Circling back to the question — when should a diffuser be used? It ultimately comes down to the lighting style you are trying to create. What story are you telling? What do you want the viewer to feel when they see this shot?

Microsoft LifeCam Studio for $100: It says it's a 1080p webcam, but there's a catch—that's only for recording video. Using it for video calls restricts you to 720p. My coworkers commented on how out-of-focus I constantly was. The white balance was so off that I looked more orange than an Oompa Loompa. And the exposure was so blown out that I never stopped looking like I was living through the last scenes of The Lighthouse. There was also a lot of lag in my movements and bad motion blur.

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Don't have either of these devices? Don't fret. We have a full guide on How to Use Your Smartphone as a Webcam with multiple methods no matter what PC or phone you own. Got a professional camera? We have a guide on setting it up as a webcam too.

Lighting is a huge component of how a shot looks and feels to a viewer’s eye. Specifically, the quality of light can deeply affect the overall tone of a shot. Diffused light, hard light and everything in between are tools filmmakers have at their disposal to tell a story through their shots. In this article, we’re going to dive into how diffused light photography is created with a light diffuser. What is a light diffuser and how does it work? Let’s dive in.

Google Pixel phones also now feature wired webcam support. All you need to do is plug in a Pixel to your computer and choose the Webcam option for it to work. You'll just need a tripod to keep it propped up; something like this Joby GripTight will do the job.

You can adjust the viewing angle between 65, 78, and 90 degrees and record in 4K resolution at 24 or 30 frames per second, as well as in 720p or 1,080p resolutions at 24, 30, or 60 frames per second. However, the picture quality of the Dell isn't any better than the Logitech Mx Brio. It doesn't have any microphones.

Videoconferencing is a fact of life. Even if you go to the office every single day, you'll probably have to hop on a Zoom, Meet, or Teams call and hope your tiny built-in webcam makes you look as good as you do. Newer Windows laptops and MacBooks have nicer 1080p webcams that perform well even in low light, but if your webcam is giving you trouble (or you don't have one for your desktop), you've come to the right place. We've tested dozens over the years, hunting for the best webcam that captures your pretty mug in hi-res without breaking the bank.

Be sure to read our other home office guides, including Best Home Office Gear, Best Laptop Stands, Best Office Chairs, Best Laptop Docks, and Best USB Hubs.

Diffused light photography on the other hand results in a wider spread beam angle. Images that utilize a diffuser typically have softer shadows and more even lighting.

I compared it with a 16-inch M2 MacBook Pro, and the video quality in Zoom was immediately sharper and more detailed than the MacBook's 1,080p webcam. Frankly, the quality resembles a smartphone's camera (probably because it uses a Sony sensor typically found in phones). However, the colors were a little less saturated. No matter. You can download Opal's composer app and tweak everything from brightness and contrast to hues and saturation. You can even adjust the bokeh strength (the blur effect around you), and zoom in. The microphone surprised me more than anything—it's designed to capture audio from whatever the camera sees, canceling everything else, and it sounded crisp and loud compared to the MacBook Pro's studio mics. The quality of both is similar, but my voice came through louder with the Opal because the mic sits higher up. I also like that you can instantly mute yourself by tapping on the capacitive button on the USB-C connector.

I've been using Logitech's MX Brio for most of 2024 and am quite happy with its video quality. It mounts easily to most monitor screens (it can mount on top of a laptop screen but it's not designed for this and your mileage may vary). Around the camera is a dial you can rotate to trigger the privacy shutter, which offers some peace of mind, but there's also a white LED on the webcam if your video is live in an app.

Insta360 Link for $180: This 4K webcam is an impressive beast. Mounted on a powered gimbal that rotates horizontally and vertically, the Insta360 Link (8/10, WIRED Recommends) will follow, refocus, and zoom in and out (up to 4X zoom) automatically as you move around the screen. It'll even zoom in on presentation boards or papers you want to show off on your call. It offers outstanding sharpness, color contrast, and white balance in the choice of recording in 24, 25, and 30 frames per second in 4K resolution. There are dual noise-canceling microphones and a screw mount on the bottom for attaching it to a tripod too. The only thing it lacks is a physical privacy shutter, but the camera points downward when it's not in use. The Link 2 is a better buy, but this model has a three-axis gimbal that makes it more versatile than the Link 2's two-axis gimbal.

Just be wary of heat. After an hourlong Zoom meeting, the Tadpole was super hot to the touch. It cools down quickly soon after, but it may pose a problem if you use it outside on a hot day. It comes with a cap to protect the camera glass, and if you decide to leave it on the laptop the whole day, it can double as a privacy shutter. Too bad this cap doesn't stay fixed to the Tadpole. I'm surprised I haven't lost it yet.

