Which webcam would you recommend?

[Horny_ali]

Hi everyone I'm just wondering what webcam you would recommend I brought a new one but It's so pants and it flashes white on the screen all the time.

 

[IsabelaHarlow]

I would recommend one that can film at least HD 1080P, because quality is king when it comes to cam sites, and a little investment now will pay off in the long run. I would suggest this one from Amazon, it has plenty of reviews you can read and it has a 4.4/5 rating, and it's pretty cheap imo.

NexiGo N60 1080P Web Camera​

Good luck!!

 

[thinkinboutit]

Logitech Brio seems to be the standard, unless you're going with a DSLR + Capture card.
I've seen models using HuddelCam Pro and they look AMAZING but pretty expensive.
Personally tested a Razer Kiyo Pro and I loved the results, but unfortunately I had issues between their drivers + OBS so I'm not using it.

 

[Horny_ali]

Logitech Brio seems to be the standard, unless you're going with a DSLR + Capture card.
I've seen models using HuddelCam Pro and they look AMAZING but pretty expensive.
Personally tested a Razer Kiyo Pro and I loved the results, but unfortunately I had issues between their drivers + OBS so I'm not using it.

Hey thank you your a star I am so looking forward to being able to hopefully come and join all the models on the model bit I'm sure this has probs been asked over their
I seem to have found refurb ones for £100 I'm just not sure I trust refurbished

 

[alt_bodybuilder]

i was going to go for a brio but then come across a osbot tiny 4k ai webcam its amazing as it follows you to keep your face in the shot always

 

[AmberCutie]

it follows you to keep your face in the shot always

There are options to do that on other (more reputably named) web cams as well, but keep in mind that this feature may annoy many viewers.

 

[alt_bodybuilder]

There are options to do that on other (more reputably named) web cams as well, but keep in mind that this feature may annoy many viewers.

true but its a smart cam so one simple hand movement and it locks and does not move so saves you grabbing the camera and trying to faff about getting the right angle etc

 

[AmberCutie]

true but its a smart cam so one simple hand movement and it locks and does not move so saves you grabbing the camera and trying to faff about getting the right angle etc

Roger that, so long as you know how to make it work and are aware of the pros/cons .

 

[MarieElise]

I have the Brio and I'm not super impressed w it. Lots of autofocus issues and compatibility problems which took forever to figure out. There's also issues with contrast and colors. I prefer the c920. The wire it comes with isn't very good either, so you have to buy a better wire. It's just not as good as I was expecting. Like I mentioned, I preferred the cheaper c920 tbh. I think maybe I got one from the bad batch.

 

[EmmaFox]

I have the Brio and I'm not super impressed w it. Lots of autofocus issues and compatibility problems which took forever to figure out. There's also issues with contrast and colors. I prefer the c920. The wire it comes with isn't very good either, so you have to buy a better wire. It's just not as good as I was expecting. Like I mentioned, I preferred the cheaper c920 tbh. I think maybe I got one from the bad batch.

I don't believe they make the c920 webcam anymore. Personally I had alot of issues with it. Auto focus, color, random full lighting changes, and constant issues with logitech capture. It also started blacking out after 3 months of use. Id be curious to see how the new equivalent of the c920 does though.

 

[MarieElise]

I don't believe they make the c920 webcam anymore. Personally I had alot of issues with it. Auto focus, color, random full, lighting changes, and constant issues with logitech capture. It also started blacking out after 3 months in of use. Id be curious to see how the new equivalent of the c920 does.

Yeah I just turned the autofocus off. Then had no more issues with it, not like the Brio. The autofocus on that has been a nightmare, but I also may have gotten one from that bad autofocus batch that people talked about in 2020.

The issues you are listing with the c 920 are what I've had with the Brio. I wonder if they made changes in how they make the c920 and logitech cameras, in general, since 2019. I had about 5 C920s before that. The only issue I had was the blackout, but that is because the cable is bad and goes out really quickly. Their cam life for me was a year per c920 tops, before the blackout cable issue. But I know other models on here who have made them last like 5 years. I was never that careful with any of them though.

If you haven't already I recommend ditching the logicapture app, and using them with OBS instead. Things went smoother for me when I did that.

Do you happen to know what the new equivalent is called? I'd be interested too, because if the c920 has gone downhill now then I'm not sure what the heck to get next.
Thanks for the heads up.

