Work from Home in India - Lights, Camera & Mic

The pandemic has intensified the move to #workfromhome and virtual presentations, online speaking engagements and podcasts. 

For any of these video/audio events it is important you have a decent setup at your home. It doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune. There are plenty of videos on YouTube on how to do these. 

1) Basics:

First, start with the basics: Ensure there is enough lighting on your face - the humble tube light kept facing you or a cheap ring light will often solve the problem, sit on a (reasonably) quite space, no visual clutter behind you, if possible, a green cloth as backdrop and a comfortable table and chair. 

For details on lighting check this blog post.

2) Camera:

Next, focus on the camera. All laptop webcams including the ones made by Apple are useless piece of junk. You need to buy an external one. The webcam must have a minimum resolution of 1080p for a decent picture quality. Stay away from the numerous Chinese models listed on ecommerce sites unless the model has been recommended by a friend. I got the TVS WC 103, 1080p Webcam for INR 1650 (USD 22) for my son and he is quite happy with it. I will suggest you start with this. If you can afford, go for Logitech C920/922 models, at INR 11,000 (USD 150) they are not cheap. 

I have Logitech's top end model supporting 4K called Brio and it cost INR 23,000 (USD 300) in India. You need this one only if you are planning to record high quality video and post them on YouTube or elsewhere. For Zoom or Microsoft Teams call 1080p resolution is more than enough. If purchase Logitech Brio for its support of Windows 10 Hello, that works like the face unlock in iPhones. 

For details on TVS 1080p webcam and Logitech Brio check this blog post.

3) Microphone:

Let me get this out – I hate Air Pods and clones being used for non-personal video calls, more so when I see them used in TV interviews! 

a) For microphone start with the easiest to use, the simplest and cheapest. At around INR 800-1000 (USD 10) you can get a good lavalier microphone like the “Boya BY-M1 Omni Directional Lavalier Microphone” or “Ahuja MTP-20 Unidirectional Lavalier Microphone". Both come with a long 20-feet cable and connects to the 3.5mm headphone jack in your PC or Mac or Android phones.

b) Many of the modern webcams like TVS 1080p or the Logitech 4K Brio comes with inbuilt microphones that are decent for most video calls. They work well with one or two people talking in front of the screen.

c) Go for an easy-to-use condenser microphone like Blue Yeti that cost INR 11000 (USD 150) or a cheaper equivalent like Fifine K678 Condenser microphone reviewed in this post. Remember these connect only to your PC or Mac, they require a regular USB-A port to drive them. These offer the best audio quality out of all the options reviewed in this page.

d) If you want to use the microphone on your iPad Pro or Android phones with a USB-C port, then Saramonic Blink 500 B6 is one of the best options, I have this one, and it is great. Then there are other brands that offer similar features like Hey Mic, or Rode Wireless Go II. All three of them are not available in India, you need to order them directly from their manufacturers and have it shipped to India.

For details on the microphones listed above check this blog post.

Good luck with your videos and calls.