Not every webcam is an upgrade over the built-in one on your laptop. These are the models I tested that ranged from merely unimpressive to ones that made me look like the subject of a second-grade art project.

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You may not need a dedicated webcam at all. It's actually really easy to use your smartphone's cameras as a webcam instead, and they're usually far superior. Recent iPhones, for example, have a feature called Continuity Camera—this works with certain MacBooks and allows you to wirelessly use the iPhone's camera as a webcam. Apple even sells a Belkin mount that lets you hang your iPhone off the top of your MacBook or external monitor for the full effect.

The C920 has been the standard for high-quality USB webcams for years. Before switching over to the Razer Kiyo X, it was my default camera for videoconferencing. You get great image quality at 1,080p resolution (and 30 frames per second), and white balance performance is on par with the Razer webcam. The narrower 78-degree field of view means you may need to adjust its position so your face doesn't take up the whole frame, but the autofocus is subtle and quick. There's no privacy shutter, unfortunately.

A light diffuser can be created in various ways, but understanding what it does in the most fundamental way will help you understand how you can achieve diffused light through whatever means you have.

The field of view (FOV) is the width of the scene that a camera detects on its sensor. A smaller FOV means that a camera is more zoomed in (to use a term ...

It shoots 1,080p-resolution video at 30 frames per second or 720p resolution at 60 frames per second. Its field of vision is a slightly wide 82 degrees. The built-in mics are nothing to write home about, so stick to the ones in your laptop or grab a USB mic. Sadly, there is no privacy shutter.

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Direct light is achieved by having no material or obstructions between a light source and a subject. Photons from the source land directly onto a subject without being redirected or cut. Direct light results in hard lighting, sharper shadows, and more contrast.

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Kieldsen says image quality is excellent and the face and body tracking is effective, though the gesture controls don't always work. (You can connect it to an app on your smartphone to control it remotely.) The noise-canceling mic does a good job of drowning out ambient sounds too.

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Creative Labs Live! Sync 4K for $50: I was skeptical about a 4K resolution webcam for this price, and my skepticism was validated in the wildly strange white balance that turned me and everything faintly orange. It may be the only webcam that made my room look darker than it was. The privacy shutter is a rubber cap you put on and take off. The bit that holds it to the webcam when it's off is flimsy enough that if you're rough or careless, you could rip it off, but it's nice that it isn't plastic, which would weaken over time. A minor issue is that the black cap blends in with the black webcam and lens so, at a quick glance, it's hard to tell whether the cap is on or off.

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The 4K picture quality is sharp and looks excellent. I only had to tweak the white balance a bit as it was showering my office space in cool tones. This was easy to adjust with the Logitech G Hub app (available for macOS and Windows), and it's also where you can crop in, adjust the angle, or change the field of view. You can turn off the autofocus too but I've never had an issue with the focus bouncing around. The built-in mics sound OK but they're a little quiet. If you're further away from your monitor, you may have to speak up, but at least you'll sound good. It comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable and I wish it was a little longer—it's taut connected to my desktop PC. The good news is that the cable isn't affixed to the webcam. There's a USB-C port so you can bring your own longer cable if needed.

Logitech Brio 4K for $170: The original Brio from 2017 was one of the earliest mainstream webcams to offer 4K resolution at 30 fps. Logitech gave it a minor update in 2022 with updated software and a privacy shutter, but the old model is still a fine purchase that's a little cheaper. The white balance is still accurate, and my skin color always looks normal, whether I'm in a sunny room, in limited light, or using artificial light. The autofocus is fast and subtle when refocusing, and the image is razor-sharp. Plus, you can choose from 65, 78, and a superwide 90 degrees for your field of view, giving you some framing options. If you're using a Windows machine, you can set it up to work with Windows Hello for face authentication to log in.

Obsbot Tiny 2 Webcam for $299: I used Obsbot's first Tiny 4K PTZ webcam with great results for more than a year, and after switching to the new Tiny 2, it's just as great. The 4K-capable picture quality looks great, and the camera does an excellent job of following my movement. The company has also really polished its software over the years, offering lots of customization. It can respond to your hand gestures, but you can also buy a remote to control it, making it great for presentations and group video calls.

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Asking these types of questions will help you decide if a diffuser is necessary or not. Whether the current project you are working on can benefit from using a diffuser or not, it’s incredibly valuable to understand and know how and when to use one in case a project requires it.

