Best Webcam For Streaming

Streaming can be both fun and taxing, especially if you’re just starting out and trying to build a following (and subscriber count). Truth is though, streaming can be both expensive and complicated to get a grasp on, especially when you consider the myriad of software and hardware you’re going to need. It can be daunting, but that’s why we’re here.

While I can’t go over all the different stuff you need for streaming, I can help you out with one pretty important aspect: the face cam.

For a lot of viewers, seeing the streamer adds an extra little personal touch . . . except if your webcam is absolutely terrible. Thankfully, I’ve collected some of the better webcams out there which won’t totally put you in the poorhouse (it’s difficult to stream when you’re in there). They wouldn’t be considered the ‘pro’ gear, which can often run in the several hundred to thousands, but they are excellent in terms of both performance and value.

So, what are the best streaming webcams? 🤔 📹

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Pros & Cons

• Good low light performance
• Great auto-focus

• Auto-color washes out colors, but you can adjust it manually

Specifications:

• Capture Resolution: 1080p/30fps
• Features:
• HD Auto-focus and light correction
• Privacy shutter
• Dual mics for stereo audio

Logitech C920S HD Pro Review

It’s not often that you find a product that straddles the line between value and performance really well but the Logitech C920S does a really great job at it. One thing that is especially appreciated in this webcam is that it has internal compression that allows you to hit 1080p recording at 30fps without putting extra load on your PC.

It also has a tripod mount, so if you don’t want to stick it on the top of the monitor you have a lot more options to deal with. Those two facts alone make it a really awesome webcam for streaming, especially if you have an older rig or setup.

Of course, a lot of its performance is dependant on having good lighting, although the webcam does have RightLight 2 technology which automatically adjusts settings, such as brightness and contrast.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the best performance in-class and does end up having a slightly overall darker recording. That isn’t a deal-breaker though, since it’s mostly beaten out by cameras that cost twice as much.

The Logitech C920S also has a bit of an issue with the auto-white balance and general auto-calibration. For some reason it likes to stick a blue tint on everything which makes the feel of everything much colder and in low-lighting conditions, the reds might look like magenta.

Thankfully, all that can be manually adjusted within the settings of the webcam itself, but it’s certainly annoying to have automation software that doesn’t do a great job.

The audio is passable, with the dual mics recording in audio which is about on par with what you’d expect from your average laptop. The sounds can be a little bit muffled, but if we’re completely honest here, you’re likely to be using a standalone mic so this isn’t as big of an issue.

Finally, while the Logitech C920S doesn’t officially have or support background replacement, it still works on software such as ChromeCam. It also manages to do a relatively good job of it, so the fact that it doesn’t come included with the webcam is a little perplexing. Either way, know that you can certainly get by on background replacement with this webcam if you need it.

The Logitech C920S provides solid performance for a reasonable price, and you can’t really ask more of a value product than that. If you’re planning on streaming your gameplays, you better check out our guide on the best capture cards.

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Pros & Cons

• Ring light inclusion is really useful
• Great saturation boosting

• A bit pricey

Specifications:

• Capture Resolution: 
• 1080p at 30FPS
• 720p at 60FPS
• Features: 
• Light Ring

Razer Kiyo Review

As most of you know, one of the most important aspects of any stream setup is good lighting. After all, nobody wants to squint at your face cam or see a grainy video because the lighting is bad. Well, that’s where the Razer Kiyo comes in.

Probably the only webcam with a baked-in the light ring, it gives you a light ring so you don’t have to go out and buy a bunch of lights, at least not when you’re starting out. The light intensity is also adjustable by moving the outer ring around, so you can adjust it based on how much lighting you need. Oh, and it’s soft lighting, in case you were wondering.

As for the image, it’s fairly good for something at this price point. The image quality is crisp and you get a great level of detail. Unlike the C920S the Kiyo has better white balancing and auto-focus that can keep up with whatever you’re doing. It also has one of the highest color saturation you’ll find in this price bracket, although it can be a bit off if you’re in low light conditions.

Unfortunately, the Kiyo doesn’t come with any utility or companion software, so you’re going to have to painstakingly adjust the color profile for every capture software you use. Similarly annoying is the fact that it doesn’t come with any background replacement, and it doesn’t seem to do a great job of it when you try it out.

