Laptops today have integrated HD webcams of varying quality (720p is acceptable but mediocre). When you’re starting out as an online teacher, it’s okay to rely on your built-in webcam for the first few trial classes, but if you’re serious about online teaching, consider upgrading your camera as it’s your most essential tool.
Upgrading your webcam is a cost effective improvement to provide a better classroom experience. So weather you’re teaching with an online teaching company, marketplace or your own students, let’s dive into some high quality webcams.
Things too look for in a webcam
If you’re looking for a way to make your video quality better, consider getting a small, inexpensive, dedicated webcam. Webcams perform much better than built-in webcams regarding low light performance, depth of field, video quality, colors, and on-screen space. You can also move and position a webcam with ease.
This is not only helpful for teaching online classes, but it is also helpful if you ever want to create YouTube videos, live stream, or hold a conference call. So what should you look for in a webcam for teaching English online?
We suggest the following:
1080P webcam (minimum)
Most integrated webcams in laptops record at 720P. 720P is fine for most online teaching companies. But if you’re buying an external webcam, we suggest spending the money to get a webcam that significantly improves what your laptop has, which would be a 1080P at a minimum.
Today, most webcams can shoot up to 4k so we suggest 1080P as an absolute minimum and don’t even bother with any device that maxes out at 720P.
Integrated, built-in microphone
Webcams all come with a built-in microphone. While your laptop has a microphone built into it, look for a webcam that also has improved audio via an integrated, built-in microphone. A lot of the webcams we tested actually have a better microphone than the on-board mic from our laptops (mostly MacBooks and Dell XPS laptops).
Ability to adjust the position of the webcam
An underrated but beneficial feature of an easy-to-use webcam is that you can change the angle and position of the webcam, unlike your integrated webcam, and even mount it on a tripod.
In addition, some webcams, like our top recommendation, come with a handy little tripod to help you position the webcam as needed. This is important because you want to ensure you have a good teacher background, so being able to set your camera independently of your laptop is essential.
Focal length
Teachers unfamiliar with cameras will notice thatthe focal length on an integrated webcam is a bit cropped in. When looking to buy an external webcam, consider getting something that has a more wide angle field of view.
This enables you, the teacher, to have more visual space for your lessons online instead of the camera shot being tight on your face and requiring you to push back or sit back from your laptop.
The 9 Best Webcams for Online Teachers
So here is Teach and GO’s guide to the best webcams for online teaching and working professionals looking to upgrade their camera for a reasonable price.
- Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra
- Insta 360 Link
- Logitech Brio
- Elgato Facecam
- Logitech C922 Camera
- NexiGo AutoFocus 1080p Webcam
- IPEVO Ultra HD Document Camera
- Logitech Streamcam
- Your iPhone
Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra – Webcam with bokeh
This is a big webcam with a beautiful image quality and a blurry background due to it’s large 1 1/2 sensor size. We’ve honestly have not seen another webcam that comes close to the image quality out of this. The only thing that beats it is using a dedicated camera system as a webcam.
Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra
A big webcam with a large sensor that can produce bokeh. Optically, it’s the best on the market.
The Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra can record at 60 FPS in 1080P or 30 FPS in 4k. It has a large sensor size for a webcam and that helps produce a slightly blurry background. The overall optics of this webcam are second to none.
Finally, this webcam has autofocus built in and performs well in low lighting but does suffer from focus breathing if the lighting is too dark.
Pros:
- 1080P recording at 60 FPS.
- A nice wide field of view.
- Blurry background naturally.
Cons:
- No 4k 60 FPS.
- It is a bit big and heavy.
Insta 360 Link 2 – Gimbal webcam
The Insta 360 Link from DJI is a 4k webcam with a 1/2 inch sensor. That means you get high quality video out of this device. Perfect for professional online classes as well as streaming.
Insta 360 Link 2
A high quality webcam on a gimbal that tracks you so you’re always in frame. Optically it’s very good too but not as sharp as the Kiyo Pro.
It models after DJI’s popular “Pocket” camera in that the top automatically tracks you and is built on a gimbal like swivel. That means you move, the webcam will keep you in the shot. You can turn this feature off too if you like.
You can also purchase this webcam with a tripod handle. We didn’t find this accessory particularly useful as we need a webcam for our laptop, not a vlogging tripod handle. But if you’re curious, it’s an option if you want a way to comfortably hold the webcam or mount it on your desk.
Last, this webcam has dual noise canceling microphones built in which help reduce ambient background noise and amplify your voice. It’s not a replacement for a dedicated USB mic, but it’s a vast improvement over your laptops internal microphone.
