Can You See Me Now? A Review of some Web Cameras

It has been over a year since the pandemic gained momentum, and we were all sent home. In fact - even now, there is a mixture of people working from home and some going into the office. Masks are starting to come off, and the world is returning to something not quite like it was before the pandemic, but not like it was during. We are moving into some new hybrid - and it will be interesting to see where it levels out.

One thing is obvious in my mind; however - we will not be leaving video calls and video meetings behind - probably ever again. Many meetings that used to require hours of travel for a short hello, how are ya - will stay in video with those face-to-face onsite meetings saved for key steps and specific critical phases in discussions or work (obviously, field service may have different rules).

This will not only hold in work but also in our personal lives. Think about it - how often have you had a doctor's appointment where you wait for an hour to get in (because, of course, the doctor is running late) and then get maybe 5 minutes of conversation or discussion in? What if, for those appointments that do not require an in-person visit, you could switch to a Zoom window, have the appointment on time, and get back to your day, saving waiting times, delays, travel, etc.?

So that is why I feel it is crucial to address the second challenge people have on Zoom and Teams and all the other video platforms. The first challenge is good audio - and I discussed that a little while ago - you can check out that article here. The second challenge is having a good video image so people can see you clearly.

Many people use the basic camera on their laptop or computer - and that can work, but it is often of lower resolution and may not be at the optimal position. Ideally, the camera you use for video should have the camera lens at the same height as your eyes when you are sitting. When you look into the camera, you effectively look into someone's eyes on the other end of the call. Some laptop cameras have the camera at the base of the screen, giving the "up the chest shot," and others are at the top of the laptop screen, tilted up so that either you get a great view of someone's nostrils or their head is cut off or something along those lines.

Next - a brief discussion of lighting (I will cover this more in a later review) - lighting should be behind the camera so that you are front-lit. You do not want a bright light behind you - that is where you get the dark shadowy person on the screen - the dark stranger. If you have a window behind you, ensure the curtains are closed during your video time - and put a light behind your computer, so it shines directly on you.

So - now that the basics of camera setup have been discussed - let's look at the difference that using a couple of different cameras might make. I will show the difference between the raw camera picture and what it looks like after software like Zoom might do some minor filtering. Next week I will go over what Touch Up My Appearance does to your image and give you an idea of how to use and not to use it.

Several cameras were evaluated in the video linked above (note - there is no sound in the video), including:

• Logitech C920 USB Camera
• GoPro Hero 9 Camera through an HDMI to USB Converter
• Zoom Q2N Video Camera through an HDMI to USB Converter
• Surface Book 2 On-Board Camera

All videos were taken on the same day, back to back, using the same physical setup (the camera was always in the same position - height and distance from me) with the same lighting. You will see the range of video resolution and clarity across each camera - the distortions and the differences between the raw camera picture and that within Zoom. It is important to understand that not all video platforms have the same image quality and transmission - and some do filtering while others do not.

The Logitech C920 is a great external USB camera. It works well with any PC or Mac computer sitting on the monitor. The camera can autofocus and has a built-in microphone (which I think sounds like crap, so do not use it). The camera can give up to 1080p resolution. It is not a bad camera overall but does suffer from not having a great depth of field. Colors can get distorted with this camera, and if you do not have good lighting, you can look a little unreal. Before the pandemic and spending hours every day on video, this was actually my go-to home office camera.

The Surface Book2 on-board camera is actually pretty great - and certainly capable of giving a better image than many laptop cameras. The key thing with any built-in camera is ensuring that the laptop is elevated for the correct physical spacing and good lighting. Some laptops (my Dell Latitude) have terrible cameras with blurry, distorted images no matter what you do. One of the many reasons I selected the Surface Book2 as my personal laptop was the good camera, and the newer models have only improved on this. I would rank the quality and color of this video to be on par with the Logitech C920 and quite reasonable for travel and on-the-go video calls and meetings.

The Zoom Q2N was recommended to me by someone who does a lot of music and simple performing, and it is not a bad camera - but it is an excellent audio recorder. The audio quality on this device is amazing. The video is - ok, at least when used as a web camera. It would be best if you had superior lighting to get a good video signal. I am actually really picky and find the image to be too grainy for regular use as a Web camera. However - it does pretty well outside when shooting a 4K video and audio of my corgis going crazy running around the backyard.

My new standard camera for my work-from-home office is the GoPro Hero 9. I am using the Media Mod with the camera and sending the HDMI signal to an ATEM Mini video switch and/or an Elgato Camlink 4K converter to work as a web camera. You can actually directly use the GoPro as a web camera using the USB-C cable, but I have a pretty advanced video setup here for various reasons.

The GoPro Hero 9 (I upgraded recently from the GoPro Hero 7) gives a much better image - with an increased depth of field, I stay in focus at all times within my visible space. I can have my upper body easily on camera (I have a very shallow space in front of my computer) to present and ensure my body language is transparent on camera to the people I am speaking with. The color and video quality are beautiful - and if I bring items on the screen as part of a show and tell - they are also visible with great clarity. This has been critical over the past year as I have done training videos, lunch and learns, and dynamic presentations multiple times a week. I firmly believe that having a good setup like this allows me to bring more energy to my video presence and make it easier to engage with others.

So - these are my thoughts - what have you been using? Do you have a different favorite?