Once you set up the HelloCam, you’ll just need to present your face to the camera, and poof! You’re logged in. With biometric identification becoming more and more important to PC security, this is a worthwhile investment.

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You’re going to find that it cheats in the frame rate a bit, and I wasn’t wild with how well it captured my image, from a color perspective. But for about $50, for a 4K camera? It’s worth investigating.

I also love the fantastic software package that accompanies the webcam, which on the Tiny 1 was the best I’ve ever seen. I’m less impressed by two new features: voice commands, which are useful but not necessary, and new “beauty” features that use AI to adjust your face. While the latter features work, I prefer a more natural appearance, flaws and all.

The Anker PowerConf C200 offers an affordable yet substantial upgrade from the 720p cameras found in most laptop webcams to a 1440p webcam, yet does so at an affordable price. The webcam also works well in low light, a pitfall of many webcams. For all that, at just $60? That’s a solid value in my book, and makes this webcam our top recommendation.

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Don’t worry about fixed-focus, as virtually all webcams have been pre-configured at a focal length that’s about the distance between your face and your laptop or monitor. You’ll need to account for this with tripods, however, or pay a little more for an autofocusing webcam. Autofocus webcams are handy for situations where you may be moving about the room, but beware distracting webcams that frequently refocus.

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This webcam is also going to work better on a desktop monitor, by lieu of its rather simple mount. It feels flimsier when attached to a laptop.

BenQ’s marvelous webcam offers a substantial amount of value, from its midrange price to the multiple, useful accessories that ship right inside the box. What I think I like most about this webcam, though, is that it excels as a webcam, then adds additional value through its peripherals, including both a macro (closeup) lens as well as a free remote control. This almost-but-not-quite 4K webcam even flips over for a top-down view.

There’s a potential wild card that may be attached to webcams in the future: artificial intelligence, specifically Windows Studio Effects. Right now, the current Surface Pro 9 (5G) uses the AI capabilities in the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor to apply background blue, automatic panning effects, and more. (Our review discusses this.) Other laptops that use Intel Core and AMD Ryzen processors don’t include AI capabilities — yet. Specific models in the 13th-gen mobile Core and AMD Ryzen 7000 Mobile series include some basic AI capabilities, and future processors in both families may offer AI capabilities and therefore Windows Studio Effects.

Budget buyers and mainstream users looking to improve upon their laptop’s 720p webcam, and who also want the added security of Windows Hello biometric security. Until recently, Windows Hello capability would probably have put this webcam over $100. (If you want Windows Hello with even more advanced features, see our pick below for best premium Windows Hello camera.)

Not everyone needs a wide-angle webcam. But this does allow you to show off more of a scene than an ordinary webcam does, which makes it a valuable tool for specialized applications.

The question you should always ask of budget hardware is, what corners did they cut? Here, the answer is: not many. This is a 4K webcam at a cheaper price than many 1080p webcams, and that alone makes it noteworthy. Okay, it has manually adjustable focus, but that’s not a problem if you don’t move around a lot. Similarly, backlight adjustment is typically handled automatically, but this webcam’s manual adjustment is not a problem you work in a single location you can dial it in and forget it. There’s a flip-over privacy shutter, and a button to mute the mic.

Scores for sharpness and color fringing are averaged from data taken across the entire image frame, from the center to the edges and corners, throughout the aperture range. For zoom lenses, the scores are also averaged from data measured at all marked focal lengths, and the same applies to distortion. Bear in mind that these average values don't fully reflect specific areas of performance. For example, a zoom lens might have noticeable barrel and pincushion distortion at its shortest and longest focal lengths respectively, which tends to average out when looking at the data overall. For more detailed graphs of each lens's performance, which give the full picture, check out the graphs in our full standalone lens reviews.

Lenses with a 100-400mm focal range are hugely popular. It's a versatile focal range for telephoto shooting, making a broad range of subjects possible to capture, and the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4-6.3 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. is a fine example. Naturally, the fact that it's a Micro Four Thirds lens means that it actually performs like a 200-800mm lens, making it all the more potent for telephoto shooting.

