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Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

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Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#201

Post by heavenlyblue »

KptMarchewa wrote: post #195
heipei wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's exactly what I have been telling folks about Apple vs. other laptops. Apple only has a handful of laptop models for sale and they don't even change that much across generations. Furthermore they seem to exhibit hardly any manufacturing variations within each generation. That means that if there is a problem (and yes, there were a few big ones), everyone is affected the same, everyone is screaming about it, the…

Apple had a lot of problems with overheating. The i9 version of MacBook especially, it throttles under slight load.

And you have said literally nothing against the deeper point the parent is making.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#203

Post by gaudat »

Hamuko wrote: post #162
gaudat wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tip: try to find out what panel the monitor you are buying has. Then look the panel up in a database like panelook.com. This way you can get the specifications without any marketing bullshit. It also works the other way round. Find a panel that is good enough for your eyes, then see if there's a mass marketed display with that panel. If you are adventurous, you can grab "DIY" or "assembled" monitors with the panels o…

Isn't there a chance that the assembled Chinese monitors actually use second grade panels that the big makers wouldn't accept? I remember getting a 27-inch 1440p display from a Chinese manufacturer for really cheap back in high school. It should've been the exact same panel as was in Apple's iMacs. However, the were some quality issues with it long term and it's definitely suffering from burn-in that I don't think th…

Yes, so often I ask if the seller can provide a "perfect" display, that is, without any artifacts on the display. This adds 100-200 CNY to the price.

There's a Chinese panel manufacturer called BOE that makes products competitive with some of the lower-end Samsung / LG panels.

I got one 15.6" 2160p external display with a BOE panel that offers 100% sRGB coverage. I can see a huge difference compared to my Dell Latitude laptop display.

Now if anyone can find a source of 55" 4K OLED panels, that would be the one ultimate display. Combine it with a VBO driver board and it becomes better than any smart TVs.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#204

Post by rasz »

Eric_WVGG wrote: post #104
knazarov wrote: post #70

There is actually a good webcam now. It's AverMedia PW513. It has a Sony Exmor 4K sensor, and generally favorable reviews.

Also so-called “gamer” hardware. Like GPUs for scientific computing and high quality, actively cooled WiFi routers, it’s a weird and kind of tedious world to navigate but quality hardware is there if you know where to look. https://www.razer.com/streaming-cameras/razer-kiyo/RZ19-0232...

>1080 resolution at 30fps

lens the size of needle tip and example images looking like ass

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#205

Post by whalesalad »

pembrook wrote: post #40

The reason you can’t buy a good webcam is the same reason you can’t buy a high quality monitor outside of LG’s unreliable apple collab. The lazy conglomerates who sell these peripherals often don’t actually produce the parts in them. They simply rebrand commodity cameras and IPS panels in a crap plastic housing and slap their logo on it. Then they give the product a hilariously user-hostile product name, like “PQS GR…

This is a really well done hot take. It’s true, unfortunately. Everyone is in a race to the bottom.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#206

Post by lmilcin »

jokethrowaway wrote: post #67
lmilcin wrote: post #41

If you are looking here to improve your webcam because you started to do remote work, don't. First try to improve lighting and audio. Any camera will look bad in bad lighting. It is always better to first improve your lighting before you invest in a new camera. Use high CRI lightbulbs and ensure even source color temperature in your room (ie. all lightbulbs should be emitting same color temperature). Audio is also ve…

Those are great tips. I'll add a free one: just put your desk in front of a window and use that natural light

I kinda agree and disagree at the same time.

It takes a lot of work to beat natural light coming from your window. If you have restricted budget and can choose the time when you record, this is a very good option that I always recommend to people I talk to.

On the other hand, when you do remote work you don't choose the time. Also, you will probably have other considerations for your desk placement. In the end it is much more important that you feel comfortable when working at your desk than to have good lighting in your webcam for your coworkers.

So, if you like to sit front to the window then sure, go on. But if that would make you uncomfortable then I don't think it is worth it.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#207

Post by leemailll »

riho wrote: post #137
mattowen_uk wrote: post #20

I've also investigated this quite deeply. As I'm sure most of us know, the main problems with 'webcams', either the built-in ones or USB ones that you perch on top of your monitor, are the lens size, and the CCD/CMOS image sensor size. Manufacturers spouting specs like '4k' are deliberately misleading the public if the sensor and/or the lens aren't also upgraded. The only cost-viable methods to get 'broadcast quality…

Finally made an account, just to reply to this. With newer Canon DSLR bodies you can use the Canon Webcam Utility[1] to directly get the video feed show up as a webcam, with just a USB cable. I've been using the EOS R as my webcam with the RF 35mm F1.8 lens and it's working pretty great. I just hook it up with the USB-C cable and it shows up as a webcam. The only annoyance that I haven't been able to get around yet i…

Have you try to use the max aperture, and let other enjoy the bokeh? ;-)

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#208

Post by coldtea »

piranha wrote: post #32
mattowen_uk wrote: post #20

I've also investigated this quite deeply. As I'm sure most of us know, the main problems with 'webcams', either the built-in ones or USB ones that you perch on top of your monitor, are the lens size, and the CCD/CMOS image sensor size. Manufacturers spouting specs like '4k' are deliberately misleading the public if the sensor and/or the lens aren't also upgraded. The only cost-viable methods to get 'broadcast quality…

> you can get cheap china-knockoffs for about £12, I don't know how good they are. They are so-so. Well, they are much-much better than any webcam, of course, but 1080p is almost the same as 720p on them. So as a budget thingie it'll work, but Elgato's adapter is much better, of course.

>So as a budget thingie it'll work, but Elgato's adapter is much better, of course.

I saw a video where Elgato Camlink opened up, is just a chinese card repackaged with the Elgato logo, 99% similar internally to the cheap knockoffs.

Can't find it again to link it to...

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#209

Post by germinalphrase »

MisterTea wrote: post #147
yarcob wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's a trick how to get beautiful studio-like lighting for less than 50€: - buy two large sheets of white styrofoam (1m x 0.5m or bigger) - buy two cheap bright floodlights (the brighter the better) - get some mounting materials (eg. wood and screws, or cardboard and duct tape) - Place the two styrofoam plates right and left behind your laptop. - point the floodlights at the styrofoam, carefully positioning them so…

Why not white bed sheets? I'm sure you could pick up a pack at a mega mart for a few quid. Easier to store, more environmentally friendly and less messy than styrofoam.

Styrofoam is probably easier to mount/angle appropriately for the use and may reflect more light - but the material doesn’t matter a great deal.

If you just want soft light, bounce it off anything you have on hand.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#210

Post by toyg »

dsr_ wrote: post #169

In the typical videoconference meeting everything would work better if each participant is represented by a nicely-chosen photograph. The client software can light up the borders to designate which audio streams are active and pop an icon of a hand when someone wants to get attention. Save the video for chatting with your friends and family.

Webex does this. It’s alright, although there is always a bit of a feeling that non-camming participants have something to hide - be it a messy living-room, a pyjama, or a side-gig as property developer. This said, forcing webcam usage feels impolite here (UK), particularly (I’m told) for women, so it seems like, in moderately large companies, everyone just defaults to audio-only 99% of the time.
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