Examining camera performance

There are three kinds of cameras generally available. First are simple cameras built into your laptop; second, a quality webcam that you can plug into your computer via a USB cable; and third, a super high-quality DSLR camera at a professional level.

Probably every laptop you can buy today has a camera built in, and the quality is what you might expect. It gets the job done for basic meetings, but it’s not crystal clear. It probably isn’t 1080p. The autofocus is subpar, and the facial tracking features are probably non-existent. This would be OK for simple Zoom meetings but is the lowest-level quality of the three choices.

At a minimum, I would recommend you invest in a quality USB webcam. For around $150, you could easily upgrade the overall quality of your video exponentially. For example, I use a webcam that has a full 4K, with great auto-focus and facial recognition tracking, that I bought on Amazon for $199. It’s the Logitech...