WIRED contributor Sam Kieldsen likes Insta360's new Link 2 webcam a lot (8/10, WIRED Recommends). This is a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) webcam, like the original, meaning it rests on a gimbal that can move the camera left, right, up, and down, and you can use gestures to get it to zoom in and track you. It's not a webcam we'd recommend for anyone sitting still at a desk, but if you're often standing up in front of a webcam and moving around, maybe writing on a chalkboard, this one will be far more useful.

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The Kiyo X does away with the integrated ring light of the original Kiyo, but its automatic white balance and color saturation are so good that you likely won't miss it. Given the choice between an integrated ring light and the Kiyo X's software, I'd take the software. Video picture settings can be tweaked in the Razer Synapse app, but unlike the more expensive Kiyo Pro that requires Synapse-tweaking to look good, the Kiyo X's picture quality looks great out of the box. It autofocuses quickly, and when it has to refocus, it tends to do so less noticeably.

Razer Kiyo Pro for $130: Although it looks similar to its cheaper, non-pro sibling, the Pro ditches the light ring and instead relies on software to compensate for low-light conditions. I resented having to download the Razer Synapse app to get a decent image out of the Kiyo Pro. Yes, fine-tuning settings is a very WIRED thing to do, but most people just want to plug their webcam in. Once you fiddle with the app settings, the picture image is sharp and beautiful. However, it has the same overly obvious autofocusing as the regular Kiyo, and it's also a little overpriced. It's not a bad pick, but again, the Logitech Brio can do 4K/30 fps, as opposed to this camera, which tops out at 1,080p/60 fps.

Lume Cube Mini LED Panel for $70: Something simple like this will do the trick. You can adjust the brightness and the color temperature to match your room's lighting. It works off of battery power or you can leave it plugged in via the USB-C cable to run for however long you want. The two quarter-inch threads mean you can use any tripod or light stand to mount it on your desk. It also comes with a diffuser to soften the light when it illuminates your face. We have more lighting options in our Home Video Gear guide.

the lens or combination of lenses in an optical instrument through which the eye views the image formed by the objective lens or lenses; ocular.

Cisco Desk Camera 1080p for $121: Not to be confused with Cisco's almost identically named Desk Camera 4K. I tried the 1,080p, 8-MP version in a variety of natural and artificial lighting, but my fellow Gear Team members and I couldn't help but notice that no matter how I used it, the video looked overly pixelated. Unless a webcam can make me look as good pixelated as Axel from Streets of Rage, then I want smooth video that looks like it's 1,080p. During Zooms, the Desk Camera 1,080p had trouble with focusing and zooming, frequently and jarringly refocusing but never getting it quite right.

Logitech Blue Yeti Nano USB Mic for $74: These microphones are the standard-bearer in the world of USB microphones, and the Nano packs everything most people need in a smaller footprint. Plug it into your computer and once you choose this mic in your video-calling settings as the default, you'll immediately start hearing the compliments from people on the other end. Read our Best USB Mics guide for more details.

A USB hub is for anyone on the go. If you're frequently changing desks or working out of the coffee shop, a small hub will add a few extra ports to your setup. Our Best USB Hubs guide has some top options for not a lot of cash.

Webcams also have poor microphones. They'll do the job but you'll probably sound tinny. There's a good chance your laptop's mics are actually better, so try using those instead. Videoconferencing apps let you choose which mic you have to use, so just because you have a separate webcam doesn't mean you have to use its built-in mic. Another option is to upgrade to a USB mic.

Most webcams are built for desktop PCs, designed to hang off the top of a monitor. Not the Opal Tadpole. This attractive tiny camera has a clamp that goes over your laptop screen and has a nonremovable USB-C cable that connects to your laptop. If you hate your laptop's webcam (or maybe it stopped working), this is a nice alternative, though it's quite expensive.

An easy way to improve your existing webcam is to add a light source. Webcams have small camera sensors so they often need a lot of light to deliver good results.

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If you're wondering about the Insta360 Link 2C, the main difference is that it doesn't feature a two-axis gimbal. Instead, it will subject track and frame you by cropping in, much like Apple's Center Stage on iPads and newer Macs. It's a little cheaper and more suited for people who sit at a desk.

By using a light diffuser, a light source will be redirected into a wider, more even spread resulting in less contrast, softer shadows, and overall more flattering lighting style for a subject.

The more material or particles that a light source’s photons interact with before reaching a subject, the wider the spread of photons and light is on a subject. This is known as diffused light. Diffused light is used for soft lighting and less harsh shadows. It is often more flattering on a subject. To visually understand diffusion and how it is created, check out this video by DSLR Video Shooter.