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For full-frame cameras, the most budget-friendly telephoto lens is usually a 70-300mm telephoto zoom with a variable aperture rating, typically going from f/4 to f/5.6 throughout the zoom range. This type of lens can generally be squeezed into a very compact body, making them more portable than similar optics,

Compact and lightweight for a super-telephoto zoom, the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM looks and feels very much like shooting with a classic 70-300mm lens on DSLR cameras. Naturally though, it’s designed for EOS R-series bodies, on which it’s an excellent fit, making for a slimline and easily manageable overall package. Autofocus is super-fast, image stabilization is highly effective and image quality is highly impressive in all respects, with the caveat that sharpness drops off noticeably when combining close focusing distances with the longest zoom setting. The aperture rating of f/8 at the long end of the zoom range might be a bit slower than some might like, but that’s the price you pay for the conveniently downsized design.

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As the lead reviewer, I take sample images both in my downstairs office, which is normally lit by a combination of dim artificial light and indirect natural lighting. I use a second shot in brighter light, with a nice colorful background that mimics a real-world environment. I’m not really looking for the best-case scenario, as most webcams now take good shots in clear, natural lighting. But how do they do when lighting conditions aren’t ideal? I think that’s important.

A standalone 1080p webcam can greatly improve how you look on your next Zoom call. Here’s what to look for: Prioritize a 1080p webcam, then a higher refresh rate, then jump up to 4K. If you can get more than one feature, great! Unless you’ll be moving about a lot, a fixed-focus webcam will do just fine.

Lightweight and relatively affordable, this telephoto zoom in the popular 100-400mm configuration is a great addition to any Canon EOS R system kit bag.

If the budget webcams we selected above were ideal for students, this is the lecturer’s webcam. Share your slides with your student (or your clients, in a business setting) and let your video app project a snapshot of your face over them as you illustrate your point. If you walk and talk, this is the webcam for you.

What sold us on this webcam are the basics: It’s just a good webcam for an affordable price. As such, it will appeal to a broad segment of buyers: work-from-home employees, small businesses, and general consumers. If you’re tired of your laptop’s 720p webcam and want even more, start here with the Anker PowerConf C200.

If 4K matters, and you don’t feel like spending a lot, this is the camera for you. To me, this feels like a good choice for a student, or someone who wants to look good in front of their friends and maybe while taking remote classes, but just doesn’t want to spend a ton of money.

The stepping motor-based autofocus system is ultra-quiet compared with some Pentax lenses, but is still audible and not particularly fast. Pentax’s ‘Quick-Shift Focus System’ enables easy switching between autofocus and manual focus. There’s no optical stabilizer, the lens instead relying on the sensor-shift stabilization of Pentax camera bodies, which isn’t always ideal when shooting with telephoto lenses. Image quality is very good overall but sharpness drops off a bit at the long end of the zoom range.

My previous pick, the Monoprice 2K USB Webcam, always felt a little deficient: not bad, but not great either. I wasn’t especially happy with the quality. eMeet’s camera feels like a step up. It’s not perfect. However, the 1440p resolution is a better both on paper and in the real world. The other part of the equation that often gets passed over are how well the noise-cancelling mics work, and in this case I was pretty impressed.

Additional features include an adjustable field of zoom that crops down to 65 degrees, meaning you can orient the camera on your face alone. The camera autofocuses, too. Naturally, there are noise-canceling mics and a privacy shutter that actually turns off the entire device. You will need Anker’s free Windows software, though, to enable some of these features. (That’s available on the Anker website.) We weren’t sold on the need for original software at first, but many other webcams now offer similar apps to enable full functionality.

These devices are not a privacy threat, for the simple reason that they can be unplugged easily. Most have a flip-down privacy shutter, but you could always put tape over the camera or drape it with a dark cloth.

It’s also best for someone who will be streaming from an environment without a lot of (changing) natural light, but is still well-lit by a lamp or screen.

Yes, integrated ring lights are now a thing on premium webcams, and worth the money if lighting is a challenge for you. While the integrated light will certainly help with lighting, a big bright monitor display (use a full-screen version of Notepad for a white screen) in front of you can serve a similar function. You can also purchase a ring light separately.