@thinkinboutit was the huddlecam pro a lot better quality output compared to the brio? That might be one I'm interested in.

 

[EmmaFox]

Yeah I just turned the autofocus off. Then had no more issues with it, not like the Brio. The autofocus on that has been a nightmare, but I also may have gotten one from that bad autofocus batch that people talked about in 2020.

The issues you are listing with the c 920 are what I've had with the Brio. I wonder if they made changes in how they make the c920 and logitech cameras, in general, since 2019. I had about 5 C920s before that. The only issue I had was the blackout, but that is because the cable is bad and goes out really quickly. Their cam life for me was a year per c920 tops, before the blackout cable issue. But I know other models on here who have made them last like 5 years. I was never that careful with any of them though.

If you haven't already I recommend ditching the logicapture app, and using them with OBS instead. Things went smoother for me when I did that.

Do you happen to know what the new equivalent is called? I'd be interested too, because if the c920 has gone downhill now then I'm not sure what the heck to get next.
Thanks for the heads up.

I got my c920 in 2019. And got my biro in 2021. (Wow that's a long time). I have an auto focus issue, but don't know how to turn off auto focus lol. Other than that it's been great for me. I'm sorry to hear you haven't had much luck with it esspecially since its supposed to be an upgrade.

I don't use the app much anymore unless I'm doing an unboxing. For streaming I'd like to sort out obs but I'm struggling with resolution and overall understanding of alot of features/settings still. I haven't needed it until joining Stripchat so it's pretty new to me.

The equivalent for the c920 should be the c922 from what I've read.

 

[MarieElise]

I got my c920 in 2019. And got my biro in 2021. (Wow that's a long time). I have an auto focus issue, but don't know how to turn off auto focus lol. Other than that it's been great for me. I'm sorry to hear you haven't had much luck with it esspecially since its supposed to be an upgrade.

I don't use the app much anymore unless I'm doing an unboxing. For streaming I'd like to sort out obs but I'm struggling with resolution and overall understanding of alot of features/settings still. I haven't needed it until joining Stripchat so it's pretty new to me.

The equivalent for the c920 should be the c922 from what I've read.

Well if you want any help w OBS feel free to DM me anytime. I've been using the Brio with it for a while, and it's gone really well.
OBS feels really overwhelming at first, but you get used to it, and it doesn't feel that way for long.
I think I would also be able to tell you how to put the autofocus off w OBS and the c920. I'm pretty sure it would be the same as with the Brio.

Also a lot of the issues I had with the Brio have improved since I started filming in a room that doesn't have white walls, and also using it through snapcam,. So my problems may be something to do with my lighting and old color schemes, and not as much the camera itself. (Sorry I forgot that part before). Now that I have grey walls there's actually been a ton of improvement.

 

[AmberCutie]

The equivalent for the c920 should be the c922 from what I've read.

before switching to a mirrorless cam, the c922 was my go-to. Should be buying that model now instead of searching for c920.

 

[patolas]

Hi everyone I'm just wondering what webcam you would recommend I brought a new one but It's so pants and it flashes white on the screen all the time.

Maybe the Logitech C920 or 922. I have a razer kyo pro and i'm unhappy with it, since it has this issue of freezing, just because. You move the pc slowly, or even if you want to touch the webcam itself, and it just freezes. so sensitive! it sucks...also has auto focus issues, it hunts a lot... very good at dealing with lighting tho...i was curious about the elgato webcam, but i heard it has some frezzing issues too... so, the good old Logi...

 

[AmberCutie]

so, the good old Logi...

I feel like this is the best rule of thumb for cam models who don't want to get into mirrorless/DSLR camming. Logitech has seemed to make the best all-around webcams over the last 13 years at least. I've used (or at least tried) the 9000 (RIP), c615, c910, c920, 922, 930e, and brio. The 922 was the best and easiest and probably remains to be the cam I'd suggest. 1080p is plenty on a webcam. If models want 4k streams, I'd suggest going the mirrorless/DSLR route.

I also have a Razer Kiyo (the one with the built in ring light) which I used to use on my gaming sessions, and I never felt it had a clear enough image even with tons of light. Much harder to adjust settings on.

