Webcam

Can anyone recommend a decent 1080p webcam to fit on a monitor with decent Mic preferably not too expensive.

What is not too expensive?

It's not the cheapest time to buy a webcam.

I use a Logitech C920 which i picked up for just under £30 a good few years ago.
It's always been a great cheap webcam.

Since the pandemic it shot up in price on Amazon and currently sits around £130 from Amazon directly.

Most webcams have followed a similar trend, as has pretty much anything necessary for work from home activities.

There are quite a few of those around and sometimes at a "good price". However, are they real Logitech? Quite often not.

Thanks John I will have a look around.

I needed a webcam & mic for remote council meetings.

The first two I got from Amazon had good video but rubbish sound. Ended up buying a separate USB microphone - which had a volume control.

Cheers!

Yea that is what most of the reviews say on Amazon on the cheapy cams.

I tried one of the cheap-ish Amazon webcams last year, when webcams were in short supply in the lockdown and Logitechs were unavailable. It was absolutely rubbish and I returned it.

When a company with an excellent reputation as a Raspberry Pi supplier offered a webcam, I bought one and it has been excellent with good quality audio and video. Although marketed as a Raspberry Pi add-on, it works fine on a PC. This webcam costs £32.

[No connection, etc, etc, except as a customer.]

Edited by ashdown (Fri 08-Jan-21 20:21:13)

That's not a bad price. Looks similar to the one I have which is only 720p but mic sounds like I am in a tunnel I have been told.

I've ordered it based on your recommendation and some of the reviews.

In reply to a post by Banger:

That's not a bad price. Looks similar to the one I have which is only 720p but mic sounds like I am in a tunnel I have been told.

Normally best to use a different microphone anyway, maybe something you can clip on you.

Lots of problems with web cams and built in mics. Using these your square on to the mic and a fair distance away where ideally you want the mic closer and talk across it and not into it face on. Clip on mics can be OK but do pick up clothing rustle type of thing so where possible you want a desktop or hand held mic for better audio clarity.

In reply to a post by neo_wales:

Clip on mics can be OK but do pick up clothing rustle type of thing so where possible you want a desktop or hand held mic for better audio clarity.

I'd agree with the suggestion of a good desktop mic.

A handheld mic for a webcam though?

Unless your WFH is presenting the Baftas I can't see any practical reason for a handheld mic.

Well it arrived and the picture is clear as day. Mic a bit low (level) but my test caller could hear me ok. Thanks for the recommendation.

In reply to a post by Banger:

Well it arrived and the picture is clear as day. Mic a bit low (level) but my test caller could hear me ok. Thanks for the recommendation.

That is the problem with webcam microphones, Windows have a boost that may work, but sometimes it will pick up too much noise,
Right-click on the speaker on the taskbar, go into sound settings, in the window that opens, find the microphone and under it click on device properties, it is between the input device label and the test your microphone thing, on the right-hand side of the next window, click on additional device properties and click on custom, there you should see microphone boost.

I have to get a new microphone to be honest, I am using a zoom H1 and while it works ok, it is not really made for what I use it for, and it is a pain anyway as i have to take it off everytime I need it for the camera.

Thanks Adrian. I followed the instructions right up to the point of additional device settings and all I could find was general, listen, levels and advanced. Clicked on levels and just a slider which was already set to 100, no boost or anything.

I have a headset which I could use which is plugged into the back Mic port which is slightly louder. Interesting the test mic button said the loudest it could hears was 32%.

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

In reply to a post by Banger:

Well it arrived and the picture is clear as day. Mic a bit low (level) but my test caller could hear me ok. Thanks for the recommendation.

That is the problem with webcam microphones, Windows have a boost that may work, but sometimes it will pick up too much noise,
Right-click on the speaker on the taskbar, go into sound settings, in the window that opens, find the microphone and under it click on device properties, it is between the input device label and the test your microphone thing, on the right-hand side of the next window, click on additional device properties and click on custom, there you should see microphone boost.

I have to get a new microphone to be honest, I am using a zoom H1 and while it works ok, it is not really made for what I use it for, and it is a pain anyway as i have to take it off everytime I need it for the camera.

In reply to a post by Banger:

Well it arrived and the picture is clear as day. Mic a bit low (level) but my test caller could hear me ok. Thanks for the recommendation.

Sorry a handheld is not ideal for web cam use. I'm a radio ham and use hand helds but these days I go for desk top/overhanging, running a Heil mic at the moment but that would be overkill for a webcam. Got my grandson a Trust GXT212 from Argos for xmas and its working very well for him.

In reply to a post by Banger:

Thanks Adrian. I followed the instructions right up to the point of additional device settings and all I could find was general, listen, levels and advanced. Clicked on levels and just a slider which was already set to 100, no boost or anything.

I have a headset which I could use which is plugged into the back Mic port which is slightly louder. Interesting the test mic button said the loudest it could hears was 32%.

It used to be on Advanced I think, but not now, strange how it is not on yours, unless it is because it is a usb Microphone, but I can not see that making any difference.
Windows 10 have mucked up audio a fair bit. When I have time later i will stick the Zoom in and see what that does. I was going by my old trust microphone, which is about 15 years old and that uses the 3.5mm jack. the poor thing, is taped together, but still works ok, but i don't use it as the stand is broken.

you are always better off with a external mic anyway.

Boost is available on the headset mic under levels but not the USB mic. Pah.