What To Consider When Buying A Webcam Brisbane

Webcams are a big thing, especially today when we try to avoid human contact as much as possible. If you own a laptop, you already have a webcam—it’s probably not the best one, though. Small lenses, weird exposure, and grainy video quality are just some of the issues you may experience with these cheap, built-in webcams. You can solve this by investing in a good quality external webcam. But are you sure it’s properly connected to get the most out of it? Continue reading to know how a webcam works and what you should look for when shopping for an external webcam Brisbane.

What are Webcams?

Webcams are small cameras that can transmit and record videos and images in real-time or via a network, including the Internet. They’re often used for video chat sessions, with conversations involving either live audio or video. You can place them on your desk, clip on your monitor or, in the case of laptops, built into the hardware.

But what if you’d like to use a separate webcam instead of the one in your hardware? If you’re a Windows user, go ahead and follow these steps:

Disable the Internal Webcam

For computer programs like Zoom and Skype to recognize your new webcam Brisbane, disable the internal webcam by hovering on the top-right hand corner of the screen and selecting the “Search” option. You can also use the search box in the Start Menu and type “device manager.”

Once the device manager launches, try expanding the section beside “Imaging Devices,” right-click the webcam option, and click “disable.” However, some software lets you choose which webcam you’re going to use. If you’re using this type of program, disabling your internal webcam isn’t necessary.

Connect the External Web Camera

Most Windows versions will instantly recognize a USB device after plugging it. After connecting your external webcam to an available USB port, wait until Windows finishes installing the necessary drivers.

Once they’re installed, a pop-up will appear in your system tray saying your new hardware has been installed and ready to use.

Tips When Buying a New Webcam Brisbane

webcam Brisbane

Installing an external webcam is one way to look your best during conference calls. Try to keep these in mind when shopping for a new webcam in our mobile repair shop:

Resolution and Frame Rate

How sharp the sensor can resolve pixels is the secret to any good webcam. A 1080p resolution is the standard for a decent webcam. But if you want to up your webcam game or keep photos looking sharp after cropping them, then we recommend buying a 4k.

Meanwhile, frame rate determines how smooth your video quality is. For example, a 60fps webcam will perform better than a 30fps one. Make sure to pay attention to these specs before buying.

Lenses and Exposure

The lens of your webcam Brisbane is as crucial as its sensor and usually, the bigger the better. Since the lens determines how much light can enter the sensor, it’ll also determine how you look under bad lighting.

This is called the aperture size and is measured by f/(number). The lower the number, the greater the aperture—which means more light can come in. Webcam lenses can range from f/2.0 to f/2.8 and if a webcam doesn’t state its aperture, you can assume it’s pretty small.

Your field of view is also determined by the lenses, which is important in terms of framing. So for instance, if you want your webcam Brisbane to focus only on your face and eliminate the messy background, you want a narrow field of view. If you want to capture the background as well, you want a wide field of view. Most webcams have fields of views ranging from 65 to 90 degrees, with 78 degrees already being a good start.

Autofocus

Cheap webcams are fixed-focus. Meaning, their lenses don’t adjust to movements and will only focus on you within a set amount of distance that you’ll show up clearly. While these can work if you’re only in front of your computer the entire day, this “sweet spot” is quite easy to lose and everything will end up looking blurry.

An expensive webcam Brisbane has autofocus, which means the camera will focus on you no matter how near or far you are from the camera. This is a clear choice since you don’t have to worry about being within the right distance.

Microphone

Better webcams have built-in microphones to help you sound better and more natural. You can identify if a webcam has a microphone if it has small speaker-like grills or extensions on both sides.

However, if audio is one of your top priorities, then investing in a separate microphone for an even better audio quality.

Why Choose Core Computers for Your Webcam Brisbane Needs?

Webcams are an essential part of our lives, especially during these days. While a built-in laptop camera will do, we highly suggest getting an external webcam to have a generally better user experience.

If you need help with your new webcam or for other questions, drop our computer store a message and we’ll call you back to address your concern.