84.How To Choose Webcam

When in the box, webcams all look very similar yet come within a variety of price brackets and it is only when you plug in two different webcams that you find a difference in the quality of the picture. That said, there aren’t many factors that need to be considered when choosing a webcam and if you know what you are looking for you can normally pick up a decent one at a very reasonable price. Here are 4 things to get you started on choosing a webcam:

1. Number of pixels

The number of pixels is one of the first things that people look at when choosing a camera of any sort but surprisingly the pixel ratio within new devices has come to a stage where it is difficult to be able to physically see an improvement in picture quality unless the video is going to be viewed on a 50” screen for example. A pixel resolution of 320×240 or 640×480 is adequate for general usage but for a more professional video conferencing experience you should opt for a webcam with a resolution of 1280×720 this this will allow for an impressively clear HD (High Definition) image to be transmitted which will make you seem more professional.

2. Frames per second

Frame per second determine how many pictures are shown within a second to make up the video and a faster frame rate will allow for a smoother picture. Most people find that a webcam with a frame rate of 24-30 per second is absolutely fine however if you are likely to be moving around a considerable amount for example if you want to use your webcam whilst on the go or if you are going to be using sign language to communicate then you may find that 30 frames per second misses out many of the details which you need to be conveyed. 50-60 fps will give a much smoother picture but webcams capable of producing 50-60 fps are generally a lot more expensive and many will reduce the pixel resolution in order to achieve a higher fps so there is a trade-off.


3. USB Powered

This is not as much of an issue any more since most webcams are now powered via the USB slot but if you are likely to just leave your webcam attached to your screen then you should try to avoid webcams which use batteries since the batteries tend to run out relatively quickly. Look out for USB 3 compatible devices since it has some useful power saving features built into and since slowly all devices are switching over to it.

4. Low Light Quality

Poor performance in low light settings seems to be a trait on just about all lower end webcams so you should bear this in mind if your room lacks appropriate lighting. Whilst you could opt for extra lighting, some webcams are designed to work well in low light settings such as Logitech’s RightLight webcams.