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Technically, most webcams are plug and play, so you should simply be able to connect them to your PC to get them to work. Many, however, require their own software utilities to be installed to take advantage of specific features and to facilitate automatic updates. To actually use your webcam in a conference call, however, you’ll need to use Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or another videoconferencing app. Make sure you enter the app’s settings menu and select the webcam’s camera and microphone to provide the audio and video for your call.

Anyone who doesn’t like entering a password or PIN but doesn’t want to skimp on webcast quality, either. Seriously, as biometric identification becomes more prevalent, with passkeys standing in for passwords, Windows Hello will become more important. Put that way, the Brio 4K is cheap at the price.

For users of APS-C K-mount DSLRs, this lightweight and versatile telephoto zoom is the natural choice. It's well made with Pentax's customary weather-sealing.

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Think of a 90-degree FOV as one that would show two people seated side-by-side at what you would consider a “standard” distance from a webcam, or a foot or two. A 110-degree FOV can show three people, squeezed a bit close together. Keep in mind that many videoconferencing applications offer the option of virtual backgrounds, which eliminate visual clutter.

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The graphs below show the comparative performance of the lenses in this guide, based on our in-house lab tests. Winners for sharpness are the Nikon Z 180-600mm and Sony FE 100-400mm lenses in this group. There’s some pincushion distortion on show, when uncorrected in-camera, along with a little color fringing.

On an Fujifilm X APS-C sensor, this powerful telephoto zoom can deliver a maximum effective focal length of 609mm. This coupled with its extensive weather-sealing makes it an excellent choice for outdoor sports and wildlife photography. It's also got fast, accurate autofocus that can handle moving subjects, as well as a 5-stop optical stabilisation system that lives up to its billing. In my review, I found sharpness to generally be very impressive in real-world situations, with some fall-off detected in lab tests, and distortion is controlled exceptionally well. This is a really powerful lens for Fujifilm users but be aware that at almost 1.4kg, it's no lightweight.

Canon makes a pretty good EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM telephoto zoom for its APS-C format SLRs. It’s compact and lightweight at 70x111mm and 375g. Measuring 80x146mm and weighing 710g, this full-frame compatible lens is naturally larger and nearly twice the weight but, for my money, it’s more than twice as good. As well as having more powerful telephoto reach, equivalent to 480mm in full-terms, it boasts a super-fast Nano USM autofocus system, a more effective image stabilizer, and delivers sharper image quality.

This camera would work equally well with a small conference room or even a family gathering, such as a living room where one family talks to grandparents overseas. It’s still a fixed-focus camera though— if you want an autofocusing model I recommend you pay about $100 for the upgraded NexiGo N680p instead.

It’s important to note that of the three major videoconferencing services (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet) only Teams will automatically scale up your video to 1080p if your network and your webcam support it. You can enable 1080p video in Zoom and (finally!) in Google Meet, but they require some manual adjustment in the app’s Settings menu. All three services will eventually auto-scale video calls for 1080p cameras — it’s just a matter of time.

You can use full-frame telephoto zooms on APS-C format Canon, Nikon and Sony cameras. The 1.5x or 1.6x crop factor boosts the ‘effective’ telephoto zoom range giving you much more powerful reach. Another bonus is that you’ll only be using a relatively small, central area of the image circle produced by the lens, where image quality is at its best.

Yes and no. These webcams all connect to your computer directly, via a USB port, and you can record video from them while offline. Your computer will then need to be connected to either ethernet or to Wi-Fi for you to be able to chat with a friend or business partner, however.

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A premium lens with a 150-600mm ‘effective’ zoom range, this fine Fujifilm zoom boasts a premium optical construction that delivers superb image quality.

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May 4, 2023 — What is an Aspherical Lens?A spherical surface is defined by a single radius of curvature. Aspherical lenses have at least one surface that ...

You may have used Windows Hello with a fingerprint reader or another laptop. The camera simply “recognizes” you, logging you in. It’s exceptionally convenient. We have a separate article on the best Windows Hello webcams.

I haven’t tested every one of these webcams, just most of them — and I describe how I test under my recommendations. You can also refer to my separate story on the best Windows Hello webcams for recommendations that aid videoconferencing and log you into your PC. Two recommendations from that list — a premium and budget option — appear on this list.