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If you're plugging a webcam into a laptop work station, you may not have enough (or the right) ports for it all to work.

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Now that we’ve covered how a light diffuser works, let’s dive a bit about when to use one. The best way to understand the value of diffused light is to compare it with the opposite end of the spectrum — direct light.

To understand what a light diffuser is, it’s important to understand how light travels. As light travels from its source through the air, it interacts with any particle on its path. As the light photons interact with more and more material, its path is changed.

Logitech C922x for $99: The C922X is a capable webcam with solid specifications. It can stream 1080p video at 30 fps or 720p at 60 fps, which makes the Razer Kiyo X its prime competition. But it's more expensive and has a slightly narrower 78-degree field of vision. It's a good webcam, but you can get a comparable Kiyo X for less money.

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A laptop docking station is best suited for anyone who stays fixed to a desk with an external monitor and other peripherals. These docks are somewhat large and add several ports, from HDMI and USB-A to USB-C. Read our Best Laptop Docking Stations guide for some recommendations.

It's important to note that diffusers also result in a loss of output of light. So typically when creating diffused light with a diffuser, it's best to opt for a stronger light source.

Logitech Brio 300 for $60: The image quality is lacking on this one. Even in a fairly well-lit room, my picture was grainy. It also did weird things with the white balance as it autofocused. The field of view is quite narrow at 70 degrees and non-adjustable, so the image onscreen is up in your face. You'll want to scoot back quite a bit so everybody else isn't looking up your nose. Like the Brio 500, it comes in black, white, and pink, connects via USB-C, and has a physical privacy shutter. There are better options for this price without these image quality oddities.

As you can see from the image examples above, the mood and tone of direct and diffused light are very different. Hard light gives off a more dramatic, edgy tone while diffused light is flattering and overall a bit more vibrant.

Logitech Brio 500 for $130: I'm struggling to think of a reason why Logitech decided to make the Brio 500 mount via an adhesive patch on its bracket, which is not meant to be removed once placed onto a laptop or monitor. What if you want to use it on multiple computers, as many of us do, or if you swap the case on your laptop? The adjustment is wacky too. The webcam is held onto the base via a magnet. Panning the cam downward often pulled it off the base instead of adjusting the angle, and swiveling it left or right caused it to loosen so much it wouldn't stay put. That meant I kept having to pull it off the magnetic stand, screw the mount back down, and reposition it—and then not adjust it during the rest of the Zoom. That said, the image quality of its 1,080p resolution, white balance, and color contrast was quite good, if not excellent, and it came with a USB-C connection and a physical privacy shutter. The autofocus could stand to be a touch quicker. Other positives are that you can get it in black, white, or pink, two more colors than what most webcams offer.

Kyle DeGuzman graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Science in Television, Film, & New Media. He currently resides in Denver, Colorado spending his time writing, filmmaking, and traveling.

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As we discussed in the previous section, hard light can create a certain tone and mood to a shot. It’s important to understand all qualities of light to fill out your tool kit as a filmmaker and hard light is a valuable lighting tool. Learn more about hard light in our next article.

The UltraSharp Webcam feels incredibly substantial and is solid enough to take with you anywhere. Everything from the webcam body to the stand to the included tripod adapter is made of brushed aluminum. The stand and tripod adapter connect to the webcam body with a magnetic post that makes for a secure mount. The privacy cap connects magnetically and stays put with a satisfyingly strong hold, but it isn't hard to remove. The inside of the cap is padded with a soft-touch fabric to keep it from scratching the lens. Even the forward-facing part of the stand is covered in soft-touch rubber to keep you from scratching the back of your laptop lid if you get a little reckless when setting up for a Zoom call.

Light diffusers can be large sheets of diffusion placed at a distance from a light or it can be a single sheet of diffusion placed on the barn doors of a light. There are various ways to introduce a diffuser into your lighting setup and it will all depend on the overall lighting scheme you are trying to create.

To create diffused light, cinematographers and gaffers often use a light diffuser. To put it simply, a light diffuser is a semi-transmittant piece of material placed in between a light source and a subject to diffuse the light as it passes through the material. This material does not solely block or cut light, but redirects light as it passes through for a diffused light spread on a subject.

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Most videoconferencing software cap the resolution at 1,080p for bandwidth purposes, so a 4K webcam may not be necessary at all. However, almost all 4K webcams come with software that lets you crop in or re-frame the image, allowing you to, say, move something in the background of your home office out of frame. This won't affect your image quality much either, at least compared to cropping in on a 1,080p webcam. 4K webcams often have better image quality in general too. They're more expensive, but if you can afford it, they'll serve you better.