Webcam recommendations

[NathanZachary]

Hello,

I currently have a Logitech C920 webcam that I almost exclusively use for video conferencing. Overall I think that the video and audio quality are quite good. I was considering buying a new webcam that supports 1080@60fps, but it seems like there aren't that many options available (most do 1080@30 but only 720@60). Video and audio quality during conference calls (Google Meet, Zoom, Jitsi) are the most important aspect to me since I'm not really using it to stream or record very often. If there are any recommendations, I would appreciate it.

Thank you.

Cheers,
Nathan Zachary
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“Truth, like infinity, is to be forever approached but never reached.” --Jean Ayres (1972)
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[rab0171610]

The Logitech C920 webcam is an excellent webcam at an excellent price. Some people have had that camera for YEARS and it is still working well. Unless that camera is somehow not meeting your needs or failing, I don't see a reason to buy something else. The term '30fps' has somehow earned a negative reputation in recent times, but in reality it is more than sufficient in many use cases. The average human can only see at maximum 30-60 frames per second. If you are using it for conferencing, I think that it is powerful enough to exceed performance expectations. This camera is also used by many for streaming and recording and performs well. Unless people are complaining about your video quality or you are having issues, I say stretch the value and keep it as long as it will last. In other words, get your money's worth.

[szatox]

Video conferencing is not a AAA+ movie.
Keep your old camera. The raw numbers on this thing are already way better than what you actually need, so unless it has some serious flaw (e.g. I had something that produced VERY grey colors, unfortunately manufacturers don't report this in the description), there is no need to upgrade.

[Goverp]

I suspect the Logitech works best plugged into a USB 3 port - it works OK, but a colleague of mine uses the same device through a USB 2 hub and complains, justifiably, about the picture quality on Zoom. Mine in a USB 3 port works much better.
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Greybeard

[NathanZachary]

All valid points; thank you! I have decided to stay with the C920 series, especially considering I realised that I get much better results with Jitsi than with other platforms. That indicates to me that I'm nowhere near hitting the limitations of the camera. I'm going to continue to modify Jitsi settings to see how much I can improve the video quality.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

Cheers,
Nathan Zachary
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“Truth, like infinity, is to be forever approached but never reached.” --Jean Ayres (1972)
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[NathanZachary]

Wow, I'm stunned that a company would remove a feature and not change the model number for consumers. My original Logitech C920 webcam (ID 046d:082d) supported h.264 and worked very nicely. However, apparently they have dropped h.264 from models after 2018 (my new one is 046d:08e5). As such, I went from being able to record at 1080@30fps to 1080@5fps. Needless to say, I'll be sending these newer ones back.

EDIT: I may end up keeping the new webcam (without h.264 encoding) for my main workstation, since it is a fairly powerful system and the new webcam seems to produce clearer video. However, for my older, less powerful systems, it's really disappointing to not have in-built h.264 encoding. Most of all, it's frustrating that manufacturers don't always make it known when they change their hardware.
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“Truth, like infinity, is to be forever approached but never reached.” --Jean Ayres (1972)
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[Goverp]

Hmm, the one I bought last week claims H.264, though I've done nothing to check.
Zoom reports it takes 0% CPU of my desktop box, though that might just be that the box has a big processor.
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Greybeard

[NathanZachary]

I think that it really depends on when the one you purchased was manufactured. Logitech released a post about H.264 and their cameras:
https://www.logitech.com/en-us/video-collaboration/resources/think-tank/articles/article-logitech-and-h264-encoding.html
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“Truth, like infinity, is to be forever approached but never reached.” --Jean Ayres (1972)
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[mike155]

I've got a Logitech BRIO Stream. It delivers excellent images and videos. I really like it.