basic: Logitech catered to the needs of most regular people like the Logitech c920 and Logitech Brio 4K, while specialist manufacturers like Razer turned to the gaming/streaming market.

But then the pandemic struck and suddenly a large percentage of office work turned out to be indefinite. Companies competed to enter the market when standalone webcams sold like hotcakes – inventory was so limited for much of 2020 that you bought based on availability, not quality.

It’s 2022 and things are finally starting to change. The stock of webcams has mostly stabilized, so it might be time to replace your pandemic webcam with something that will make you look and sound great in any light. We can finally list the best webcams of 2022 for work, play, and more with confidence.

Quick Shopping Tips

Here are some considerations to make while picking the best webcam.

Streaming vs Work Cam: The webcam market is basically divided into two categories: work and live. Live streaming webcams are more expensive (some can cost up to $500) and include features like 4K, professional microphones, and wide-angle lenses.

However, you probably won’t be able to take advantage of these features in a home office because video compression and latency are still an issue in most conferencing applications – 1080p or even 720p is what your colleagues are capable of. never saw.

The best webcams on the market have always had some sort of built-in microphone, but that’s more of a side thought than a feature. Webcams are usually placed above and away from your face, so while the microphone was good (and usually not), it’s not in the ideal position to pick up your voice. We’ve seen webcams without mics recently (even from big companies like Dell), so we highly recommend getting one of the best gaming headsets or the best gaming mics to make sure they sound as good as they sound.

Light is advantageous: Although integrated illumination isn’t currently a common feature on the majority of consumer-grade cameras, producers like Razer are working to alter that. No matter how amazing your camera is, it won’t be usable if the workplace lighting is too dim.

What are the Best Webcams Right Now?

Our current pick of the best webcam for most people is the $60 Anker Powerconf C200, which delivers crisp 2K video at 30fps. The C200 also features two robust microphones for voice capture, an adjustable field of view, and a tripod mount if you want to use it away from your laptop or desktop. It also comes with a privacy shutter built into the webcam.

If you want the very best, we recommend the $299 Insta360 Link, which has a 4K camera mounted on a 3-axis gimbal so the camera can pan and roll to follow you around the room. It also has a ton of innovative features, including the ability to respond to hand gestures and portrait video mode for TikTok and similar formats. It also offers some of the best webcam videos we’ve ever seen.

Best webcams of 2022

1. Logitech Brio 500

The Logitech Brio 500 demonstrates that image quality is more important than resolution; although having similar performance on the surface as previous Logitech webcams like the C920s and C930e, it delivers considerably better photos. The Logitech Brio 500 provides the greatest performance right out of the box at an affordable price ($130) for the ordinary user wishing to replace their camera with whatever is integrated into the laptop bezel.

Although the majority of online conferencing software only allows for 1080p or 720p broadcasting, the higher resolution camera is still useful. You could pick the Dell Pro 2K WB5023 Webcam, which is similarly priced to the Brio 500 and also provides excellent performance if you intend to zoom close on the backdrop to remove it.

2. Modern Microsoft webcam

Microsoft Modern Webcam is cheaper and more affordable than the Logitech C920; it also has more features and better and more accurate colour reproduction than its older competitor.

Some monitors, especially those that aren’t flat at the back, may wobble while using the Microsoft Modern Webcam Monitor Stand (but you can make it stable with some skilful balancing). This webcam has a luxurious appearance thanks to the sliding physical shutter.

Microsoft Modern Webcam comes with an intuitive but not particularly powerful app that resembles a Windows menu. The app allows you to customize most of the special features of this camera, including HDR and flicker reduction thanks to the ability to shoot videos at 60 frames per second. Capturing 1080p at 60fps with this webcam is a big plus for streamers, especially since many gaming-focused webcams cost over $100.

3. Insta360 connection

Insta360 Link is an AI-enabled 4K webcam mounted on a 3-axis gimbal, equipped with a variety of capture modes and features that content creators will love, such as AI motion detection, and offers incredibly impressive auto colour and exposure. It doesn’t come cheap though: the Link is one of the most expensive webcams on this list, with a retail price of $300.

A potentially overly impressive webcam is The Link. In actuality, save for a very tiny group of visitors, links are generally overkilled. Most web conferencing software doesn’t even support 4K resolution, and features like “portrait mode,” “top-down mode,” and “desktop-style” are fascinating but not really practical if you don’t know how you’ll use them in advance.

4. Dell Ultrasharp Webcam

If you have extra cash, you should get the $ 199 Dell Ultrasharp webcam. This camera offers a ton of functions, including the ability to record in 4K at 30 frames per second plus 1080p at 60 frames per second. HDR, and even optional AI to help you stay in the frame. It also has three different fields of view options and a lot of customization thanks to the ability to activate manual focus and zoom sliders. But what really impressed us about this camera is the image quality. Regardless of the resolution you choose, this camera’s footage looks sharp and has the most flattering lighting and colours we’ve ever seen – there are no artefacts or weird pale or yellowish tones here.

If you don’t need 4K resolution, the recently released Dell Pro webcam (WB5023) offers an excellent plug-and-play experience and still has a better 2K resolution than HD.

5. Logitech C920s Pro

The most recent iteration of the iconic Logitech C920, which was first made available in 2013, is the Logitech C920s Pro. (The C920s Pro and the original C920 vary mainly in that the latter offers an optional privacy cover.) The almost ten-year-old Logitech C920s Pro is a dependable and sturdy camera with a 78-degree field of vision and video recording at 1080p/30fps.

The C920s Pro has a maximum resolution of 1080p, which can seem low if you’re looking at 4K webcams. But 1080p is a lot for the average user: no video conferencing platform allows you to stream video at a resolution close to 4K (and many limits the streaming resolution to 720p). The C920s Pro also offers decent colour reproduction (however, its images look a bit washed out compared to recent competitors) and performs acceptably in both backlight and low-light conditions.

Other webcams we have tested

Razer Kiyo: Although it uses outdated technology at the moment, the Razer Kiyo is still an excellent webcam and one of the few made by a credible business to include a ring light. Although it is somewhat less competent than the Razer Kiyo Pro and substantially better than other 1080p standards like the Logitech C930e, it still costs less than $100.

Ausdom AW635: At the beginning of the pandemic, when it was harder to acquire a stock of entry-level versions like the Logitech C920, the Ausdom AW635 was a more valued camera. Its extremely intolerable visual quality has lost some of its appeal now that the title has been adjusted.

Aukey 1080p: This was an awkward omission, but since its primary role on this list was that of a Logitech C920 clone, now that the webcam stock has stabilized, it doesn’t serve the same purpose. Ironically, it can be a little hard to find right now, which also makes it hard to recommend, but it’s about on par with Logitech’s budget cameras if you can find it.

AnkerWork B600 Video Bar: This webcam offers high image fidelity and plenty of conferencing features like a speaker and integrated lightbar with touch control, but its price tag makes it a poor option for those who don’t need it. , Insert.