Computer Camera App

To open up your webcam or camera, select the Start button, then select All apps, and then select Camera in the list of apps. If you have multiple cameras, you can switch between them by selecting Change Camera at the top right once the Camera app is opened.

To open up your webcam or camera, select the Start button, and then select Camera in the list of apps. If you have multiple cameras, you can switch between them by selecting Change Camera at the top right once the Camera app is opened.

Computer Camera App

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Arriana Vasquez is an updates writer for Wirecutter who also works as a professional product photographer, for which she shoots everything from rings to raincoats. For Wirecutter, she has worked on several camera-related guides, including our guides to instant cameras, instant photo printers, and tripods.

We then asked a panel of Wirecutter staffers to compare the images and videos from the different cameras, without knowing which was which, and to rank their quality from best to worst. We used that data, our findings from the previous version of this guide, and notes from other professional reviewers to arrive at our picks.

Generally speaking, these options all work the same way: After you install software and connect the device (over USB or Wi-Fi in some cases, but USB is more reliable), you can select that device as the camera in web-conferencing and video-streaming apps. You should also have a tripod or some other way to raise the camera or mobile device to the proper height.

The free version of DroidCam for Android provides only 480p video and shows ads. The free version for iOS offers 720p resolution but adds a watermark. For $5, you get 720p video on Android, remove the watermark on iOS, and unlock camera controls.

What sets it apart is that you can pair several Mevo Start cameras together using the Mevo app (iOS, Android) and use them to create a multi-camera setup for conference calls. Each camera also has a mic input so you can use a lavalier mic or small shotgun mic for better audio quality, as well as the ability to accept a microSD card for recording footage directly to the camera.

Footage from the Lumina was unimpressive out of the box, but what really turned us off was the long list of permissions required to use its software. Even after we installed the software and tried to calibrate the Lumina using the included color checker, it still produced footage that was too warm and too soft, especially for a 4K camera. It has other flaws, too, namely a cheap-feeling plastic build and a privacy cap that attaches to the camera with a weak magnet (which we lost just a day after opening the box). Overall, this is not what we expect from a webcam that costs almost $200.

Arriana Vasquez is a senior updates writer for powering, home office, cameras, and hobbies at Wirecutter. Her hobbies include reading and photography. Her photos have won several awards in various online competitions, and she is the producer and co-host of Old Books Podcast.

The Logitech Streamcam is a few years old, but it's still competitive with more recent models. This 1080p, 60fps camera records in both horizontal and vertical orientations, so it's just as useful for TikTok as for video calls. Otherwise, dual microphones capture reasonably clear audio and the Logitech Capture app provides useful software support.

If you're a content creator who doesn't want to deal with connecting a phone or a separate digital camera to your computer, consider this premium webcam a wise investment. Just keep in mind that the shallow focal plane isn't ideal if you frequently want your background to be in focus at the same time that you are.

The Anker PowerConf C300 has the widest lens out of all the cameras on this list at 115 degrees. That makes it ideal for getting everyone in a small conference room in the frame at once. Its 1080p 60fps video could be a little sharper, but it handles awkward lighting well and picks up voices fairly clearly.

The Anker PowerConf C300 works well for groups of people who all need to be on camera simultaneously, as well as for small businesses that don't want to break the bank on a fancier videoconferencing solution.

The Creative Live! Cam Sync 4K offers a native resolution of 4K for just $60, making it an inexpensive way to upgrade how you look on video calls. It doesn't compete with more expensive cameras in terms of image quality, but its mic array is a definite upgrade over the one built into your laptop.

If you want a very sharp picture and don't want to get too fancy with framing and focus, the HyperX Vision S is a strong choice that costs less than the Kiyo Pro Ultra. Just be aware that it doesn't have a microphone, so you'll have to use your computer's microphone, a headset, or a USB mic.

The lens on a webcam is just as important as the sensor, and generally bigger is better. It determines how much light reaches the camera sensor, which affects how you look in less-than-ideal lighting scenarios. This is known as the aperture size, and most cameras express this value as f/(number). The lower the number, the wider the aperture and the more light that comes through. Webcams don't often advertise their aperture sizes, but they generally range from f/2.0 to f/2.8.