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Mark has written for PCWorld for the last decade, with 30 years of experience covering technology. He has authored over 3,500 articles for PCWorld alone, covering PC microprocessors, peripherals, and Microsoft Windows, among other topics. Mark has written for publications including PC Magazine, Byte, eWEEK, Popular Science and Electronic Buyers' News, where he shared a Jesse H. Neal Award for breaking news. He recently handed over a collection of several dozen Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs because his office simply has no more room.

With a huge zoom range, the Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR is one of the most versatile lenses in the Z-mount line-up. For wildlife, sports, aviation and similar pursuits, it's absolutely superb, delivering crystal-clear sharpness right the way through that zoom range. With a viewing angle of just 13.7 degrees at the short end through to just 4.1 degrees at the long end, it's a lens that can provide a real range of perspectives. You also get an effective 5.5-stop stabilization system that helps you keep things under control when working at long focal lengths.

IP webcams however, can connect directly to a network, router, or modem and do not require a computer at all in order to work. IP webcams are most often used as security cameras or for live feeds that upload directly to the cloud. Those are separate products, however, and not the same webcams we’re talking about here.

The next step up for full-frame cameras is a 70-200mm lens. It might seem strange that a more expensive class of lens has less powerful telephoto reach, but the main advantage here is that these lenses will generally have a faster aperture rating of f/2.8 or f/4, and it will remain constant throughout the entire zoom range. These lenses are favoured by professionals, and so unsurprisingly, 70-200mm f/2.8 telephoto zooms can be much pricier. They're often heavier too, as the diameter of optical elements towards the front of the lens needs to be a lot bigger. You don't get the zoom range of a cheaper telephoto lens, but you do get a big jump in image quality and low-light performance, and better separation between your subject and its background, thanks to the wider lens apertures.

The MFT crop factor means this lens delivers an 'effective' 200-800mm range, which gives you serious reach, aided by effective optical Power OIS stabilization.

If you have more than one person on camera at any one time, consider something like the NexiGo N980P. During the pandemic, the local middle school’s drama department broadcast monologues and scenes via Zoom, which allowed students the opportunity to perform. But a narrow webcam wouldn’t have allowed these scenes to be broadcast as effectively.

Otherwise, this is a good 1080p/30fps fixed-focus webcam, whose other signature feature is an iris-like physical webcam shutter. Once the webcam is in use, the iris opens; if turned off or disconnected, the shutter closes. The images this webcam produces are good, and the noise-cancelling mics are too.

This is for the person who says, “I want to upgrade my webcam, but I want to spend the least amount of money possible.” You’ll still get a decent upgrade; more than you would expect, actually. If a $10 discount matters, buy the cheaper 1080p version.

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All of this combines to produce an image that looks simply outstanding. It would be nice to see this camera produce 60Hz at 4K; instead, you have to choose one option or the other. But check out the sample screens in our review, and you’ll agree that it all looks as though a professional captured it. It even handles odd lighting situations very well. Colors just pop! We’ve highlighted some of the shortcomings above, but they’re overshadowed by everything else this webcam does.

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If you're looking for the best telephoto lenses for your camera, look no further. I've drawn on experience of testing and reviewing lenses to bring you this indispensable guide to the most capable long lenses for all major camera systems, while keeping an eye firmly on the budget. I'm after the most bang per buck, so I've bypassed really exotic glassware that costs a fortune.

From there, we remove the webcam, examine the packaging, and see how well it sits atop some of our monitors and laptops. Does it grip tightly, or tend to wobble? Is the cord long enough, and does it use USB-A or USB-C?

Nicknamed the ‘light bazooka’, Sigma launched a relatively compact and lightweight 100-400mm zoom for Canon and Nikon DSLRs back in 2017. Three years down the line, this newer ‘DN’ edition is now available for Leica L and Sony E mount mirrorless cameras. The optical path is upgraded and includes a top-grade FLD (‘Fluorite’ Low Dispersion) element, in addition to four SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements. Other enhancements include a customizable Focus-lock button and a TS-111 tripod mounting ring, which is available as an optional extra. I found the new DN lens to be sharper than the original design, throughout the entire zoom range. Overall, it’s an excellent performer at a very attractive price.

