Why can’t you buy a good webcam? • Hacker News Board

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#221

Post by lmilcin » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 12:57 PM UTC

mushishi wrote: post #71

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…

+1 for improving audio quality. As a non-native English speaker, although I listen to daily podcasts without subs just fine, understanding an English speaking--possibly non-native, too!--person having a poor audio quality connection is a different story.

People who do podcasts also take care in their pronunciation and that may be part of the effect.

But yes, in general, I have the same problem. It doesn't matter how well I see you if I can't understand what you are saying.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#222

Post by Macuyiko » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 12:58 PM UTC

bserge wrote: post #170

Hamuko wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

That was the case with noname Korean/Chinese monitors a decade ago that used high quality IPS panels found in Apple and other professional displays - they used rejected panels, which had various issues (mostly dead pixels afaik). https://techreport.com/review/23291/those-27-inch-ips-displa... But overall, they were a great purchase quality/performance/cost wise.

That brings back memories :). I ended up buying one of these and apart from some weird quirks (only wanted to work over DVI and not with an HDMI-DVI dongle), the image quality was great and so cheap (for the time).

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#223

Post by tonyedgecombe » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 1:00 PM UTC

baxtr wrote: post #199

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…

Ahh the LG monitor from the Apple collaboration. It’s so great. So different than other monitors. Stable, reliable, solid. A great product. You can literally see how Apple forced their product tenets on LG. Sadly, it’s not available anymore. I have one in my office but needed another one for home. Ended up buying an LG with the funny name of something 27UKi6716263 that looked similar on amazon. It’s so different... w…

I don't think Apple have dropped it, it's still listed in the UK and here: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HMUB2LL/A/lg-ultrafine-5k...

I've got one and really like it although it doesn't seem to support HDCP.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#224

Post by bambax » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 1:01 PM UTC

> A lot of what makes a picture great comes from lighting the scene in a correct way.

IDK why the author thinks a "good" webcam should be able to do 4k, just to show one's face??

But yes, lightning is paramount.

I installed custom lightning in front of my desk and with a cheap Logitech webcam I get very good image quality.

Basic photographic lightning kits are cheap; I paid $80 7 years ago for 2 x (stand+light+bulb+umbrella) and it's still working perfectly.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#225

Post by SergeAx » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 1:01 PM UTC

When this pandemic fuss was at the beginning in January, I've decided to buy a webcam just in case I got sick and have to work from home. It was Logitech C310 HD[0] for like $40 including delivery. When we became full WFH in april, people in working chats started asking me what kind of that super nice camera do I have.

Our company is issuing MacBooks for workers. Turned out that internal webcam of MacBook is so crappy that even cheap 720p Logitech looks "HD" compared to it. Logi also has quite nice mic.

Another thing was that I made my workplace in the erker, facing windows, so I got plenty of light in the summer. I noticed that I got the best picture in the morning and on the sunset, when light is abundant.

So, the takeout is: get yourself not a great but just a decent webcam, figure out the lighting. And for god's sake, do not buy this clown looking mic to hang in front of you, you don't need it at all.

[0] https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/webcams/c310-hd-webc...

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#226

Post by bambax » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 1:03 PM UTC

yarcob wrote: post #122

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…

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…

Buying "pro" entry-level photographic lightning equipment is about the same cost and much simpler to set up.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#227

Post by ahelwer » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 1:04 PM UTC

baxtr wrote: post #199

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…

Ahh the LG monitor from the Apple collaboration. It’s so great. So different than other monitors. Stable, reliable, solid. A great product. You can literally see how Apple forced their product tenets on LG. Sadly, it’s not available anymore. I have one in my office but needed another one for home. Ended up buying an LG with the funny name of something 27UKi6716263 that looked similar on amazon. It’s so different... w…

I thought it was the exact same as the LG 24UD58-B except with lightning connectors instead of display port and hdmi? That (the non-lightning model) is the monitor I have, it's the smallest (24") 4k monitor I could find - I wanted high DPI, and I got it.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#228

Post by camillomiller » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 1:07 PM UTC

The author mentions a Fuji X-T1 and the fact that you can't use it as a webcam, but fails to mention that it's quite old (2014) and that it's the only X-Tx model not supported by Fuji's new X Webcam software, which turns your not-so-old camera into an actual high quality webcam.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#229

Post by JansjoFromIkea » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 1:07 PM UTC

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…

Any idea if the EOS M is supported for this? Last I checked Magic Lantern had no webcam type functionality but that was ages ago. If it does that's a pretty great webcam for like £100

RE those chinese knockoff dongles, I got one for £8 off ebay, use it for Pi Zero stuff occasionally and the lag isn't bad at all tbh. I'd guess somewhere between 250ms and 500ms but it maybe gets worse at larger resolutions.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#230

Post by lmilcin » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 1:07 PM UTC

yarcob wrote: post #122

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…

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…

I am using two Ikea Skurup lamps (https://www.ikea.com/pl/pl/p/skurup-lampa-stolowa-kinkiet-go...) directly above and in front of my monitors, just outside of reach of webcam.

Soft lighting is a result of geometry. You can use very huge source far away from you or smaller but very close.

You also need to pay attention to how the light is scattered and that the direct light is not shining on your face. I have asked my wife to make half a dozen covers for them from a white material. They have a spot in the middle that blocks direct light from the bulb. I use a number of covers on each depending on how much I want to attenuate the lighting.

I also use a very small, cheap 5 watt high CRI, 6400K lightbulb in each. I use same kind of bulbs from same manufacturer for overhead light and for my desk lamp. I have separate desk lamps for 6400K light and 4000K light (which is what I like to use when I work).

The total cost is something on the order of 150 PLN or 40 USD plus a favor to my wife.