I should also mention that the Kiyo does have a hole at the bottom so that you can attach it to a tripod if you want to.

Overall, the Razer Kiyo gives you a ring light so that you don’t have to go out and buy one, while at the same time giving you some great performance all around. For those of you who are just starting out with streaming, this is a great way to save yourself some money. In the long run, though, you’ll probably want to get your own lights.

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Pros & Cons

• Large field of view
• 360-degree rotation

• Looks like it’s made for an office

Specifications:

• Capture Resolution: 
• 1080p recording
• 720p live video
• Features: 
• Included microphone

Microsoft LifeCam Studio Review

For the Microsoft LifeCam Studio, budget is the name of the game, even though it bills itself at the higher end of their lineup. Where this webcam falters the most is in its resolution and while there is a 1080p sensor, you can’t actually use it without third-party webcam software. This means that it offloads a lot of it’s processing unto your computer and CPU, which isn’t really ideal.

Thankfully, 720p still works fine, and if you’re just starting out streaming, that should be satisfactory enough until you can get yourself a more expensive webcam. Check out our guide on the best CPUs for gaming just in case tho.

On the bright side, the image quality is actually quite excellent, something that can be chalked up to Microsoft’s TrueColor Technology. It maintains a sharp image with bright colors regardless of the lighting conditions since it can track your facial movement and adjust on the fly.

It’s still images are also great if you plan to use it for things such as twitch emojis or things of that nature. The field of view is pretty generous at 75 degrees so you shouldn’t have too much of an issue there. That being said, the LifeCam Studio does rotate 360 degrees, a feature that you don’t often find in webcams, so you can get it aligned exactly how you need it.

Luckily, it also has a slot for the tripod mount since the included gripper isn’t that great and you might find rotating the camera is a two-hand process. Finally, the microphone is mono and won’t win any awards, but overall it’s not too bad. The sound quality is warm and you could do much worse in terms of webcam mics.

All in all, the LifeCam Studio isn’t the best option around, but if you’re looking for something that’s a little bit more budget-oriented while still maintaining a good image quality the LifeCam manages the job. That being said, I’d suggest you save up a bit more if you can and go with one of the other options on this list. The LifeCam Studio isn’t bad, but it isn’t good either.

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Pros & Cons

• Amazing onboard technology
• 4k resolution

• Pricey
• Bad stand

Specifications:

• Capture Resolution: 
• 4K at 30fps
• 1080p at 60fps
• 720p at 60fps
• Features: 
• Adjustable FoV
• 5x digital zoom

Logitech Brio Review

If you’re a resolution snob and want only the best (in this case, 4k), then the Logitech Brio has you covered. Obviously the first thing I have to mention is the whopping 4k resolution that it has and it’s the ability to record 4k at 30fps. I don’t even think there are even many webcams out there that even manage that, let alone that are readily available.

Of course, the real question is whether you’re going to use it since the only platform that supports 4k streaming is Youtube, so unless you’re on there (and have amazing internet already), it might not be so useful. That being said, it does have a massive positive in being able to do 1080p at 60 FPS, another feature you won’t find on the majority of webcams out there.

The thing is, I’m not even sure how particularly useful 60 fps would be since I’ve never experienced a streamer’s webcam with that. Of course, more fps is never a bad thing, and I have a feeling it would make you feel more alive and animated to your viewers.

Resolution isn’t the most important thing though, and I’m happy to tell you that the image quality, as you’d expect, is pretty excellent. Running at 4k the level of detail that you see is pretty much unmatched and in fact, maybe more than you’d even want to see. The 90-degree capture angle just makes all of this even better.

To top all that off, the Brio also has HDR compatibility, so if you really want people to see what you look like, this is an excellent choice. You also see Logitech’s RightLight 3 software that auto-adjusts brightness, color, and contrast so that you’re always looking your best, regardless of the lighting quality.

Unfortunately, the auto-focus falls short in what is otherwise an excellent package and ends up having issues detect your face if you move too much around. Aside from that, the Brio comes with a standard quality microphone and you’re better off having a standalone option. It also has an infrared sensor for use with Windows Hello if you’re into that sort of thing.