With so many webcams on the market, manufacturers are trying hard to differentiate their products. The new trend is a small tripod, which gives you more options for mounting the camera. Not all webcams include this. Normally, however, you can simply clip the webcam to the top of a display or a laptop with its “jaws” clamp, so a tripod isn’t really necessary unless you move around a lot or want a different angle.

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners!

If you're embarking on handheld telephoto shooting, image stabilization can be a huge help for getting consistently sharp shots. The optical stabilizers that built into telephoto lenses often come with auto panning detection, or give you the option of manually switchable static and panning modes. The latter means that when panning horizontally, stabilization is only applied in the vertical plane.

The Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra claims to offer DSLR-quality images, and boy, it comes pretty close! This webcam captures video with a massive 2-inch lens at 4K at 30Hz or 1080p at 60Hz, using autofocusing technology that does a great job. The camera also can zoom in to offer a field of view between 72 degrees and 82 degrees, making sure that you, and you alone, are on cam.

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested telephoto lenses for every major camera system.

Some webcams can work without a computer, but not all of them. USB webcams, featured here, connect via USB to a computer and require it to operate. USB webcams are most often those used for video chat or live streaming from your computer on websites such as Twitch.

His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia  when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related.

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While it's not one of the premium 'S-Line' lenses for Z-mount, this wide-ranging zoom still delivers brilliant reach and quality for wildlife and sports photography.

The Power OIS stabilization system is hugely impressive, though the lens does lack the switchable stabilization modes that some comparable optics have. Image quality is generally very good, especially at the short end of the zoom range, with a customary slight drop-off in sharpness towards the long end. The relative lightness of the lens is welcome too, especially for MFT users who are working with smaller, lighter camera bodies.

I also load any utility software available and explore what options those provides. Does the webcam provide any additional functions, such as a top-down perspective? Ring lights? I try those out, too.

If you want to look your very best on cam, buy this webcam. The lack of 4K60 captures may rule out high-end game streaming, but the ability for the camera to capture your face under most lighting conditions means a lot of other people will love it. Whether you’re pitching products on a Zoom or Teams call or you want to stand out among style-conscious peers, the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra is the webcam for making a strong impression.

Why you should trust me: PCWorld has been testing PC hardware since the 1980s, and I’ve been a technology journalist for 30 years, with extensive experience in reviewing PC hardware. When it comes to webcams, my recommendations are based on hands-on testing in real-world scenarios. I also tap the expertise and published reviews of my counterparts in Sweden and Germany to offer a comprehensive view of the current webcam landscape.

We test lenses using both real world sample images and lab tests. Our lab tests are carried out scientifically in controlled conditions using the Imatest testing suite, which consists of custom charts and analysis software that measures resolution in line widths/picture height, a measurement widely used in lens and camera testing. We find the combination of lab and real-word testing works best, as each reveals different qualities and characteristics.

The camera’s field of view can vary. A 90-degree FOV helps people focus on you (and perhaps not the mess you’ve hidden off to the side). A 110-degree or higher FOV works better for group shots, although distortion can become a problem the wider your FOV gets. A 65-degree FOV may be perfect if it’s just you.

A 70-300mm lens is all very well, as is a 100-400mm lens, but this Nikon optic has an edge over both. The Nikon AF-S 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR is a revitalised version of an original lens that was something of a misfire, but a lot of those problems have no been corrected – the most glaring one being the first lens's dreadfully slow autofocus, which is now rectified with a super-fast ultrasonic ring-type autofocus motor. I'm also impressed with the sharpness of the Nikon AF-S 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR, especially in the centre, as confirmed in our lab tests. It's an all-around excellent lens, especially for one with such a generous zoom range.

Reasonably lightweight and portable, this workhorse 100-400mm lens for Sony E-mount boasts exotic handling characteristics and excellent all-round performance.

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A standard webcam captures video at 30 frames per second, and will look “normal.” You’ll notice the smoothness of a 60fps camera though, and so will people you’re on a video call with.

For USB webcams, it will be as simple as plugging the camera into your computer’s USB port, and then connecting to the internet via your computer.