 

[maskedsissyslutforyou]

I have a c922, a brio, and a recent 4k mirrorless. The simplest/fastest/cheapest setup is the c922. The brio can be made to have a good picture, but it is tricky with lighting, manual settings and such to get it right, and even with everything right it still is no where near the mirrorless. The mirrorless seems to have much better dynamic range (bright areas tend to look less bright/washed out, and area of shadow look much better). From my testing the brio really is not worth considering as it is difficult to use. Either the c920/922/930-which every you can find reasonably priced, or the mirrorless+($20US)1080iHDMItoUSB.. The 4k USB adapter is more than $100US+ and you must be careful as there are a lot of HDMItoUSB devices listed as 4k that when you read the details are 1080p.

 

[diabellaqueen]

Used the BRIO for a while and switched to C922. My first thought was it was a downgrade, but after a couple of streams, it felt the opposite. Yes, the c922 supports only 1080p, but it's overall sharpness and more accurate colors made BRIO shamelessly bad. It's my humble opinion, but BRIO really, and I saw REALLY needs good scene lightning fore somewhat near real colours and noise free picture.
Planning to switch to a mirrorless camera. Heard rumors that Sony is making some good ones, have somebody any suggestions?

 

[Horny_ali]

Can I ask what a mirror less cam is please? That's my issue with the one I have atm the lighting is just useless

 

[MarlieJane]

Can I ask what a mirror less cam is please? That's my issue with the one I have atm the lighting is just useless

It's an actual camera instead of a webcam. (Like Sony, cannon, Nikon)

 

[thinkinboutit]

After reading this thread, I don't think I'm going to bother with a Brio. I'll grab a 922 next time I get a new webcam.

 

[patolas]

I think im gonna get a logi too...mine has way too many freezing issues...
also check this review. very interesting, it might help on our choices ehehe

 

[maskedsissyslutforyou]

Used the BRIO for a while and switched to C922. My first thought was it was a downgrade, but after a couple of streams, it felt the opposite. Yes, the c922 supports only 1080p, but it's overall sharpness and more accurate colors made BRIO shamelessly bad. It's my humble opinion, but BRIO really, and I saw REALLY needs good scene lightning fore somewhat near real colours and noise free picture.
Planning to switch to a mirrorless camera. Heard rumors that Sony is making some good ones, have somebody any suggestions?

In general:
Full Frame Cameras have better light abilities, but also are larger and cost more (each pixel is larger)
Within the same generation fewer megapixels have better light sensitivity (ie a 12 MP collects 4x the light per pixel over a 48 MP camera).
Unless you want to spend $2kUS (or more) you may want to look at an older used model, note that in the last 6 years the sensors have only gotten about 2x better, so and older full frame will be similar to a current APS-C (smaller sensor).
Make sure they camera has a clean HDMI (no camera status displays on it, some of the older Sonys don't have that).
Some of the older cameras will only do 1080p and not 4k.

I have a Sony A7C (full frame 24MP, current model, $1.8kUS without a lens). At 1080P this camera has 3x zoom with a full frame lens (raw sensor is 6k x 4k) with no pixel loss.

From my testing the brio can be made as good as the C922, but that takes a lot of work, and changing the view/lighting/subject position makes some of the adjustments need to change again.

The base issue the brio is the sensor size will be the same size as the C922 which means each pixel is 1/4 the size and because of that has 1/4 the light ability. Even the APC-C mirrorless cameras have huge sensors compared to any webcam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_sensor_format talks about sensor size, and generally the underlying technology for the sensor is the same no matter the size so larger pixels means better in low light. A brio is a 1/4" sensor size as is a c922, but the c922 has 3MP vs the brio at 13MB so the c922 have 4x the low light ability.

 

[Nigerian Prince]

In general:
(ie a 12 MP collects 4x the light per pixel over a 48 MP camera).
Unless you want to spend $2kUS (or more) you may want to look at an older used model, note that in the last 6 years the sensors have only gotten about 2x better, so and older full frame will be similar to a current APS-C (smaller sensor).

I have a Sony A7C (full frame 24MP, current model, $1.8kUS without a lens). At 1080P this camera has 3x zoom with a full frame lens (raw sensor is 6k x 4k) with no pixel loss.

From my testing the brio can be made as good as the C922, but that takes a lot of work, and changing the view/lighting/subject position makes some of the adjustments need to change again.

