While you can always invest in an external mic, it would mean that you will have to take care of another gadget. Thankfully, there are plenty of webcams in the market that bundles a good microphone. With these cameras, not only your voice appears loud and clear, but there is no added noise and echo to drown it out. Below are some of our recommendations for the best webcams with quality built-in microphones. Let’s have a look.
1. Logitech Brio 4K Pro
It tries to justify its price tag by including plenty of nifty settings and features. For one, you can replace your background, just like the video conferencing tool Zoom. Nifty, right? At 4 x 1.1 x 1.1-inch, this webcam has a small footprint, and you can clip it to the top of your laptop. Plus, it bundles a privacy shutter that you can use when you are not using it actively. The HDR in the camera makes all your recordings and stills appear natural. Reviewers love it for its sharp picture quality. And oh, the camera support Windows Hello too. Do keep in mind that Logitech has shipped with this webcam falls on the flimsy end.
2. Logitech StreamCam Streaming Webcam
The StreamCam bundles two mounts. You can either clip it to the top of your laptop’s screen or use the tripod mount that comes with it. The FoV is at 78-degrees, which is a tad smaller than the Brio. As noted earlier, the picture quality is great and doesn’t need any additional tweaking. Along with the above, you also get the option to tweak the picture quality, type of frames (PIP or side-by-side), or switch between different FPS settings. One of the drawbacks of this camera is that the USB-C cable is built into the device. So if somehow manage to break the cable, the odds are that you might have to switch over to a new device.
3. Ausdom AF640 1080 Webcam
Similar to the Brio 4K, the 90-degree FoV means that you will be able to fit pretty much everything behind you in the frame. And the 36Db mic translates into clear and loud audio, minus the background noise. For its price, the Ausdom AF640 has a solid build. However, the picture quality is not as sharp as the camera above, and that’s quite understandable given the vast difference in price. Nevertheless, it delivers a good video. One of the issues with the AF640 is its autofocus. As per the folks at Toms Hardware, the focus of the camera goes off, especially if you tend to move and fidget a lot during your calls and meetings. That means the people on the other end will see blurs and weird artifacts from your feed. On the upside, the AF640 can be fitted on top of monitors and laptops and comes with a mount for tripods too.
4. Logitech C920S HD Pro Webcam
The C920S bundles excellent auto white balance, and the result is a sharp and crisp picture. And unlike the webcams mentioned above, it doesn’t have issues with autofocus. It’s fast, and the focus shifts quickly, even if you move a lot in your seat. The only issue with the Logitech C920S is that you can’t swivel the camera left and right.
5. Microsoft LifeCam Studio
Other than that, the 75-degree FoV lets you fit enough in one frame. And though the 720p won’t shoot sharp videos like the ones above, you can rest assured that they will be clear, bright, and non-pixelated. The look of this webcam is slightly unique—it’s shaped like a barrel. Looks-wise it may not be much, but it affords plenty of flexibility. For one, you can turn it full 360 degrees or 180 degrees in either direction. The mount proves to be quite a task to handle. If you are not careful, the whole camera may come undone and fall off your monitor. Till now, the Microsoft LifeCam Studio has seen more than fifteen hundred reviews with users speaking highly of its durability and picture quality for the price.
6. Vitade Web Cam with Microphone HD
The build of the webcam is simple. The clip at the bottom lets you fix it at the top of monitors and laptop screen. At the same time, it’s pretty flexible. Not only can the camera be rotated 360-degree, but it can also be bent to suit your needs. Installation and setup is a walk in the park, and you just need to plug in the cable to your PC. For now, most of the users have been happy with their purchases, with people liking it for its picture quality and color balance. For the price, you will have to sacrifice some of the features. For example, this Vitade webcam comes with manual focus. If you have short meetings and do not move around a lot, it’s not much of an issue.
Listen With All the Intent
The demand for webcams is like never before. Whether it’s for a simple demonstration or a short meeting with your team members or catching up with your loved ones, the list is long. Hence, it goes without saying that the webcams you buy should balance both audio and video.
