The best webcams of 2021: top picks for streaming, working from home and more

The way we communicate changed drastically with the COVID-19 pandemic. If you never communicated with someone via video chat before, chances are good you have by now. Whether for professional or personal reasons, many of us have gone virtual. More people now than ever are familiar with online conference calls, Zoom work meetings, or just communicating with your family across town via webcam, instead of face to face. Due to the pandemic, virtual web calls are quite common for most people, with it being a daily occurrence for some.

If you’re someone who finds themselves constantly doing online calls or meetings, it may be the time to find yourself a quality webcam. Your webcam can play a big role in determining whether or not the call was successful. Audio troubles, or visual glitches can easily make a meeting more stressful and uncomfortable. When looking for the right webcam, it’s important to take into consideration things like resolution, audio and of course price point. With so many webcams to choose from, where do you start? We’ve found four of the best webcams on the market that you should consider when finding your cam of choice.

Best webcams for 2021 – Razer Kiyo

The Razer Kiyo webcam is great for everyday use, but especially great for streaming. Streaming has become extremely popular over the last year. And many people say the Razer Kiyo webcam can significantly upgrade your streaming quality. This webcam focuses less on bells and whistles, and more on good image and quality. This cam delivers 1080p resolution at 30fps (frames per second) for full HD. Plus, Razer Kiyo provides studio lighting. It comes with a ring light feature, with adjustable brightness levels, that they claim is perfect for video calls. The ring-light feature is convenient since it ensures you’ll be able to use the webcam no matter the time of day, or lighting situation.

Best webcams for 2021 – Microsoft LifeCam HD-3000

If you’re look for a more affordable option,the  Microsoft LifeCam HD-3000 for Business might be the right choice for you. This webcam offers 720p live video calling and 1080p recording. The universal attachment base of this webcam allows it to easily work on your desktop, laptop or notebook. Microsoft’s webcam rotates 360 degrees. And it features an omnidirectional microphone with acoustic noise cancellation. So you’re getting crystal-clear audio. If you’re looking for a webcam primarily to video chat, this is a great choice as it Skype certified.  According to Microsoft, the widescreen cam offers cinematic video recording. And its TrueColor technology automatically provides bright and colorful video in all lighting conditions. For all that, you can’t beat the price. Customers who bought the LifeCam HD-3000 say that this webcam will give you the most bang for your buck at its price point.

Best webcams for 2021 – Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920

The Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920x webcam has consistently been one of the best webcams on the market since its initial release several years ago. The C90 webcam records sharp videos with a five-element glass lens at 1080p HD and 30fps. The cam fine-tunes the picture to the lighting conditions. So it will produce bright, razor-sharp images even in low light. This webcam also features a wide 78-degree field view, making it a perfect option for solo conference calls as well as large meeting rooms. The dual mics on each side of the cam were designed to ensure clear stereo sound, and capture more realistic sound from a broad range of angles.

Best webcams – eMeet C960

The eMeet C906 webcam is another affordable option that delivers top-notch quality. eMeet’s C960 webcam comes with a 90-degree, wide-angle, four-layer anti-glare lens, which offers a wider view than most webcams. This is a 30fps and 1080p webcam, with a lens that contains a fixed focus feature that keeps the focus within 5cm to 5m, providing a sharper image. This is a plug and play webcam that when plugged into the host computer, the computer’s software should automatically recognize the C960.  The cam also contains automatic low light correction technology, that captures a clear and bright image even when in dim light. When it comes to sound, the webcam has two built-in omnidirectional noise cancelling mics. The microphones promise to pick up your voice and filter out background noise to create an excellent radio effect.