The base issue the brio is the sensor size will be the same size as the C922 which means each pixel is 1/4 the size and because of that has 1/4 the light ability. Even the APC-C mirrorless cameras have huge sensors compared to any webcam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_sensor_format talks about sensor size, and generally the underlying technology for the sensor is the same no matter the size so larger pixels means better in low light. A brio is a 1/4" sensor size as is a c922, but the c922 has 3MP vs the brio at 13MB so the c922 have 4x the low light ability.

A lot of this info is misleading. incorrect and might confuse people. Megapixels aren't something most people should worry about, at least for camming, as they will never see the difference between a 12 and 48MP sensor. Sensors have not gotten 2x better in the last 6 years, at least not when in comes to video quality.

The real reason why webcams suck is because there has been no innovation or incentive to innovate them in the past decade. While the size of the sensor does have an effect, there are far more important things than sensor size.

 

[maskedsissyslutforyou]

A lot of this info is misleading. incorrect and might confuse people. Megapixels aren't something most people should worry about, at least for camming, as they will never see the difference between a 12 and 48MP sensor. Sensors have not gotten 2x better in the last 6 years, at least not when in comes to video quality.

The real reason why webcams suck is because there has been no innovation or incentive to innovate them in the past decade. While the size of the sensor does have an effect, there are far more important things than sensor size.

A 48MP camera is going to cost more and work worse for webcam usage (need more light, lower f-stop(smaller in-focus distance), and/or slower shutter). A 48MP is 2x worse in low light (over a 24MP in normal room lighting). And in the mirrorless/DSLR space the sensors have gotten 2x better in 6-7 years (have 2 models about 6-7 years apart), it is not clear that those better sensors have been used in the webcam space. My A7C can take no-flash photos with higher shutter speed and less noise in normal room lighting than my 7 year old AP-C sensor (about 4x better total-2x for the sensor size, and 2x more for the newer sensor). The sensor size/pixel is all that matters. All of the high-end camera reviews specifically document both of these as it matters. Sony makes models with different MP but the same sensor size exactly because the lower MP's work better in low light. The sensor size is exactly why a several year old mirrorless produces better video than the webcams, the APS-C sensor in the older mirrorless cameras is huge compared to what the webcams have. Webcams have 4.5mmx3.6mm16.2mm2 and an APS-C sensor is 22.3x14.9 (332mm2)-so 20x larger. A C922 has about 5MP raw and the APC-C is typically 20-24MP, so each pixel in that case is 4x the size and that is why it produces a much better image/video. The Brio is 13MP raw so the APS-C mirrorless is 8x+ bigger pixels than it, which is why the brio is terribly unforgiving on settings/focus/lighting, the conditions have to be perfect for it to work well.

The real reason there is no innovation is the pixel size is getting so small that at normal room lighting there are few enough photons striking the pixel at the given fps that it is difficult to produce a quality image. And all of this gets worse the higher the MP's get and the smaller the sensor gets. This is widely known in the Mirrorless/DSLR space, and is exactly why Sony makes several different MP's all with the same sensor size. Given the exact same software games the big sensor with low MP (24 or 12) is going to produce better photos in the same lighting conditions/shutter/f-stop. If you half the sensor size (keeping MP the same) you have to double something to keep the same quality/shutter speed/f-stop. it is simple physics.

 

[Nigerian Prince]

First off let me preface this my pointing out that all this is meaningless because most models are using lights or know to cam in a bright environment, plus most cameras with a decent lens will produce a perfectly usable image at low ISOs. Unless you are trying to shoot outside at night, ISO performance is never going to be an issue. Hell, you can cam on an 8 year old a5100/a6000 with 1000 ISO and still ahev a relatively clean looking image. Normally I wouldn't care about all this, but I wouldn't want anyone to go out and by a much more expensive camera than they need to because they read that a full frame camera has "4x better performanace" than say a small point and shoot.

A 48MP camera is going to cost more and work worse for webcam usage (need more light, lower f-stop(smaller in-focus distance), and/or slower shutter). A 48MP is 2x worse in low light (over a 24MP in normal room lighting). And in the mirrorless/DSLR space the sensors have gotten 2x better in 6-7 years (have 2 models about 6-7 years apart), it is not clear that those better sensors have been used in the webcam space.

The 50MP A1 has better noise performance than the 12MP A7SIII so I don't know what that's all about.

