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The deals that made webcams a fantastic stocking stuffer in 2021 have continued into 2022. Over the past few years, webcams were nearly impossible to find, as millions of people gearing up to work or study from home tried to improve upon the 720p models built into most laptops. Now 1080p webcams are plentiful again, making it a perfect time to pick up a few for yourself or for loved ones.
Most laptops ship with a 720p webcam, so a 1080p webcam will be a step up—you’ll stand out from the rest of the participants on your next Zoom or Teams call. There are even premium models with high refresh rates and integrated ring lights for a few dollars more. This doesn’t mean you can’t choose from models with 4K resolution or a higher refresh rate. We’ve included a 4K recommendation and a 60fps option for precisely this reason.
We haven’t tested all of these webcams, but we’ve pored through the piles of available models to pick out the best deals based on specs and bundled extra, including our own reviews. You can also refer to our separate story on Windows Hello webcams to buy a webcam for videoconferencing and to log you in to your PC.
To help you choose, check out our buying advice below our recommendations.
Best webcams: What to buy
Logitech C920e Business Webcam – Best overall webcam
Pros
- Three-year warranty
- Exposure and color controls
- 78.5-degree viewing angle
The Logitech C920e is the most recent version of the venerable Logitech C920, probably the most iconic webcam of the last few years. Confused about whether you should buy the C920e or the C920s? Logitech describes the C920e as a business camera, and the C920s as the consumer version —they’re otherwise identical, save that the C920e has a three-year warranty versus a two-year warranty, while costing the same. The C920e reportedly offers lighting and color controls that the C920s does not, as well.
Both cameras use a narrower 78.5-degree viewing angle, which focuses in on your face better than other webcams that use a 90-degree viewing angle. It’s also an autofocus camera, which helps justify its higher price. Aside from a lack of 60fps support, this is still a great webcam.
Logitech offers terrific hardware and support, but the fact remains that a number of the cheaper Asian companies have also begun offering a lot of what the C920 family offers, at least on paper. What may set it apart, though, is its video quality. You can refer to our Logitech C920 review for more information, which referred to the video as “shockingly crisp.”
Razer Kiyo Pro – Best premium webcam
Pros
- Terrific image quality in all lighting
- HDR
- 60fps
Cons
- High price
- Razer Synapse software is necessary to control some functions
The Razer Kiyo Pro is an improvement over the original Kiyo in almost every way. It’s a fantastic, autofocusing 1080p webcam that captures at 60 frames per second, rather the default 30fps of its competitors. The result will be a noticeable visual improvement, compared with the others on your call. It does struggle a bit with autofocus, but the image performance otherwise is top notch.
The Kiyo Pro webcam ships with a 1.5-meter braided USB cable, and includes a USB-A connection. Our review below includes a video shot under natural lighting, so you can see how well the Kiyo shines.
Read our full
Razer Kiyo Pro review
Dell UltraSharp Webcam (WB7022) – Best premium 4K webcam
Pros
- 4K and HDR
- AI framing crops the image to keep you centered
- Configurable field of view
Cons
- Privacy shutter is a separate piece that you could lose
- No mic
If you want to pay extra for a 4K webcam—to show yourself off at a an ultra-high-resolution—we recommend this Dell UltraSharp webcam. Save for a ring light, this webcam ships with all of the bells and whistles. The 3.5-inch-long webcam mounts either on a laptop/display or via a tripod; Dell includes both. There’s a 2-meter (over 6 feet) cable, terminating in a USB Type A interface with your PC.
There’s an intriguing mix of features: HDR, auto-focusing, digital zoom (up to 5X), framing, brightness, saturation, and more. Unusually, the WB7022 is neither fixed-focus nor does it offer a fixed field-of-view (FOV). Dell’s AI framing crops the image to keep your face centered, and you have the option of configuring the field of view from 90 degrees, 78 degrees, and down to a narrow 65 degrees. Dell applies HDR, temporal, and spatial noise reduction to help you look your best.
There are a few oddities: The privacy shutter doesn’t flip down; it’s a separate piece that magnetically connects to the front of the lens. There’s no mic, either, so you’ll have to use a headset or just your laptop’s mic. You’re also trading high resolution for an otherwise standard 30fps frame rate.
eMeet C960 Webcam – Best budget webcam
Pros
- Dual mics
- Noise cancellation
Cons
- Fixed focal length
- No privacy shutter, though it looks like there is
This 1080p webcam also has a wide-angle 90-degree viewing angle, which might be a little wide for a single person. It perches on the back of a laptop or flat-panel display. Don’t be fooled by the image; there’s no privacy shutter, though you drape a cloth over the webcam when not in use.
Reviews of this camera seem to be almost universally good, though you’ll need to make sure that you’re well lit. If you need extra light, eMeet also sells a version of the webcam with a ring light for $59.99.
Nexigo N60 – Best budget webcam runner-up
Pros
- Privacy shutter
- Noise-cancelling stereo mic
Cons
- Fixed focus
- 110-degree viewing angle
This 30fps 1080 webcam is optimized more for group calls, as its 110-degree viewing angle will pick up more of the scene than rival webcams.
This webcam also clips onto a laptop or monitor. One of the nicer touches is a small LED alerting you when the camera is powered on and connected.
I bought this webcam for my son during the pandemic, and he used it everyday to connect to his classes via Zoom. He didn’t have any complaints about picture quality, and we haven’t seen any from other buyers, either. NexiGo provides some basic software controls to help adjust color and contrast, too. The mics seem to do quite a good job picking up your voice and filtering out any ambient noise.
NexiGo N980P – Best webcam for wide-angle
Pros
- 60fps
- 120-degree viewing angle
- Privacy shutter
Cons
- Lack of fine adjustments
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 camera also captures at a 120-degree angle, which might not be that ideal for a home user but can work quite well in a living room or conference room. This webcam is very highly reviewed on Amazon, with reviewers praising it for its color balance but criticizing it for its inability to be finely adjusted.
It’s still a fixed-focus camera though, and if you want an autofocusing model we’d recommend you pay about $100 for the upgraded NexiGo N680p instead.
1080p webcam buying guide
A standalone 1080p webcam can’t add Windows Hello to your system, but it can greatly improve how you look on your next Zoom call. Here’s what to look for. You’ll probably ask yourself: Should I prioritize a 60fps webcam over an autofocusing webcam? We’d say that if you have to choose one, choose the former. Unless you’ll be moving about a lot, a fixed-focus webcam will do just fine.
Adjustable or fixed focus: Don’t worry about fixed-focus, as it’s 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.
Higher frame rates: 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.
Field of view (FOV): The camera’s field of view can vary. A 90-degree FOV helps people focus on you (and perhaps not the clutter 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. 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.
Privacy shutter: 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 tape over the camera or drape it with a dark cloth.
Ring lights: Yes, integrated ring lights are now a thing on premium webcams, and worth the money if lighting is a challenge for you. They’ll certainly help with lighting, although a big bright display in front of you will help too. You can also purchase a separate ring light, or just let a big bright display light your face, too.
Tripod bundle: 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.
Updated on April 7, 2022 with additional pricing, advice, and recommendations.
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Author: Mark Hachman, Senior Editor
As PCWorld’s senior editor, Mark focuses on Microsoft news and chip technology, among other beats. He has formerly written for PCMag, BYTE, Slashdot, eWEEK, and ReadWrite.