This is the king of video calling

The corona pandemic has changed everything. Many people have been working from home in the Home office. A good webcam for video conferencing is a must. In our Webcam test 2021 we have selected the best computer cameras that you can use for your Home office can buy.

Most laptops and tablets have a webcam. Many of you will work in your home office in front of a large monitor in 2021. Most screens do not have integrated front cameras, which is why a good webcam is required. The field of candidates is mixed. We tested some of the webcams ourselves, with the other test winners we relied on hundreds or thousands of customer ratings. The Stiftung Warentest, whose opinion we often include in our assessment, has unfortunately not published a webcam test since 2000.

The best webcams 2021 in the test: All models at a glance

GIGA price tip: Plartree webcam

Benefits:

• Full HD resolution
• Autofocus
• Wide angle

Disadvantage:

For just under 18 euros you can use the Plartree webcam don’t do much wrong. It has a full HD resolution, which is the exception in this price range. Thanks to the automatic autofocus, you are always in focus during video conferences. Another advantage of the Plartree webcam is the wide-angle lens with a viewing radius of 100 degrees. This also makes the webcam suitable for video calls with the whole family with the grandparents.

Plartree’s webcam is a … plastic bomber. The feel is similar to a children’s toy. Given the really cheap price, that’s not a problem. Your new webcam shouldn’t experience too many falls.

Amazon bestseller: Jelly Comb Webcam

Benefits:

• Full HD resolution
• integrated camera cover
• Can be rotated 360 ° and individually aligned
• Stereo microphones with noise canceling

Disadvantage:

During the corona pandemic, the Jelly Comb webcam has blossomed into a best seller on Amazon. In mid-2020, when many people moved into the home office for the first time, the familiar webcam models were first sold out. The Jelly Comb Webcam has benefited from the dwindling inventory of webcams. Jelly Comb impresses with its beautiful Full HD picture and a webcam that can be swiveled 360 degrees. The manufacturer charges just under 33 euros for this – a great overall package.

The best webcam with full HD resolution: Logitech C922 Pro

Benefits:

• Full HD resolution
• 60 FPS
• 3 months premium license for XSplit included with the purchase
• Table tripod included

Disadvantage:

Logitech has long offered the leading webcam on the market with the “C920” model. With the Logitech C922 Pro a slightly revised successor has been developed, which not only supports full HD resolution with 30 frames per second but also HD resolution with 60 FPS. You can also create an artificial green screen with Logitech’s camera software. However, this also demands more PC performance than is usually necessary for a webcam. If you are looking for the best 1080p webcam currently available, you should take a look at the Logitech C922 Pro. Streamers in particular benefit from the option of being able to transmit at 60 FPS. In addition, you will receive a three-month premium license for the streaming software “XSplit” with your purchase.

Many colleagues in the GIGA editorial team use the C922 Pro themselves and confirm the good ratings. Logitech’s C922 Pro is an excellent webcam.

The best webcam with 4K resolution: Logitech Brio

Benefits:

• 4K resolution
• Frame rate up to 90 FPS
• variable field of view
• HDR support
• 5x zoom

Disadvantage:

The current best equipment among the webcams offers the Logitech Brio. If you want to transfer your videos in 4K resolution, you will find the right camera here. It is more suitable for business-level conference calls, but is also aimed at streamers. Even with a full HD resolution, the Brio manages up to 60 frames per second. If you want to use the full resolution, you need at least one USB 3.0 port. A unique selling point of the Brio is the variable field of vision. Here you can flexibly choose between 90, 78 or 65 degrees. Thanks to the built-in sensors, the “Windows Hello” function can also be used for verification and registration on your own PC. In poor lighting conditions, HDR and the automatic exposure control “RightLight 3” help. Streamers are also happy about the free, 12-month premium license for the streaming tool “XSplit”.

Giga expert Biagio uses the Logitech Brio: “The Logitech Brio is perfect for gaming streamers. 90 FPS are a huge advantage! “

Webcam test 2021: This is how we made our selection

We have selected the best webcams that you can buy for you. Above all, we used our own experience to make a good selection of webcam models. But the thousands of customer reviews also helped us with the decision.

Webcams: Know Before You Buy

In the following, we answer a few questions that could arise when buying a webcam, depending on the intended use.

How important is the resolution?

In general, a full HD resolution (1080p) is completely sufficient for most application scenarios. If you want to use your webcam for a streaming channel on Twitch or YouTube, for example, you don’t have to use higher-resolution cameras. As a rule, the image is shown reduced at the edge of the stream. Full HD is sufficient here for a sharp picture. The image optimization options and exposure control of the camera are more important in order to create an ideal image for its purposes.

If you want to use the webcam primarily for more professional video conferences, you can also use a higher resolution for the best possible image quality. Since your own image is displayed in full screen mode, the advantages of a 4K webcam come into play.

How important is the frame rate?

Most webcams record video by default at 30 frames per second (FPS) at maximum resolution. A higher frame rate is not required for normal video telephony. As a small comparison: Movies are recorded at 24 FPS.

This standard frame rate (30 FPS) is also suitable for streaming. If you reduce the maximum resolution of the camera, some webcams can also transmit videos at 60 FPS. However, this is only really worthwhile if your own stream is also sent at 60 frames per second on the respective platform. Usually this affects gamers as games have higher frame rates. In general, the recorded movements are displayed more fluidly or “softer” with a higher frame rate.

Do i need an autofocus?

Not every webcam has an autofocus that automatically focuses on objects if, for example, they are held very close to the lens. How important this function can be for you depends on the type of video. For example, if you are filming yourself playing games, i.e. hardly moving and staying at the same distance from the camera, you can also turn off the autofocus. This can even be an advantage if the camera keeps refocusing the image due to the lighting conditions. The autofocus is therefore not always a reliable or necessary aid.