Stiftung Warentest checks 16 current webcams, four of which deliver a good picture. A test winner costs only 80 euros and makes a headset superfluous, the best picture is provided by a device for 125 euros.
If you want to look good in a video conference or video chat with friends and family, you need an additional webcam. This also applies if you have a notebook or a PC monitor with an integrated camera, because you rarely come across as more than okay with them.
Stiftung Warentest tested which of the 16 webcams are recommended for the current issue of the magazine “test”. In addition to the image (45 percent), the overall grade also included the microphone (20 percent), handling (30 percent) and power consumption (5 percent).
The test winner with the best picture (grade 1.7) and the quality rating 2.2 is the Logitech Brio 500, which is available for an average online price of 125 euros. It also offers good handling (2.0), sound (3.2) and power consumption (2.8), but Stiftung Warentest found it only satisfactory. The Brio 500 is one of four test candidates with autoframing. This means that the camera follows the face when it moves and keeps it in the middle of the picture.
The second test winner with an overall grade of 2.2 is the Razer Kiyo X, which only costs around 80 euros. Their picture quality is not quite as good (2.4), but their microphones deliver a very good sound (1.5). In addition, it is easy to handle (2.5) and consumes very little power (1.4). However, the Razer Kiyo X does not offer autoframing and is the only webcam tested without a lens cover.
If the sound doesn’t matter because you’re using a headset anyway, you can also choose the cheapest device in the test field. The Kensington W2000 1080p Auto Focus Webcam, which costs just under 38 euros, received a poor rating (4.8) for the lousy microphones, which explains the poor quality rating of 3.4. However, the camera does not produce a bad picture (2.9), and the testers rated the handling and power consumption as good (2.4/2.1).