Pros:
- Gimbal tracking technology in a webcam.
- Excellent 4k video and audio quality.
- Plug and play, no setup required.
- Simply the best webcam we’ve ever used.
Cons:
- Price. This is an expensive webcam which is why it’s #2 on our list. Most teachers will be happy with the Brio.
What about the Link 2C?
To wrap this up, if you want the quality of the Insta360 Link 2 but don’t care about the gimbal, they do make the Link 2C which is the same exact camera minus the gimbal.
Logitech Brio 500 – Great price and performance
The Brio 500 is an upgrade to the original Brio 4k webcam which used to be in a class of it’s own as it is one of the original 4k webcams (it came out at a time when this was unheard of).
Logitech Brio 500
The best price and performance option.
This webcam has auto-focus, and facial recognition, can record at 1080p at 30-60 structures, has a dual mics system built in for excellent audio, has a wide angle lens built in and 5x digital zoom.
This webcam is a reasonable priced, feature-rich webcam designed for professional content creators and professionals. It makes a list because this is the best webcam on the market currently and is our top choice due to the 4k recording ability, video quality, and acceptable built-in audio.
Pros:
- Excellent video and good audio quality.
- 1080P 60 FPS recording capabilities.
- Wide angle field of view.
- Excellent low light capabilities.
Cons:
- No 4k like the Brio 4k version that came out years ago, however the optics on the Brio 500 are better than the Brio 4k.
Osmo Pocket – Vlog camera that can double as a webcam
The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 is primarily designed for vloggers and content creators, but this camera can actually double as a webcam by simply plugging it into the USB-C output on your laptop. It’s a surprisingly good webcam with a gimbal on top that can track you.
Osmo Pocket
1 inch sensor multi-use camera. A vlogging camera that can double as an excellent webcam.
The main reason why this camera made our list is it’s 1 inch sensor. Because it has a large sensor size, you’re able to get a naturally blurry background with you in focus. This camera produces a very high image quality overall and you can use this camera for vlogging and content creation as needed as a teacher.
The only downside is the lack of an external power source. The Osmo Pocket 3 does have a battery handle that provides hours of charge and lifts the device up so you can frame yourself. But it this battery handle does need to be charged unlike a traditional webcam that is powered by your PC.
Pros:
- Outstanding video quality.
- Can be used as a webcam.
- The gimbal can be set to track you.
Cons:
- No external power source so it’s not ideal for streaming. But for an hour long class? No problem.
Elgato Facecam – A good high framerate webcam
This webcam is designed for professional (or aspiring) YouTube and Twitch streamers. It records at 1080P at up to 60 FPS. With this webcam, once you install it, you’ll have access to intuitive, easy-to-use software to adjust the video quality.
Elgato Facecam
A good, 60 FPS, 1080P webcam. Good image quality and easy to use.
It has no autofocus and instead leverages what many action cameras use in that it has a constant focus which means that everything is in direction at all times. You can, however use software to blur the background so only you are in focus.
Overall this is #2 on our list because the image quality is simply some of the best we’ve seen. It’s comprehensive but not too exhaustive and nice and sharp. Perfect for the work-from-home, online teaching professional.
Pros:
- The 2nd best image quality from a webcam we’ve seen.
- Excellent low light performance.
- 60 FPS and a wide range of compatible software.
Cons:
- Expensive as far as webcams are concerned.
- You’ll want an external mic to pair with this device.
Logitech C922 – A classic choice
The C922 even today is still a great webcam. 1080P at 30 FPS, or 60 FPS at 1080P. Comes with a little tripod to mount the camera on.
Logitech C922
A classic choice, great 1080P video quality. Up to 30 FPS in 1080P, 720P for 60K.
With that said, the C922 sill has excellent audio and records at 1080P. Your field of view will be much wider, colors more vibrant, the video more crispy and clearer, improved low light performance for those early mornings, and it sounds better.
This camera is a massive improvement over any integrated webcam and allows you to do fun things you previously could not do. Want to create YouTube videos? You can now. Need a camera to make a video introduction? This can do that too.
Pros:
- This web camera has much improved video clarity, low light performance, sound, colors and field of view over the previous C920.
- Designed for working professionals. This webcam was made for online teachers.
- Can mount on tripods and comes with it’s own mini tripod for ease of use.
Cons:
- Can only record at 60 FPS in 720P.
- No 4k.
NexiGO N930P – A wide field of view
We were pleasantly surprised at how wide this webcam was for online teaching as most webcams are still designed for personal use and are a bit tight on the face.
