In today’s world of streaming and remote working, webcams have become an essential part of any computer setup. When you need something that looks good and performs well, there are more options than ever to deliver great results and look good doing it. With that in mind, CGMagazine is here to award our best webcam for 2023.
To determine the best webcams, CGMagazine looked at a number of important factors, including image quality, build quality, versatility and value for money. CGMagazine’s team of experts put each webcam through a rigorous testing process to determine which webcams offered the best performance, features and user experience.
Here are CGMagazine’s nominees for Best Webcam 2023:
Center Cam
Writer: Joe Findlay
Score: 7.5
Price: $119.99
Center Cam setup was incredibly easy, only requiring you to find the right spot to mount to your monitor, run the cable through the rings of the clamp and plug it into your computer. There is no need for software to control the webcam. You just add it as your video input device on your program of choice (Zoom, Teams, etc.), and you are good to go. Video Quality is decent, given the small size of the sensor on the camera. You aren’t getting the quality of a gaming webcam, but you will look better than the average laptop webcam.
Having the Center Cam directly on your screen takes a little getting used to, but the camera itself is small enough to not be considered too burdensome. When placed correctly on your monitor, people will see you looking right at them both when you are talking and when they are.
People who need to create a connection with people remotely will have their best chance by using the Center Cam. Whether for Business or Personal use, it brings people together and helps them see eye to eye.
Logitech Streamcam
Writer: Joe Findlay
Score: 7.5
Price: $128
The Streamcam sports a glass lens with an f2.0 aperture and a 78-degree field of view with a maximum resolution of 1080p/60 frames per second. It also features autofocus from 10 cm to infinity, so you should stay in focus wherever you are. The camera can be removed from its mount, rotated 90 degrees and replaced, so you can shoot in a vertical format for TikToks, stories, etc.
Once it was set up, the camera looked pretty good out of the box. It was a bit muted in its tones but was well-exposed, and the composition was nice. I would like to have seen a wider field of view. 78 degrees is not a lot when compared to other modern webcams, and a wider angle has been a trending look on streams. What would be ideal would be a 100+ degree angle field of view with the ability to shrink it to whatever you want.
The Logitech Streamcam is a natural next step for the company’s webcams with a good picture and a reasonable price. Its biggest issue is its cable, using a USB-C connection when they are in short supply on most computers (and don’t offer an adapter just in case) and adding in the fact that it is not detachable, it makes me more wary than a camera that offers one at this point.
Razer Kiyo X
Writer: Joe Findlay
Score: 7.5
Price: $ 79.99
The camera itself is missing the built-in ring light of the original Kiyo and looks just like the Razer Kiyo Pro. Unlike the Pro, the Kiyo X cannot be detached from its mount, but it still has a lot of flexibility in its mounting capabilities, with the ability to mount it on your monitor, on a tripod or anything with a ¼” mounting screw and even fold the whole thing flat. The one thing it fails to do is give you any left/right motion, which is a shame because it limits the placement of the webcam (depending on your mounting method).
At $79.99 USD, The Kiyo X is 40% of the price of the Kiyo Pro and sets it up as one of the most inexpensive webcam offerings from any of the big brands. It is the same price as the old standard Logitech C920. If budget is a concern or, as I said above, a 1080p 60fps camera is not a priority, then the Kiyo X is definitely worth a look.
The Razer Kiyo X is a good budget webcam option for many people, but people looking for higher quality and better software controls may want to look elsewhere. The value that it offers for its price makes it a good buy as long as you consider your production needs.
OBSBOT Tiny 4K Webcam
Writer: Joe Findlay
Score: 8
Price: $269
The Tiny 4K offers a 4K/30fps or 1080p/60fps resolution, 4x digital zoom and a 2-axis gimbal to facilitate its PTZ (Pan, Tilt, Zoom) movement. Also included in the box is a magnetic camera mount, power supply and a USB-C to USB-C Cable with a USB-C to USB-A adapter, maximizing the number of ports available to the webcam.
The camera quality is quite nice, it uses a Sony 1/ 2.8” sensor. Out of the box, it looks a little washed out, but with a little colour correction, you are in great shape. The picture detail is quite nice. It is a little below the standard of some other webcams on the market (as its price is more about its other features than the camera itself) but has a perfectly nice picture. The better your lighting, the better it will look, so light yourself appropriately.
The OBSBOT Tiny 4K Webcam is chock-full of features and is a good quality camera, but its uses narrow the content creation clientele as its primary functions are wasted on people who stay in one place. To those who need a camera with these capabilities and have the budget, then it is a worthy buy.
WINNER: Best Webcam 2023 Logitech 4K Pro Webcam
Writer: Joe Findlay
Score: 8
Price: 199.99
The 4K Pro Webcam, true to its name, has a 4K/30fps camera that can also do 1080/60fps. In the box, you have the camera with a detachable USB-C to USB-A 3.1 cable and a typical camera mount that leaves something to be desired without a tripod thread built-in or the ability to swivel the camera (which really needs to be the standard on webcams now). The long, detachable cable is greatly appreciated, though. There is also an attachable privacy shutter and a travel bag in the box for you.
No matter how you get the 4K Pro Webcam up and running, I can tell you that the camera looks great. It offers a 90-degree field of view for a nice, wide angle, and the picture is crisp. It works well in low-light situations, but if you want to get the most out of the 4K picture, light yourself. For a serious content creator, though, that should be common sense.
Logitech, a long-time leader in webcams, has met many challengers as of recent from big names like AVerMedia and Elgato, but their 4K Pro Webcam is an offering that lets the competition know that they are still very much in the game.
