For the most part, companies worldwide have adopted remote work policies. They apply different remote work arrangements that benefit both parties, the employers and employees together. For example, employees may choose to work three days a week from home and the other two days must be spent in the office, or they are only allowed to work from home one day and then be required to be in the office the remaining days of the week. In some cases, employees are given freedom to work entirely from home and only need to come to the office when necessary. Employees who work from home have the flexibility to work from any location as long as they remain productive during working hours.
In relation to working from home, you will require all of the necessary devices to support this working model. For the basics required, the laptop, headset, and webcam are used for conducting conference calls and online meetings.
Since some laptops do not come with webcams, we will focus on this device here. Some companies provide laptops for their employees with many compromises made to specifications and features, including the webcam, to cut the budget into minimum. Thus, you might want to read this article if this happens to you, and you are required to get a webcam for your own. Here, you can find the aspects there is to know about this device.
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What to look
To buy a webcam camera, you need to consider several aspects that define the quality of the device.
To keep things simple, the aspects and descriptions are listed below to help you understand what they are, and which one fits your needs the best.
- Framerates
It doesn’t matter how many framerates you get from the webcam when you are using it for a general meeting. However, if you are meeting with a potential new customer whom you want to impress, quality is everything. You might want to get one with high framerates, so the audience can see your movements more smoothly. Webcams are commonly designed to have a maximum framerate of 30fps, which means that the video produced in a single second contains 30 images. There are some models that offer 60fps video, but they are hard to find and can be expensive when you find one. Since it is not designed to capture a fast-moving object, 30fps is generally enough for most applications.
- Resolution
For a webcam, resolution is just as important as framerate. The higher the resolution of the camera, the better the quality of the image you get. Since 720p and 1080p are the most common resolutions for this device, you can easily find HD and Full HD webcams on the market. If possible and within your budget, always choose a Full HD model with 1080p resolution at the minimum over a 720p camera because it produces clearer and sharper video, helping you to look more professional.
- Microphone
Ideally, when buying any item, you want to get the best one with the most features included. When looking for a webcam, find one with a built-in microphone. This is not without reason; if you have a webcam with a microphone built-in, you can save money as you don’t have to get a headset anymore. However, you should know which one is best for you, whether you need the microphone included in the device or prefer to buy a headset separately. It is your personal choice, and you are free to choose the one that fits to your purposes the best.
- Field of view
The camera’s field of view determines how large the area it captures. Many people believe that the wider the field of view, the better, but this is not always the case. This really depends on usage and personal preference. If you want the webcam to show your face a bit closer, choose one with a narrow field of view, it will focus on your face more because the area covered is not as large as the wide angle one.
There are many more features to consider when selecting the best webcam to assist you while working from home. Autofocus, mounting system, and software control are some of the other important features to consider before getting one. However, you should be aware that higher quality and more features in a webcam may come in a higher price. This is why you should understand which features are important for you and which are just nice to have.
Best Webcams for WFH – Latest Recommendations
Below is a list of webcams that are suitable for working at home, providing you with high-quality options that you will not be disappointed with.
Razer Kiyo Pro
Razer Kiyo Pro has a lot of features, which means it has great flexibility for different usage. This webcam has some unique aspects to discuss. But first, let’s discuss image quality. This device has a 1080p resolution, so the image is sharp and clear for online meetings. With the combination of 60fps video, it is not only ideal for working from home, but also for most purposes such as streaming, video recording, and many others. The video is crisp and clear, thanks to the Full HD resolution, and it is buttery smooth as well with the availability to reach up to 60fps. You will not need another webcam camera if you have this one at home.
Aside from having excellent video quality, the webcam performs admirably in low-light conditions. Most cameras, as you already know, struggle in low-light situations, but this one doesn’t. With this feature, you can expect the video to be much less grainy and noisy when compared to other webcams on the market. You can still hold an online meeting without any problem even if you are in your bedroom during cloudy weather and the lights in the room are turned off.
Razer Kiyo Pro also supports HDR. This feature improves the contrast of the video and better color accuracy. When this feature is turned on, the color becomes more vibrant. However, when HDR is enabled, you can only set it on 30fps video, which is not the best but still acceptable considering most webcams have 30fps at max in their default settings.
It is plug and play and doesn’t require any software to detect the device, so even with less affordable price, using it is fairly simple. Furthermore, it has Streamlabs certification and is compatible with numerous conference call and meeting platforms, including Zoom, Skype, and Microsoft Teams. As a result, you can use any software for the meeting without worrying that it will not work with the webcam.
Logitech Brio 100
Logitech has been one of the most popular brands for their computer devices, starting with their mouse, keyboard, and now, webcam. Speaking of Logitech Brio 100, this device has a Full HD resolution, so you can expect excellent video clarity. Though it can only reach up to 30fps, this should not be a problem because you are only buying this device to help with your online meeting tasks.
This webcam includes a built-in microphone. Even if the sound is not the best, you can use it to talk during the meeting without having to connect to another external mic. The privacy shutter support allows you to manually close and open the webcam, which means no more worrying about whether you closed the camera or not when you need to do something private during the call. However, since the webcam lacks a wide angle, the field of view may be limited, resulting in a closer-up view of your face in the camera. This is actually not a problem, but you may want to sit a little further back if you don’t want the entire screen to be filled with just your face.
You will receive a dependable device that assists you during the conference call and works well in low-light conditions with a light boost of up to 50% using the auto-light balance feature that comes in the device.
Dell UltraSharp Webcam
The best way to describe this webcam is just ‘wow’. Dell UltraSharp has a video resolution of 4K, which is simply too much for working from home purpose only. This device, however, can be used for anything with this resolution. Consider whether your primary reason for buying this webcam is for office purposes, such as meetings, or if your children want to use it to have an online class; this webcam provides extreme video clarity for both purposes. Not only that, but it is also a perfect choice for game streaming or recording a video to upload to YouTube if you are a streamer or Youtuber who earns money by streaming and uploading contents. Nothing limits you to use the device with the 4K resolution. It is also versatile in terms of resolution; you can set it at 4K 30fps video or Full HD 60fps video, whichever you prefer, either focusing on the detail video clarity or video smoothness.
The field of view, which is not flexible in most webcams, is adjustable in this device. You can simply set it to 65, 78, or 90 degrees, depending on the size of the area coverage that the camera takes. With 5X zoom, zooming in and out is more convenient because you don’t have to come close or sit a little further away from the webcam to find your ideal sitting position.
Dell UltraSharp comes with autofocus and facial detection technology. Having these features allows you to get clearer video during meetings or recording, and the facial detection feature raises the exposure to provide more contrast and brighter image on your face.
words of the day
So, those are webcams we recommend for office purposes that you can set at home for remote job.
They might come with a different price range, but they all have the same capabilities to handle any online meeting applications. However, when you compare them side by side, you will notice that the specifications are also different from one to another, allowing them to fit better for specific purposes than the others.
For example, if your budget is limited but you need a webcam, the cheapest option among the three that is still reliable to use is the Logitech Brio 100. However, if you want to get the absolute best without thinking too much about the budget, the 4K resolution of the Dell UltraSharp provides a significant video quality that gives you a much better result for other types of usage.
Afterall, it really depends on your preferences whether you want one that is only for one specific purpose or one that covers all types of usage in case you need it in the future. They all have their own set of strengths and weaknesses, but they come with reasonable prices, especially when we consider their overall performance from the specifications they have.