NexiGo Webcam
1080P fixed focus webcam that has a wide field of view.
This camera is sharp, low cost, and performs well in average lighting. It does have a bit of a fish-eye effect however but nothing too dramatic.
The Nexigo is a budget-friendly, plug-and-play webcam that’s easy to set up. Its 2MP camera delivers smooth video with its autofocus and facial enhancement features. While its autofocus feature helps to make sure your video is crisp and sharp.
Last, it also includes a built-in noise-cancelling mic, which reduces ambient noises during online classes. Perfect for when you need your voice captured while eliminating unnecessary background sounds.
It’s compatible across Windows/Mac OS devices as well as many popular apps for increased flexibility at home or work.
Pros:
- Wide field of view.
- Great audio.
- Lens privacy hood.
Cons:
- No way to crop the live video image in if you’re not liking the wide angle.
IPEVO Ultra HD – Document camera
The IPEVO Ultra HD Document Camera will transform the online learning experience for your students by you being able to show in high detail, documents, papers, books and more to your students..
IPEVO Ultra HD
An HD document camera designed for the creative professional.
This webcam comes with an 8-megapixel camera that can capture ultra-high definition live images and is perfect for people who do demonstrations or web conferences. The adjustable stand and camera head allow you to take pictures of books, documents, art projects, or yourself.
This webcam has a fast-focusing feature that is perfect for art teachers who need to create video tutorials or present an art process live. The image sensor provides exceptional noise reduction and color reproduction, even in low-light environments. While not the cheapest webcam, this is it if you’re looking for a quality mid-range upgrade.
Pros:
- Simply the best option if you’re wanting to do any sort of live, on screen tutorial.
- Easy to adjust to record books, yourself or any type of document.
Cons
- A bit excessive in terms of price and size for online English teachers.
- Not portable at all.
Logitech Streamcam – Built for streamers, but good for teachers
The Logitech StreamCam is a versatile and powerful webcam designed with content creators and streamers in mind. However, it’s an excellent choice for a teacher needing a modern, small webcam to record at a high framerate.
Logitech Streamcam
Our favorite budget option. Good price and optics. Can record at 60 FPS in 1080P.
One of its main advantages is its high-quality video output, which capturess footage in Full HD at 60 frames per second. The camera’s auto-focus and image stabilization features ensure the video remains sharp and clear, but you will need decent studio lighting.
The StreamCam comes with various mounting options, including a tripod stand and a versatile clip that can attach to your laptop or desktop monitor. This makes it easy to position the camera exactly where you need it.
Pros:
- An excellent alternative to the Elgato Facecam.
- 60 FPS in full HD makes for very smooth video.
Cons:
- No 4k video recording. For most teachers this is not an issue.
- Mediocre colors and the video is not as wide as other webcams on our list.
Your iPhone – Windows or Mac
Yes, you can now use your iPhone as a webcam, taking advantage of the advanced camera system built in to all iPhone devices. The best part? Your phone charges as your using it as a webcam.
Windows
For Windows devices you’ll need to download Elgato’s EpocCam on your iPhone and Elgatos Camera Hub on your Windows laptop.
You will need to purchase the pro version of EpocCam as it removes watermarks and allows you to record at different frame rates and use the wide angle lens if you like, but don’t worry it’s a one time payment of $8. Well worth the price of entry.
Once you have both pieces of software installed, all you do is plug in your iPhone to your Windows laptop, fire up both the camera hub and EpocCam and your Windows laptop will detect your iPhone as a selectable webcam.
Mac
Apple has a dedicated guide to using your iPhone as a webcam found here.
Using Continuity Camera, you can use your iPhone as both your Mac webcam and microphone. To turn on Continuity Camera on your iPhone, go to Settings
> General > AirPlay & Continuity, then turn on Continuity Camera.
You will want to consider getting some sort of mount for your iPhone as a webcam. Our favorites are these two magnetic mounts from Belkin and Stouchi.
You can also consider using a little tripod to mount your iPhone to give you more flexibility in how you position the iPhone. Our top pick is this mini iPhone tripod.
Best Webcams for Online Teaching Conclusion
That covers the best webcam options for online teachers. All in all, we love the Razor Kiyo Pro but it is a bit big for a webcam. If you want something high quality but smaller then the Insta360 Link2C is perfect.
Regardless, getting a proper webcam even if your laptop has an integrated webcam is a great idea because they are designed for professional use where your internal webcam is more designed to chat with family and friends. Just make sure you invest in a quality video lighting solution.
Without proper lighting in your room where you’re teaching, you could have the best camera on earth and it would still produce poor results.