At the end of the day though, the Logitech Brio is an excellent webcam that falters in a couple of spots here and there. Nonetheless, if you want 4k capture or 1080p  at 60fps, you aren’t going to find many more options besides the Brio.

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Pros & Cons

• Great light correction
• Relatively good mic quality

• A bit expensive

Specifications:

• Capture Resolution: 
• 1080p at 30 fps
• 720p at 60 fps
• Features: 
• Low Light Detection
• Two mics for stereo sound

Logitech C922x Pro Stream Review

If you liked the C920S, the C922x is an upgraded version of it at a slightly higher cost and with an extra feature or two.

In terms of video capture, it’s the same at 1080p/30fps and 720/60fps, so no changes there. Where it does excel is in the light correction, which is bounds better than the C920S which had its own problems. Since we’re talking about video capture, I want to point out that you don’t get the privacy shutter as you do with the C920S.

The C922x also has dual mics like the C920S, but thankfully it’s heaps better. It does a better job of not picking up background noise, and while it won’t get rid of everything, it will certainly help. Finally, the C922x has better background replacement than the C920s.

Other than those things, it’s essentially just the same camera so if you liked the C920s and would like to pay a little bit extra for a nicer camera, go with the C922X. Either way, you can always purchase a good microphone for gaming.

Webcam for Streaming: Buying Guide

Choosing a webcam for streaming is a lot like buying any other webcam, except you have to think about a couple of things before going forward, the main one being the kind of budget you have. Obviously, you want to get the best you can, but sometimes it’s not always important to get the thing with the best features. A lot of it depends on where you are streaming and what the rest of your setup looks like.

Resolution

The main thing, of course, is the resolution of the webcam. While you might immediately want to go for the 4k of something like the Libro, take a second and consider where you’re streaming and what kind of internet connection you have. As I mentioned in the article, the only platform that really supports 4k is Youtube, so if you plan to stream on Twitch or Facebook Live, you’re essentially just wasting your money.

Another thing to consider is your internet connection in relation to the resolution and bitrate. If you don’t have a good 10mbps upload, you won’t be able to handle 1080p at 6k bitrate. In that case, maybe a 720p webcam might be a better option for you, at least until you can get yourself a faster upload speed.

Granted, you could try and make it work by playing around with the bitrate and other settings and get by, but at the end of the day, you’re doing a disservice for your viewers. Bitrate trumps resolution.

Features

As webcams have advanced over the past few years, the number of features they can possibly have has risen drastically (and sometimes unexpectedly). One great example is the Kiro with its baked-in light ring, which saves you some money on buying your own lighting equipment. Another example which is more standard is dual mics, although the truth is that you’re better off going with a standalone mic if you plan to stream.

Either way, it’s important to keep in mind what you’re looking for when you buy one of these webcams. Have your own lighting? Don’t buy the Kiro. Have a standalone mic? Buy a webcam without one.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I stream my webcam on Twitch?

It’s pretty simple, although I will say before getting started that you don’t need to have a webcam to stream your game on Twitch, although having a face cam can certainly help with viewership.

1. Open your broadcasting software
2. Go into edit mode and look for something which allows you to add a source
3. Once found, look for webcam capture
4. Add it to the scene that you’ve built and made sure it’s positioned where you want it
5. That’s it, you’re done!

Is it free to stream on Twitch?

Absolutely, you don’t have to pay Twitch anything to stream. That being said, there are the associated costs of having some good hardware, the facecam, internet connection and of course you will be giving up royalties whenever you run ads or get subs/bits.

Do I need a capture card to stream?

Only if you plan to stream from a console. The whole point of capture cards is to capture an external source such as an HDMI cable, and convert it into something the PC and broadcasting software can work with. If you’re just streaming directly from your PC, you don’t need a capture card.

Conclusion

As you can see, you have quite a few choices of webcam you can go for based on your unique setup. I know it can be quite taxing and a pain to decide what you want to buy (especially for something this important), but hopefully I’ve given you some insight into the better streaming webcams out there. So, good luck and happy shopping!

Now that you hopefully found what you’ve been looking for, you might be interested in checking out our guide on the best VR system to dig deeper into fantasy world!