The lens also determines the camera's field of view, which is important for framing. If you want to capture only your face and cut out your messy bedroom, get something with a narrow field of view (or a high enough resolution that you can crop the frame). If you want to record an entire conference room, make sure the webcam has a wide field of view. Typically, these ranges fall between 65 and 90 degrees, with 78 degrees serving as a common middle ground. In this case, the smaller the number, the smaller the field of view.

Most inexpensive webcams are fixed-focus. That means the lenses don't adjust to keep you in focus, or are simply set to capture you within a wide enough range that you show up clearly. This behavior is fine if you sit directly in front of the camera a few feet away, but it's easy to wander out of the focal plane (particularly if you want to show something up close).

More expensive webcams often include an autofocus system, which means their lenses adjust to make sure you're clear at any distance from the camera. This is preferable because you don't have to worry about sitting in the same spot to remain in focus.

Some higher-resolution cameras have what's called AI autofocus, which combines autofocus with digital zoom to center the frame around your face as you move around within the camera's field of view. This is a handy feature, but it can't replace properly framing the shot ahead of your conference.

Do you have a mirrorless or SLR camera? Good news! You can use it to (potentially) get far better picture quality than any consumer webcam. Our guide to setting up your digital camera as a webcam walks you through all the requisite steps for recording and streaming from your favorite camera.

Once testing is complete, you can leave a review about your webcam. This is not required, but we encourage you to do so in order to help other people to purchase a good webcam and get around the bad ones. In addition, after publishing your review, you will see how good is your compared camera to others.

To test your camera, all you need is a modern browser (unfortunately, Internet Explorer does not belong to them) that supports features for accessing media devices. As you noticed, this webcam testing tool does not require any additional software like Adobe Flash, Microsoft Silverlight or browser add-ons.

The first thing to consider is what you need your webcam for. For working professionals or office staff, most conference calling software such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams will restrict your broadcast quality to 1080p resolution and 30fps to preserve bandwidth. Google meets goes a step further and restricts your quality to 720p as this is the standard resolution on most built-in laptop cameras.

Our list is heavy on big brand names such as Logitech for good reason. Reputable brands have been tested across many different devices to make sure that the products are compatible with different graphics software. This is why you may see different quality if you use the same camera on a desktop and a laptop - the webcam hardware communicates differently with different devices.

Logitech, Razer and other well-known webcam manufacturers can provide a product that is more likely to work well across a wide range of different machines, so whether you're looking to run your camera on a new gaming desktop or an old Chromebook, you should see similar results.

Having the best webcam is more important than ever. Whether you're working remotely, a streamer or content creator, or keen to regularly stay in touch with loved ones, having a camera connected to your PC for convenient (and free) video calls is vital.

A webcam is a video camera which is designed to record or stream to a computer or computer network. They are primarily used in video telephony, live streaming and social media, and security. Webcams can be built-in computer hardware or peripheral devices, and are commonly connected to a device using USB or wireless protocols.

First developed in 1991, a webcam was pointed at the Trojan Room coffee pot in the Cambridge University Computer Science Department (initially operating over a local network instead of the web). The camera was finally switched off on August 22, 2001. The final image captured by the camera can still be viewed at its homepage.[1][2] The oldest continuously operating webcam, San Francisco State University's FogCam, has run since 1994 and is still operating as of September 2023.[update] It updates every 20 seconds.[3]

The first widespread commercial webcam, the black-and-white QuickCam, entered the marketplace in 1994, created by the U.S. computer company Connectix. QuickCam was available in August 1994 for the Apple Macintosh, connecting via a serial port, at a cost of $100. Jon Garber, the designer of the device, had wanted to call it the "Mac-camera", but was overruled by Connectix's marketing department; a version with a PC-compatible parallel port and software for Microsoft Windows was launched in October 1995. The original Quick Cam provided 320x240-pixel resolution with a grayscale depth of 16 shades at 60 frames per second, or 256 shades at 15 frames per second.[6] These cam were tested on several Delta II launch using a variety of communication protocols including CDMA, TDMA, GSM and HF. 2351a5e196