# Looking for a new webcam **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 1, 2025, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732 "2025-05-01T01:28:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2025, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/1 "2025-05-01T01:28:36Z")
Now that Skype has been shut down, I have to transition to a different app for chatting to my family, and Teams seems the simplest. However the way I used to use my camera won’t work anymore. I had an IP camera on my phone that would link to Skype really easily, with no issues at all. But for some reason it doesn’t work with Teams. Even kludging together some kind of intermediate app doesn’t work with it. So now I need a dedicated webcam instead. I don’t really have any idea what’s available, nor have an idea of pricing, all I know is I need something that will work with Teams and provide a decent image. I also want to attach it to the bottom of my monitor, not side or top, because that’s where I leaned my phone and would like it to be a seamless transition. Any advice? ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2025, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/2 "2025-05-01T15:33:44Z")
I’d definitely get something _useable_ for now and decide about upgrades later. I’d further head to a Goodwill or SalvArmy where there is certain to be armloads of cams for $10ish/ea. There are a ton of neat gooseneck mount dealies, ring lamps, etc for positioning. ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2025, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/3 "2025-05-01T15:42:33Z")
Webcam prices went crazy during COVID, but mostly have settled down. You may still come across one that’s crazy overpriced though. I think it’s important to get a high-quality one since studies showed people judge others based on webcam quality. That may not be such an issue for family calls though. Anyway, a high-quality webcam is about $100. I also have a $30 webcam and it’s fine. If you don’t want to spend $100, I’d probably spend $30. There is such a thing as too much quality too. I was using my mirrorless camera for a while and it was freaking people out because it was too crisp and clear. ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2025, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/4 "2025-05-01T15:44:34Z")
If you don’t want to spend any money and you’re on a PC/laptop, you might be able to use OBS Studio virtualcam to pipe your IP camera image to Teams. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2025, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/5 "2025-05-01T15:48:37Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I had an IP camera on my phone that would link to Skype really easily, with no issues at all. Do you perhaps mean attached to your PC? Because I’ve never heard of cameras that attach to phones. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2025, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/6 "2025-05-01T20:58:42Z")
> [@Palooka](#): > > If you don’t want to spend any money and you’re on a PC/laptop, you might be able to use OBS Studio virtualcam to pipe your IP camera image to Teams. Tried that. Didn’t work. It says it should work, in theory I see no reason why it couldn’t work, but annoyingly it refuses to work. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Do you perhaps mean attached to your PC? Because I’ve never heard of cameras that attach to phones. The camera in my phone is piped through the IP Camera software to my PC, where it was picked up perfectly well by Skype. > [@Palooka](#): > > Anyway, a high-quality webcam is about $100. I also have a $30 webcam and it’s fine. If you don’t want to spend $100, I’d probably spend $30. Looking at the webcams on Amazon, most are $AUD80 - $130, which I’m okay to pay, but the range of brands is enormous, and mostly names I don’t recognise but may actually be contemporary and reliable, and not dodgy knock offs, for all I know. I guess finding something middle-range and recognisable to me might be the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2025, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/7 "2025-05-01T21:12:16Z")
You can find a baseline logitech webcam on Amazon for 40 bucks. Don’t spend more than that unless you have a specific need for high fidelity image capture. ETA: I see one called the “Logitech C270 HD Webcam” currently on sale for 21 bucks. Double edit: Just realized you’re in Australia. I’m sure the costs are different over there, but you almost certainly don’t need to spend 80+ dollars. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2025, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/8 "2025-05-01T21:12:21Z")
How about just installing the Teams app on the phone and using that to join meetings? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2025, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/9 "2025-05-01T22:17:55Z")
That is backwards to how I think of it, so it never occurred to me. I will play with that on the weekend and report back. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2025, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/10 "2025-05-01T22:30:25Z")
We use Zoom and I have seen people join meetings on the PC for video and the phone for audio. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2025, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/11 "2025-05-02T03:59:45Z")
As far as a good quality Webcam without going way down a rabbit hole, go with the Logitech C920 Pro HD. It’s 50-60 bucks in the USA, and I bought a used one for my wife from FB marketplace for 20. Great camera, great picture, has a tripod mount as well as a clamp mount (for clamping to the top of a monitor or laptop) so you could mount it low or high or whatever you want. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2025, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/12 "2025-05-02T05:06:26Z")
> [@crazyjoe](#): > > As far as a good quality Webcam without going way down a rabbit hole, go with the Logitech C920 Pro HD. I second this and I’ve been using the same one for years, mostly in Teams and Zoom. Great webcam and comes with a decent quality microphone as well. As long as you have speakers, you can skip using headphones completely. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2025, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/13 "2025-05-02T05:10:38Z")
Two endorsements is certainly worth looking into. I’ll wishlist that one. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2025, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/14 "2025-05-02T13:13:24Z")
If you choose that webcam and are the paranoid sort (I’m typically not, but I have one of these), grab [something like this](https://www.amazon.com/CloudValley-Compatible-Logitech-%E2%96%8EShutter-Security/dp/B08NX6SY9Y) as well. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2025, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/15 "2025-05-02T16:21:31Z")
> [@crazyjoe](#): > > Logitech C920 Pro HD. I looked at my Amazon order history and this is the exact model I bought in 2016 (and still use today). > [@DMC](#): > > grab [something like this](https://www.amazon.com/CloudValley-Compatible-Logitech-%E2%96%8EShutter-Security/dp/B08NX6SY9Y) as well. Best practice is to simply unplug the webcam when it isn’t in use. The cover won’t stop sound recording if it does somehow get hijacked. I’m not super paranoid either but I do not want the webcam powered on if I’m not actively using it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2025, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/16 "2025-05-05T02:24:56Z")
I’m sure you are all on tenterhooks about what I have decided to do. I did some more looking around and found a different app that sends my phone camera to my PC and that seems to work. However, for inexplicable reasons, Teams doesn’t let you preview your camera or mic until you make a call so I’ll have to wait till my next scheduled one comes around and give it a road test then. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2025, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/17 "2025-05-05T11:02:59Z")
What about just joining the meeting on both the PC and the phone? ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/18 "2025-05-06T17:22:32Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Teams doesn’t let you preview your camera or mic until you make a call You should have a “Devices” option within Settings (the three dots next to your picture) that will both preview your video and let you make a test call. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/19 "2025-05-06T20:44:58Z")
Only in the paid version. The transition from Skype is for the free version of Teams, and I’m not going to pay for it until I am sure this is the way I want to go. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2025, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-new-webcam/1017732/20 "2025-05-09T05:53:35Z")
Me too. I have an old logitech and in my last interview I was described as “pixel-ized” even though I have 66 up/18 down bandwidth. I really just want the cam bit as I usually use my headset and either its mic or a boom.