This Pentax lens is remarkably small for a 55-300mm zoom, partly because it’s designed exclusively for APS-C format cameras but mostly because it has a retractable design for compact storage. There’s nothing small about the zoom range, however, which is equivalent to 82.5-450mm on a full-frame camera. Build quality is very good, featuring weather-seals and a fluorine coating on the front element, while optical highlights include ED elements and Pentax’s HD coating to reduce ghosting and flare.

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For Canon DSLR users, this telephoto zoom lens delivers generous reach and fast autofocusing, and is light enough to use with APS-C as well as full-frame cameras.

The IdeaCam S1 Pro would probably be our favorite webcam if it wasn’t for the $100 or so price premium it commands, which isn’t for everyone. It’s robustly built, and ships with a free software utility that adds to its capabilities. (Zooming in and out is most easily accomplished via the remote control, which does take up more room on your desk.)

Why wouldn’t you buy a webcam that can protect your PC via biometrics, log you in with your face, and make you look great on a video call? The Logitech Brio 4K Ultra HD webcam is one of the small group of Windows Hello webcams that can perform both tasks.

The long focal length of a telephoto lets you fill the frame with distant subjects, meaning its most common applications are wildlife and sports photography. However, telephotos have plenty of other uses, as a narrow perspective can be handy in all sorts of fields. They're great for portraiture, flattering subjects and separating them nicely from the background. They even have a place in landscapes and architecture, providing a very different perspective than the wide-angle lenses more commonly used in these scenarios.

This 4K webcam does something unique: It follows you. Floating on a gimbal, this tiny(!) webcam can literally pan, zoom, and rotate essentially 360 degrees, using AI to lock on your face and follow it as you walk around a room.

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A reworking of Sigma's popular 'light bazooka' telephoto zoom for DSLRs, this newer mirrorless edition is available in both Leica L and Sony E mount versions.

The best webcam makes you look your best — for less. Most laptops ship with a 720p webcam, so a 1080p webcam or even a 4K webcam can make you stand out by comparison.

Looking like you’re on television will subtly lend you authority. People gravitate toward celebrities, and a 4K, 60Hz webcam is basically what your TV offers. If you’re an executive or making sales calls over Zoom or Teams, a premium webcam may give you an edge. That’s why professional streamers use them, after all.

Our first criteria is price. We don’t want you spend more than you have to. But it’s fair to say that a more expensive webcam might be worth it if it offers more. So we factor in features: the resolution, the refresh rate, whether the camera pans or zooms, or offers something rather novel, such as the ability to show a different perspective.

While the Tiny 2 webcam boasts the same gimbal and tracking features as the first Tiny PTZ webcam, OBSBOT used a bigger 1/1.5-inch 50Mpixel sensor in the new model that lets in more light and provides a slightly clearer picture. So it accomplishes what you’d expect in a webcam: It wildly succeeds as just a webcam, with gorgeous 4K HDR images — but provides the increased tracking capabilities to add value. It almost tracks a little too well; avoid zooming in too close if you walk around so as not to give your viewers vertigo!

If you want to know more about why you might choose a telephoto lens, scroll to the bottom of this article where I've put together a beginner's guide on the different types of telephoto and what they're used for. I've covered telephoto lenses for all mainstream systems, so I hope you find what you're looking for. Let's take a closer look

The webcam slides in and out of a robust mount quite easily. Pair that with the macro lens, and you can zoom in on detail work for presentations or hobbyists. The webcam has autofocus, though you’ll probably want to lock down the focus for the macro lens. It all works surprisingly well together, though.

Our recommendations for webcams are weighted pretty heavily toward the image each webcam produces, as you might expect. But there are a number of additional criteria we look at when making a webcam recommendation. A separate article provides a detailed explanation of how we test webcams at PCWorld, but here’s a summarization of the process:

Finally, if the webcam provides any noise-cancelling mics (and most do) I play some background music on my phone and make a recording on my laptop using Windows Sound Recorder. A good noise-canceling mic will try and minimize these distractions.

The 100-400mm lens also adds an adjustable friction damper for the zoom ring, due to the telescoping nature of the design. The optical path includes two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements and one Super ED element, while autofocus is driven by the speedy combination of a double linear motor plus a DDSSM (Direct Drive Super Sonic Motor). Sharpness and contrast are excellent, as is the creamy quality of bokeh, but the optical stabilizer has lackluster performance unless combined with in-body stabilization on later Sony camera bodies.

