Want to know the best webcams of 2023? Are you planning to improve the quality of your image? If you don’t already have a laptop with a built-in webcam — or the one on your laptop isn’t very good — you might need a standalone webcam.
If you don’t want to purchase a webcam, there are several routes to take. You can get crafty with your phone (and spend hardly anything or nothing) by using an app that’ll fool your computer into thinking it’s a webcam. Or you can go in the opposite direction and connect a pricey DSLR or mirrorless camera to your computer as a perfect webcam. But of course… that’s much more expensive.
But assuming you simply want to purchase a webcam, our goal is to make it easier for you to find the one that matches your needs and your budget. Here, we aim to decipher which USB webcams are worth your money. Remember also that not only the quality of the image is important but also the content (background, outfits, smiles… read The Best Colour To Wear On Camera to get more help).
Shopping Tips for Webcams
Here are a few details to keep in mind when shopping for the best webcam.
Streaming vs work cam: The webcam market is mostly split into two categories: Work and livestreaming. Livestreaming webcams are more expensive — some can run as high as $500 — and include features such as 4K, professional-level microphones, and wide-angle lenses. These are more expensive but you can find a few more accesible. In LuckyCrush you are somehow streaming so it is great if you can access to a better quality camera.
Don’t mind the mic: Most webcams have built-in microphones but they’re more of an afterthought — not a feature. Webcams are usually situated above and away from your face, so even if the mic was good (and it usually isn’t), it’s not ideally located to pick up your voice. Recently we’ve been seeing webcams without microphones (even from larger companies, such as Dell), so we definitely recommend picking up one of the best gaming headsets or best gaming microphones so you’ll sound as good as you look.
Lighting is a bonus: While built-in lighting isn’t a standard feature on most consumer-level webcams quite yet, manufacturers like Razer are doing their best to change that. It doesn’t matter how capable your camera is if your workspace’s lighting is too dark to take advantage of it. For the best tips on lighting read Our Ultimate Guide To Lighting.
The Best Webcams of 2023 tested by our team
We tested popular models from brands like AverMedia, Logitech, Razer, Elgato, and more. Once the dust settled, we landed on these affordable webcams that we think are the best option for you.
Logitech Brio 500
SPECIFICATIONS
FOV: 90 degrees
Video Resolution: 1080p 30 fps
Megapixels: –
Focus: Autoframing
REASONS TO BUY
1080p resolution is fine for video conferencing+
Affordable+
Good image quality+
Good built-in mic
REASONS TO AVOID
Colors may look washed out
More likely to sell out
Almost 10 years old
OUR TEAM’S REVIEW
We were especially impressed with the Brio 500’s auto-white balance, which is something almost all webcams struggle with — it wasn’t perfect, but it was almost as impressive as the auto-white balance seen on much pricier webcams, such as the Insta360 Link. Logitech’s RightLight 4 technology, which is designed to compensate in less-ideal lighting situations, did an excellent job of producing flattering, evenly-lit images in both low- and overexposed-lighting conditions.
The Logitech Brio 500 shows that resolution isn’t everything — it may have the same surface-level specs as older Logitech webcams, such as the C920s and C930e, but it produces much better images. For the average person looking to upgrade their webcam from whatever’s built into their laptop’s bezel, the Logitech Brio 500 offers the best out-of-the-box performance at a reasonable price ($130).
Microsoft Modern Webcam
SPECIFICATIONS
FOV: 78 degrees
Video Resolution: 1080p, 60fps
Focus: Autofocus
REASONS TO BUY
Even Color
HDR
60 fps option
REASONS TO AVOID
Monitor stand can feel insecure
OUR TEAM’S REVIEW
The Microsoft Modern Webcam is cheaper and more available than the Logitech C500; it also has more features and better, more accurate color reproduction than its older competitor.
The Microsoft Modern Webcam’s monitor mount can be shaky on some monitors, especially those that aren’t flat along the back (but you can get it stable with some artful balancing). The sliding physical camera shutter gives this webcam a premium feel.
The Microsoft Modern Webcam comes with an intuitive — but not particularly powerful — app that’s designed to look like a Windows menu. The app is where you’ll adjust most of this camera’s special features, including HDR and flicker reduction powered by its ability to capture footage at 60 fps. This webcam’s 1080p 60 fps capture is a big get for streamers, especially since many gaming-focused webcams cost upwards of $100.