My A7C can take no-flash photos with higher shutter speed and less noise in normal room lighting than my 7 year old AP-C sensor (about 4x better total-2x for the sensor size, and 2x more for the newer sensor). The sensor size/pixel is all that matters.

You are throwing around numbers like 2x, 4x, but that's meaningless, because what exactly is a 2-4x better photo/video?

All of the high-end camera reviews specifically document both of these as it matters. Sony makes models with different MP but the same sensor size exactly because the lower MP's work better in low light.

There are other reasons why Sony does this. For one with the 12MP sensor you don't need as fast of a processor or a BSI sensor to get footage that doesn't have horrible rolling shutter. That also keeps the cost low. Like I mentioned above, the A1 at 50MP has better ISO performance than the

The sensor size is exactly why a several year old mirrorless produces better video than the webcams, the APS-C sensor in the older mirrorless cameras is huge compared to what the webcams have. Webcams have 4.5mmx3.6mm16.2mm2 and an APS-C sensor is 22.3x14.9 (332mm2)-so 20x larger. A C922 has about 5MP raw and the APC-C is typically 20-24MP, so each pixel in that case is 4x the size and that is why it produces a much better image/video. The Brio is 13MP raw so the APS-C mirrorless is 8x+ bigger pixels than it, which is why the brio is terribly unforgiving on settings/focus/lighting, the conditions have to be perfect for it to work well.

The real reason there is no innovation is the pixel size is getting so small that at normal room lighting there are few enough photons striking the pixel at the given fps that it is difficult to produce a quality image. And all of this gets worse the higher the MP's get and the smaller the sensor gets. This is widely known in the Mirrorless/DSLR space, and is exactly why Sony makes several different MP's all with the same sensor size. Given the exact same software games the big sensor with low MP (24 or 12) is going to produce better photos in the same lighting conditions/shutter/f-stop. If you half the sensor size (keeping MP the same) you have to double something to keep the same quality/shutter speed/f-stop. it is simple physics.

Phone cameras have remained small relative to DSLR/Mirrorless cameras yet the difference between a phone camera today and one from 2010 is night and day. Camera's on phones have become the main selling point for them in this day and age so there has always been incentive for phone companies to improve them. Again, there are more important things and sensor size, hell, there is a reason why broadcast cameras still mainly use 2/3" sensors in their quarter million dollar rigs.

 

[patolas]

A lot of this info is misleading. incorrect and might confuse people. Megapixels aren't something most people should worry about, at least for camming, as they will never see the difference between a 12 and 48MP sensor. Sensors have not gotten 2x better in the last 6 years, at least not when in comes to video quality.

The real reason why webcams suck is because there has been no innovation or incentive to innovate them in the past decade. While the size of the sensor does have an effect, there are far more important things than sensor size.

I agree. There is no innovation in the past decade and gross mistakes, for example, expensive webcams like the one i got, freezing just because...(sigh*) unaceptable

 

[mira_leo]

After reading this thread, I don't think I'm going to bother with a Brio. I'll grab a 922 next time I get a new webcam.

Same. I was gonna go for a Brio but now I'm just gonna get a c922

I don't mean to hijack this thread but I feel like my question doesn't warrant a seperate thread and I feel like all the cam savvy people are already here So I've been looking at the Sony Alpha 6400 for a while now but now it's out of stock on Amazon. What's the next best DSLR camera you guys would recommend for streaming? Price doesn't really matter cause I'll be putting it on my wish list anyway

 

[Nigerian Prince]

Same. I was gonna go for a Brio but now I'm just gonna get a c922

I don't mean to hijack this thread but I feel like my question doesn't warrant a seperate thread and I feel like all the cam savvy people are already here So I've been looking at the Sony Alpha 6400 for a while now but now it's out of stock on Amazon. What's the next best DSLR camera you guys would recommend for streaming? Price doesn't really matter cause I'll be putting it on my wish list anyway

Now is probably the worse time to buy a camera as a lot of cameras have either had production halted or cancelled permanently. If price doesn't matter you can probably find the Sony a7iii in stock, if full frame is an option you're considering.

 

[mira_leo]

Now is probably the worse time to buy a camera as a lot of cameras have either had production halted or cancelled permanently. If price doesn't matter you can probably find the Sony a7iii in stock, if full frame is an option you're considering.

Thank you Prince I also see the Sony a7ii here, what do you think about that one?