Webcams with Wide Zoom?

[Soapy1234]

Hi all,

 

I'm looking to upgrade my decade+ old Logitech USB webcam, and I'm looking for something that can solve a few issues.

First thing is I'm wondering what will have a good enough quality for doing video meetings where I'm demonstrating stuff on my guitar--I both teach and take lessons, and with my current old Logitech webcam, it's just VERY blurry, even when in focus.  I don't know if it's even 1080p, and while I understand 4k isn't a guarantee when using Skype or Zoom, I still want something that I can trust with that.  One of my teachers uses a real video camera with a zoom lens that looks AMAZING in our Skype calls as his computer camera, but that's WAY out of my budget at the moment, and if it's possible to get at least close with something more simple, that'll be ideal.

Which leads to the next thing: are there any webcams that can zoom in and out well?  Part of it is I want to be close to my monitors (around 24" away from my usual sitting position), and with my current webcam with a fixed lens, I have to stand at least another 3 feet back to get my guitar in the shot, and even then, it doesn't have me AND the guitar in the shot unless I'm even further away.  At the same time, I also want to be able to zoom in to get a close-up shot of my right hand when showing my picking technique and all that.

Are there any webcams on the market that can accomplish those things?  If not, and it's recommended I just get a real DSLR camera or something (which I'd rather not jump on right now because in my experience good ones are orders of magnitude more expensive, though I could be wrong), how much should I save for one?  With webcams, I'm willing to spend a few hundred if necessary, but I also just want to know what's going to give me the best bang for my buck, so to speak.  If I don't HAVE to spend $300 on something like an Elgato Facecam Pro (which I just found from a quick google search, but I'd like some suggestions from the forum), that would be ideal.

[ImWilly]

The cheapest yet super effective way to have webcam is by using your phone

By using "Droid Cam" app, either by Wifi or cable connected to your laptop/PC, it can be served as webcam and can be used for free

 

It's available on both Android and iOS (I'm not paid to write these line, LOL), you would just need to have a phone stand to place your phone, either selfie cam or rear cam 

 

P.S.

Even a $100 phone camera would performs better than most webcam, unless you're comparing it with webcam that is featured in Short Circuit channel such as Elgato that you have mentioned, Dell UltraSharp, NexiGo or even Insta360

[saintlouisbagels]

If you're willing to spend the money, the Insta360 Link is essentially the best webcam on the market with its gimbal+tracking features. And it uses a large sensor + 4K so you can do some cropping in without losing too much quality. OBSBOT has a similar webcam, but I found the quality lackluster.

 

Just keep in mind lighting is far more important than sensor quality. Invest in "key lights" if quality is very important to you. I have a 32-inch monitor, so I already get a lot of lighting from just having the Google homepage open lol.

 

A potato iPhone 4 will take great pictures in daylight, a 15 Pro Max will take mediocre pictures in dim lighting.

[Soapy1234]

4 hours ago, ImWilly said:

The cheapest yet super effective way to have webcam is by using your phone

By using "Droid Cam" app, either by Wifi or cable connected to your laptop/PC, it can be served as webcam and can be used for free

 

It's available on both Android and iOS (I'm not paid to write these line, LOL), you would just need to have a phone stand to place your phone, either selfie cam or rear cam 

 

P.S.

Even a $100 phone camera would performs better than most webcam, unless you're comparing it with webcam that is featured in Short Circuit channel such as Elgato that you have mentioned, Dell UltraSharp, NexiGo or even Insta360

The phone thing would probably be good in a pinch, good to know that can be done!

 

2 hours ago, saintlouisbagels said:

If you're willing to spend the money, the Insta360 Link is essentially the best webcam on the market with its gimbal+tracking features. And it uses a large sensor + 4K so you can do some cropping in without losing too much quality. OBSBOT has a similar webcam, but I found the quality lackluster.

 

Just keep in mind lighting is far more important than sensor quality. Invest in "key lights" if quality is very important to you. I have a 32-inch monitor, so I already get a lot of lighting from just having the Google homepage open lol.

