Best Webcam for Video Conferencing
Webcams come with a number of uses although most of them are regarded to be just recreational devices that enable you to communicate with your family members and friends over video calls. While that is the case, there are other uses as well.
A webcam makes your communication easy and effective by letting you see and talk to your loved ones over great distances from any corner of the world.
In other words, webcams have helped in reducing the world into a mere global village thanks to their ability to bring people together despite the great distances between them.
Apart from that, web cameras can be used for professional purposes especially video conferencing or online video interviews.
Without webcams, applications such as Skype would not have become a reality as far as communication is concerned.
However, for you to carry out an effective video conferencing, you will require a state of the art webcam to help you accomplish your mission. Learn more about our top pick webcam for video conferencing in the following review:
1. Logitech Conference Cam-BCC950
Logitech Conference Cam-BCC950 comes with the best features that will make you like it. This webcam features one of the best high definition videos complete with superior speakerphones to make your audio simple yet effective especially when small-group conferencing.
Its Carl Zeiss Optics coupled with autofocus comes in handy to deliver the razor-sharp videos and images that you can easily share with your audience.
With a microphone that has a bandwidth of 200 Hz to kHz, you can rest assured that this webcam will deliver clear sound alongside its 720HD videos of up to 1280×720 pixels when video-calling.
This is made possible with the built-in noise-canceling speakerphone and full-duplex speakerphone to allow every meeting member to hear as well as be heard clearly even at a distance of up to 8 feet away.
This web camera is compatible with a number of video conferencing apps including Blue Jeans, Skype for Business, Cisco WebEx, Cisco Jabber, LifeSize Cloud, Fuze, Zoom, and Vidyo.
The 78-degrees field-of-view and the 180-degree allow you to tilt, video pan and zoom through remote-control to facilitate whole group visibility. On top of that, the omnidirectional microphone pickup and echo-cancellation audio make it look like the conversation is taking place right in the same room.
The device is fully optimized for the Microsoft Lync, Skype and works perfectly well with a number of other most popular UC platforms.
2. Meeting Owl 360-Degree Video Conference Camera
If you are looking for the webcam that will give you the best team meeting experience, look no farther than Meeting Owl 360-Degree Video Conferencing Camera.
This is the first webcam of its kind and it is capable of highlighting and shifting focus from one individual to the next in a room when they are speaking.
Given that this device combines a camera, speaker and the mic, you can clearly hear and see everyone when making video conferencing.
This is due to the fact that its 360-degree lens sits comfortably at the center of the table while showing the entire room with its 8 microphones picking everyone’s speed within a range of 12 feet away.
Most significantly, Meeting Owl 360-Degree Video Conferencing Camera is quick to set up thus saving your precious time in the process. All that you need to do is to plug in, load up the video conferencing platform and you are good to go.
In fact, you can easily get the latest features automatically thanks to the device’s ability to connect to the Wi-Fi.
3. Logitech ConferenceCam – Connect All-in-1
No webcam for video conferencing can match the state-of-the-art Logitech ConferenceCam-Connect All-in-1 when it comes to superior features. This portable all-in-1 webcam gives you a video conferencing solution to meet all your expectations.
It’s sleek and easy to carry design is the main reason you will fall in love with it from the moment you will lay your eyes on it. This is because it is built to provide you with high-quality video conferences that come second to none in virtually any working environment of your choice.
In addition to that, this webcam is a perfect choice for small groupings and you can utilize its 90-degree panoramic field of view together with 360-degree sound output to reach out to a group of about six people in a workplace.
As if that is not enough, this webcam gives you high-quality videos in full high definition (HD) of 1080p complete with digital pan, zoom, tilt, and autofocus to ensure that you get the best video conferencing experience ever.
And of course, you can’t forget to mention its integrated wideband speakerphone that is designed with noise cancellation mechanism and classic full duplex omnidirectional microphones that lets you hear clear and perfect sound during video conferencing.
But the most unique thing about this webcam is that you can connect your mobile device to the conference in order to display your presentations and any other important content on a tablet, TV screen or smartphone using the wireless screen-mirror projection.
4. Tenveo 10X Optical-Zoom
Tenveo 10X Optical-Zoom is the type of video conferencing webcam that you need for your business meetings. With its 10X optical zoom, you will feel as though you are face-to-face with your audience in the room.
As a matter of fact, this web camera allows everyone in the room to be seen and hear clearly through its high-quality video (with full HD 1080 pixel camera).
This camera is quite handy in the manner with which it functions giving you a pan of 0-340 degrees with a maximum speed of 80-degrees per second, the tilt of 10-120 degree, 10X digital zoom with 2.38 megapixel and 256 preset positions including IR remote control and control protocol.
Its USB3.0 or HDMI video output allows everyone in the room to set up and have full control of video meetings by simply using the remote control.
Most importantly, the Tenveo 10X Optical-Zoom is readily compatible with a wide range of applications such as Microsoft Lync, Skype, Vidyo, Vsee, CISCO, Seegle and Vidtel among others.
