Ranking of video conferencing cameras 2023.

Conference Cameras: Choose the Best Camera for Online Meetings

When searching for the best conference camera for meetings, you're not looking for the same thing as when choosing the best webcams for home and remote work. Instead of simply pointing the image at one person, these types of cameras are designed to allow the entire room to participate in the process. Using wide-angle or 360º lenses with smart cameras and microphones, the best webcam for a conference room can connect a whole table of people.
As more and more people work remotely these days, the demand from companies for the best web cams for conferencing continues to grow. These smart cameras allow you to visit different people and select specific voices without requiring people to use microphones and headphones.
Look out for features such as automatic face recognition and conference-grade microphones, as well as noise-canceling speakers. This means you'll be able to follow what people are saying, and even those sitting farthest from the camera won't be missed.
Some cameras can use digital zoom and perspective correction to improve the quality of recorded footage, and advanced PTZ cameras can track objects using optical technology, which usually has superior sharpness compared to other models.

We have collected the best conference cameras in our opinion, for different budgets and applications.

1. Totolink M1

Resolution: 2K

Frame rate: 30fps

Dimensions: 230 x 75 x 40 mm

Weight: 420g

AI face detection

4 microphones

Price: ~700zl *

Advantages:
Smart features
Price
Video resolution

Disadvantages:
No HDMI output
No Wi-Fi module

In our opinion, this is the best camera in terms of price/performance/functionality ratio. It is small but has a good 4 megapixel camera, the camera resolution is 2K at 30fps. In addition, this conference camera has 4 built-in microphones that are great at suppressing noise and are so sensitive that you can talk across the room and the sound will be perfect. The big advantage over other conference cameras is the price, it beats competitors with almost the same features.
And don't forget the intelligent camera control: the camera itself sees who is talking and focuses the camera, focus and sound on a specific person.

2. Meeting Owl Pro

Resolution: 1080P

Frame rate: 30fps

Audio: 8 microphones triple speaker

Pan/tilt/zoom: automatic, digital

Field of view: 360 degrees

Size: 273 x 111 x 111mm

Weight: 1.2 kg

Price: ~6000zl *

Advantages:
Design
Intelligent zoom
Intelligent caller tracking

Disadvantages:
Subscription required
Expensive

Also a great conference camera that amazes with its design and features. This camera is equipped with a single lens, but provides an effective 360-degree view of the room, so everyone will be in the frame. It also has eight omnidirectional microphones that can cover a radius of about 5.5 meters, and Smart Zooming technology that can pick out speakers further away from the camera.
However,this is by no means a low-cost conference call camera. This is a premium option for teams and companies that want their conferences to run as smoothly as face-to-face meetings.

3. Obsbot Tiny 4K

Resolution: 4K

Frame rate: 30fps

Audio: noise-canceling microphone

Pan/tilt/zoom: 300˚ / 180˚ / 4x (digital)

Field of view: 86˚

Size: 89 x 58 x 58 mm

Weight: 147 g

Price: ~1350 PLN *

Advantages:
Attaches to the top of your laptop
Zoom in and out with gestures
Noise-canceling microphones

Disadvantages:
Designed for a single user
Digital zoom only

A modern conference room can be a fairly simple place - just you and a whiteboard. If this is typical for you, the Obsbot Tiny 4K is a great choice. With a built-in microphone and gesture-based object tracking, it has a lot in common with the other devices in this ranking, but it's smaller and more portable. This webcam was conceived, at least in part, for vloggers, so you can mount it on a tripod or mount it on an open laptop.
We appreciate the dual microphone for noise cancellation and H.264 video streaming from SVC via USB Type-C cable. This means the device will look good, but won't put too much strain on a modern laptop.
It's also nice that the lens can be pointed straight down for privacy. Overall, it's a great choice for creating presentations for other conference participants via Zoom, Skype, Teams, etc.

4. Jabra Panacast 20

Compatibility with: Windows 10 ; macOS 10.15

Frame rate: 30fps

Field of view: 90˚

Size: 78 x 43 x 25 mm

Weight: 136 g

Price: ~1250zl *

Pros:
Premium build quality
Automatic scaling
Three-microphone array

Disadvantages:
Too much for personal use

Want a full view of the room, such as when broadcasting a physical meeting at a conference table? If so, we recommend the Jabra Panacast 20.
Its zoom and pan, powered by artificial intelligence, automatically covers all participants in the call, without the need to move the physical camera or get distracted. In addition, while most video conferencing services don't yet support 4K resolution, the high resolution offered here means the camera can zoom in (up to 6x lossless) and still generate full HD video.
The camera also uses artificial intelligence to intelligently adjust lighting in dim and dark rooms. With a triple microphone, you'll get impressive sound quality. And overall, this 4K webcam provides the best quality video calls we've ever seen. Although it's an expensive purchase, the build quality is excellent, and you also get USB-C connectivity.

5. Microsoft LifeCam Studio

Resolution: full HD 1080p

Pan/tilt/zoom: 360 degrees

Field of view: 75 degrees

Weight: 128g

Price: ~330zl *

Advantages:
CMOS image sensor
Good colors in video

Disadvantages:
Relatively narrow view
Full HD requires additional software

Microsoft's Lifecam Studio conference camera has a slightly tricky gimmick - the camera claims to have 1080p resolution, and technically that's true, but in order for its sensor to record at that resolution, you have to use third-party webcam software - otherwise the maximum resolution will be 720p.
Microsoft's Lifecam Studio is a good choice, especially if you're using it for business conferences where you don't expect too much image clarity. The camera's CMOS sensor does an impressive job, producing bright and pleasing images with good color accuracy across the board. As a webcam with a microphone, it does its job quite well, though without the fancy noise reduction features that more expensive cameras have.

6. logitech BCC950

Resolution: 1080P

Frame rate: 30fps

Audio: 4 microphones

Pan/tilt/zoom: automatic, digital (1.2x)

Field of view: 78 degrees

Dimensions: 344 x 147 x 154 mm

Weight: 568 g

Price: ~800zl *

Advantages:
Remote control with PTZ
Full-duplex speaker system with 2.4m range
Height extender for better angle

Disadvantages:
Maximum of 4 participants

Not every conference takes place in a huge conference room. If you're in a small room, the Logitech BCC950 is a high-quality webcam and speakerphone stand, with the ability to place the e-eye system a little higher if necessary with the included extension cable.
This means that your remote workers are more likely to look you in the eye and hear your discussion, which is also aided by Logitech's proprietary noise reduction system. This webcam connects via USB and works with most platforms.

Summary

After analyzing the necessary features for conference cameras and comparing some of them with each other, we came to the clear conclusion that the Totolink M1 is the optimal solution for your meetings and conferences. Of course, if you have an unlimited source of money - you can buy a camera for a much higher amount, but remember that most video conferencing services do not yet support 4K resolution. In that case, you need to consider whether it's worth the extra cost and end up with the same result with less effort.
A premium video camera that can rotate 360 degrees, or a simple option - everyone decides for themselves. The most important thing is to be careful and be sure to consider your key needs in the selection process.

Author:
Aliaksandr Roslikau

* - prices are quoted at the time of writing (March 2023)

Call us at (+48) 34 361 04 48 or write to [email protected]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Ranking of video conferencing cameras 2023.

Conference Cameras: Choose the Best Camera for Online Meetings

1. Totolink M1

2. Meeting Owl Pro

3. Obsbot Tiny 4K

4. Jabra Panacast 20

5. Microsoft LifeCam Studio

6. logitech BCC950

Summary