 

A potato iPhone 4 will take great pictures in daylight, a 15 Pro Max will take mediocre pictures in dim lighting.

Good to know.  Any particular key lights you recommend?

[Blue4130]

9 hours ago, Soapy1234 said:

Hi all,

 

I'm looking to upgrade my decade+ old Logitech USB webcam, and I'm looking for something that can solve a few issues.

First thing is I'm wondering what will have a good enough quality for doing video meetings where I'm demonstrating stuff on my guitar--I both teach and take lessons, and with my current old Logitech webcam, it's just VERY blurry, even when in focus.  I don't know if it's even 1080p, and while I understand 4k isn't a guarantee when using Skype or Zoom, I still want something that I can trust with that.  One of my teachers uses a real video camera with a zoom lens that looks AMAZING in our Skype calls as his computer camera, but that's WAY out of my budget at the moment, and if it's possible to get at least close with something more simple, that'll be ideal.

Which leads to the next thing: are there any webcams that can zoom in and out well?  Part of it is I want to be close to my monitors (around 24" away from my usual sitting position), and with my current webcam with a fixed lens, I have to stand at least another 3 feet back to get my guitar in the shot, and even then, it doesn't have me AND the guitar in the shot unless I'm even further away.  At the same time, I also want to be able to zoom in to get a close-up shot of my right hand when showing my picking technique and all that.

Are there any webcams on the market that can accomplish those things?  If not, and it's recommended I just get a real DSLR camera or something (which I'd rather not jump on right now because in my experience good ones are orders of magnitude more expensive, though I could be wrong), how much should I save for one?  With webcams, I'm willing to spend a few hundred if necessary, but I also just want to know what's going to give me the best bang for my buck, so to speak.  If I don't HAVE to spend $300 on something like an Elgato Facecam Pro (which I just found from a quick google search, but I'd like some suggestions from the forum), that would be ideal.

In the short term, you can adjust the focus of your current cam. My Logitech was way out of focus from the factory. I opened it and gave then lens a 1/8 turn and it improved immensely.

[Soapy1234]

18 hours ago, Blue4130 said:

In the short term, you can adjust the focus of your current cam. My Logitech was way out of focus from the factory. I opened it and gave then lens a 1/8 turn and it improved immensely.

I'm pretty sure my current one auto-focuses, because it was never the focus that was the issue.  At my work office, I have one that is a manual-focus, and that one has SO much trouble with getting it just right, cause it changes if I shift even a little bit.  My current one doesn't have that issue (it feels about equal to my M1 MacBook Air camera, which is 720p, and I think my Logitech webcam is also 720p if not worse) but I could be wrong about that with my particular Logitech webcam.

[saintlouisbagels]

19 hours ago, Soapy1234 said:

Good to know.  Any particular key lights you recommend?

It can get pricey if you look into studio brands like Aputure.

Neewer is a solid lower-price brand and they have a 2-pack for $150

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Packs-Dimmable-Bi-Color-Lighting/dp/B072Q42GXQ/

 

Otherwise, just buy whatever cheap panels lights and tripod light stands you can find.

Elgato sells key lights and they're overpriced, but I won't deny that their slim designs make me feel envious lol. Plus there's software integration which may or may not be a positive.

https://www.elgato.com/us/en/p/key-light

 

[Blue4130]

2 hours ago, Soapy1234 said:

I'm pretty sure my current one auto-focuses, because it was never the focus that was the issue.  At my work office, I have one that is a manual-focus, and that one has SO much trouble with getting it just right, cause it changes if I shift even a little bit.  My current one doesn't have that issue (it feels about equal to my M1 MacBook Air camera, which is 720p, and I think my Logitech webcam is also 720p if not worse) but I could be wrong about that with my particular Logitech webcam.

Which model do you have?

[Soapy1234]

On 5/7/2024 at 5:48 PM, Blue4130 said:

Which model do you have?

The tag was a bit faded, but I managed to get the model number, it's a Logitech V-U0009.