The autofocusing Logitech Brio 4K supports various resolutions and frame rates, including 4K Ultra HD at 30fps, 1080p at 30- or 60fps, and 720p (HD) at 30- or 60fps. According to our review, Logitech’s RightLight 3 technology snaps photos and video in a range of lighting conditions. It can adjust the field of view from between 90 degrees to 78 degrees or 65 degrees. You will need to download the Logitech app for fine-grained control options, however.

It's undeniably a heavy lens, but that's typical of super-telephoto zooms. This lens hugely delivered in a range of shooting situations when I put it to the test in my full review, and anyone looking for a do-it-all sports or wildlife lens will not be disappointed.

With generous reach and superfast ultrasonic ring-type autofocus, this lens is a superb companion for Nikon DSLRs — it performed brilliantly in our lab tests.

Barely any larger and slightly lighter than Sony’s 70-200mm G Master 'trinity' telephoto zoom, this super-telephoto lens has a fundamentally different design, in that the inner barrel extends as you stretch through the zoom range. Even so, it’s very solid and well-built, with similar handling characteristics that include dual-mode optical stabilization for static and panning shots, an autofocus range limiter switch, and multiple autofocus hold buttons.

Soon, yes! Microsoft is testing a smartphone webcam feature in Windows 11 that sounds like it should be out in a month or two. The feature would allow you to mount a smartphone (how you do it is up to you) and then use either its front or rear camera as a webcam in any and all video applications. You’ll need a phone running Android 9 or above, and the connecting software to enable it to talk to Windows.

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My preferred webcams offer at least 1080p resolution at a ballpark price of between $50 to $70. This webcam goes a step further by offering Windows Hello. This biometric login technology is found on most modern laptops, but not on older ones. If your laptop lacks this technology, the HelloCam is an excellent way to add it — and for very little out of your wallet.

This fixed-focus 1080p webcam captures frames at a smooth 60 frames per second, as opposed to the more standard 30fps. You’ll look smoother and more lifelike as a result. The wide angle means that it will work well in a conference room. A privacy shutter is included.

But yes, the IdeaCam S1 Pro also works as a generic everyday webcam, too. It also looks particularly nice under good lighting, so it’s better for a user who isn’t expecting the camera to do a lot of heavy lifting in that regard. And while it might not offer the absolute top-of-the-line options, it never really fails at anything, either. It’s just a good, solid value. Period.

If you’re a streamer (a woodworker or baker, say) then the ability to flip the webcam into a top-down mode, then undock the IdeaCam S1 Pro and the bring it in close with the macro lens, feels like a tool no other webcam offers.

This camera is also available from multiple retailers, which helps keep the price down — a must for a budget webcam. To be fair, you’ll notice the review compares the C960 2K to its predecessor, the more vanilla (1080p) C960. It’s about $10 cheaper. The C960 2K’s picture is marginally better, with improved autofocusing, but I think that the C960 2K’s mics are genuinely superior.

As a handling highlight, it also has an in-barrel information screen with an adjacent button for cycling through multiple modes. It’s my favorite telephoto zoom for APS-C format SLRs and also makes a great compact, budget telephoto for full-frame Canon cameras, including EOS R-series mirrorless models via a mount adapter.

But you can also get lenses that are specifically designed for APS-C sensors. The advantage is that they are smaller, lighter and less expensive than full frame lenses. However, you can't use these APS-C lenses on full frame cameras (not without using 'crop modes' which you will want to avoid.

A full frame lens is ideal for both camera sizes, but getting an APS-C lens for an APS-C camera can save both weight and cash.

If you're using a camera that features sensor-shift stabilization, optical stabilization is less important and many manufacturers will omit it in the design of lenses compatible with these cameras. However, some will allow the optical and in-camera stabilization systems to work in tandem, delivering even more stabilization than either system would on its own.

Lux meters or light meters, (some with outputs), measure illumination in terms of luxes (lx) or foot candles (fc). A lux is equal to the total intensity of ...