It’s unfortunate that you can’t swivel or rotate this camera for better shooting angles. While the C500 shares that limitation, there are lower budget options with this flexibility. But if you want a camera in the C500s space that doesn’t wash out colors as much and has more options, the Microsoft Modern Webcam is an easy choice — so long as your monitor isn’t too curvy on the back.
Webcams in 2023 you might like for under $100
Ausdom AW651
SPECIFICATIONS
FOV: 78 degrees default, customizable
Video Resolution: 1440p @ 30 fps, 1080p @ 60 fps
Focus: Autofocus
REASONS TO BUY
1440p
HDR
60 fps option
Comes with a tripod
REASONS TO AVOID
Unintuitive software
Images can appear overly sharp
OUR TEAM’S REVIEW
The Ausdom AW651 is Ausdom’s most recent webcam, and it makes for a more powerful yet affordable alternative to other 1080p and above webcams from major brands like Logitech. At about $10 more than the MSRP for the Logitech C920, this camera offers both 1440p capture at 30 fps and 1080p capture at 60 fps. While the camera’s sensor can produce overly sharp images and it resorts to distributing clunky freeware rather than coming up with its own software, it is a technically capable device that offers a lot of capability for its price point.
This camera produced bright footage with accurate colors when we reviewed it, in part thanks to its ability to capture at 1440p. If you prefer to shoot at 1080p, you can also capture footage at 60 fps with this device, which will be useful for game streamers. HDR is another feature here, and in a nice touch, this camera comes with a tripod and can also rotate 360 degrees. Its tilt is a bit more limited, ranging from 180 degrees when pointing down to 30 degrees when pointing up.
Webcams in 2023 for higher budgets
Logitech BRIO
SPECIFICATIONS
FOV: 90/78/65 degrees
Video Resolution: 4Kand below, 60 fps and below
Megapixels: 13
Foxus: Autofocus
REASONS TO BUY
4K resolution+
HDR Recording+
Windows Hello Support
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Build quality could be better
Privacy cover feels cheap
OUR TEAM’S REVIEW
The Brio performs well, but it’s no longer the only 4K webcam on the market — and more recent contenders, such as the Insta360 Link and the Lumina 4K, are able to offer better auto-exposure, color reproduction, and auto-focused thanks to AI-powered software tweaks. But while newer 4K webcams are looking toward streamers and content creators, the Brio is more business-focused: It includes Windows Hello support and is optimized for use with Skype and Online Stream.
The special one…
Insta360 Link
SPECIFICATIONS
FOV: 79.5 degrees
Video Resolution: 4K/30fps, 1080p/60fps, 720p/60fps
Focus: Autofocus
REASONS TO BUY
Excellent auto-lighting and white balance
4K resolution with extremely good auto-focus
Variety of AI-powered modes
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Overkill for most users
OUR TEAM’S REVIEW
We know this might be expensive to consider. But our team has chosen it a it’s favourite because one special function that we consider could be very fun to use in LuckyCrush: the AI Movement Tracking. This function follows you while you are moving around the room. The Insta360 Link is an AI-powered 4K webcam perched on a 3-axis gimbal, packed with a variety of capture modes and features that will appeal to content creators such as the AI movement tracking we were mentioning. It offers incredibly impressive color reproduction and auto-exposure. This doesn’t come cheap, however — the Link is one of the most expensive webcams on this list with a retail price of $300.
The Link offers unparalleled image quality, thanks to its 1/2-inch sensor and 4K resolution. But — more importantly — the Link has some of the best auto-exposure, color reproduction, and auto-focus we’ve ever seen in a webcam. Most webcams have difficulty adjusting between different lighting scenarios (especially quickly), and while the Link isn’t perfect, it’s very good at adjusting on the fly. This, combined with the webcam’s 3-axis gimbal and AI-powered movement tracking, makes the Link a very powerful contender for content creators who move a lot, or webcam dancers 😏
We hope this guide has helped you to find the best webcam to improve your performance in LuckyCrush and earn a lot of money!
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