5. Logitech PTZ Pro-2 Camera
Logitech PTZ Pro-2 is an ideal web camera for conference rooms, large events, training environments, and any other professional video uses.
This webcam was designed primarily to deliver brightly sharp images, exceptional accuracy, and outstanding color reproduction.
With its enhanced tilt/pan and zoom motor, you can make your movement from preset to preset a little bit smoother much to your delight.
Additionally, its wide field of view will enable you to see everyone in your target audience clearly. Whenever you want to view objects, more details, and whiteboard content, you can either zoom wide or zero depending on what you want to see.
One thing that makes Logitech PTZ Pro-2 the best choice of a webcam for you is its advanced camera technology. The technology lets you free up bandwidth when processing your videos within its PTZ camera.
This results in smoother video streams in apps such as Microsoft Sky businesses. Clearly, this is one of the best webcams that you can find on the market today for your conferencing purposes.
6. AVer Information CAM520
AVer Information CAM520 gives you the best quality videos for your money. This webcam allows you to use USB PTZ plug and play professional video conferencing camera with full 1080p HD at 60 frames/second.
This web camera comes with ten cameras presets that are designed for one-touch customization.
On top of that, it comes with an amazing zoom of 12X to give you a true meaning of optical zoom with 82-degree wide angle of field of view to deliver rapid as well as smooth tilt, pan, and zoom-in performance.
This way, you can capture even the smallest details you can think of with absolute clarity and accuracy at every focal point.
Above all, this webcam is compatible with nearly all of your favorite apps that connect to virtually any laptop or desktop using a USB cable.
Also, it is highly compatible with Skype for business, Skype, ZOOM, Blue Jeans, Microsoft Lync, Cisco, Google Hangout, GoToMeeting, WebEx, WebRTC, vMix, XSplit, Wirecast, Adobe Connect and XSplit.
7. HuddleCamHD HC3X-WH-G2 2.1MP
HuddleCamHD HC3X-WH-G2 2.1MP is an ideal professional webcam designed for larger rooms. This PTZoptics high definition camera is a perfect choice for professional/business video conferencing you can find on the market today.
This web camera is designed with a wide range of conferencing setups to make your video call worthwhile. For instance, the HuddleCam HD offers a good solution that works pretty well for all situations regardless of where you are.
You can trust that you will get superior quality from this webcam at an affordable price.
This web camera is always easy to set up and ready for use in just a few minutes. Its field of view goes as high as 30fps at 64 presets using the infrared remote control to give you 1080p crystal clear HD videos using its lossless 3X-optical zoom.
In this way, it enables you to clearly see and interact closely with your team. What you need to do is to plug your webcam into your laptop or desktop USB port and everything else will fall in place.
The camera works well with virtually all online video conferencing apps and software hence, no need for any additional proprietary connections or drivers.
How to Choose a Video Conference Webcam?
When it comes to the selection of the suitable webcam for your video conferencing needs, you cannot just wake up and walk to the showroom to pick any web camera that you will come across.
Of course, there are considerations to make and here are a few things you need to look out for when purchasing your webcam:
Quality of the recording
Recording quality should be the first thing to consider the moment you walk into a showroom to buy your dream webcam. Depending on your budget, you can choose the quality that you consider to be the best.
For instance, if you have been using a webcam with let’s say 480p, it is time you upgraded to an HD web camera that is likely to give you videos in very high resolutions. It doesn’t matter what your viewers have at the other end provided that you invest in something you will be proud of.
Recording vs streaming
If you are not aware, there is a thin line between recording videos to be uploaded at your convenience and streaming live videos in real time when chatting with your friends or family members.
Don’t just assume that since your camera can record in HD, it can as well stream live videos at that resolution. This is just to keep you informed of the existing differences before you settle on a particular webcam.
The quality of the microphone
A microphone is an essential device that you shouldn’t take for granted when choosing your webcam. Without it, you will not be able to communicate verbally and that is why you need to give it a second thought before you make your final decision on the webcam you want to have.
In simple terms, look for a microphone that is built with the state of the art noise reduction technology so you may communicate clearly to your target audience.
Zoom quality
Normally, zooming determines the quality of video for your conference call or video footage. It doesn’t matter whether you accidentally or intentionally zoom your webcam provided that the quality of the video or live stream remains top notch.
Therefore, it helps a lot to settle for a web camera with outstanding autofocus in order to keep images and videos from not getting too blurry.
The field of view
Given that you are looking forward to acquiring a web camera that will assist you in your video conferencing, it is prudent that you consider one that has a wider field of view.
Even though it may not be a major concern for most of your audience, it is a good idea to have a webcam that can give you a panoramic view when video conferencing.
Conclusion
At this point, you understand better the need for the best webcam for your video conferencing. From the reviews in the discussion, you can definitely make up your mind quickly when it comes to the webcam that can suit your needs.
Before acquiring one, ensure that you put into consideration a number of factors such as the quality of its recording, the state of its microphone, zoom quality field of view and any other factor of interest.
Otherwise, you can really make your video conferencing interesting and worthwhile when you choose the right webcam for your desktop or laptop.