Should you buy a Logitech webcam?
And if so, which Logitech models are the best bet?
When you think of webcams, you probably think of Logitech first. After all, this webcam manufacturer offers a lot of different models, and you’ll see them everywhere. In fact, some of the best Logitech webcams have been considered among the best out there.
Logitech has certainly established a reputation as a prolific webcam maker, then, but does that mean you should buy a product from this company? Is this a firm that majors in quality as well as quantity? We’ll explore the answers to these questions, and more besides, during the course of this article.
Reputation for quality?
Likely the first thing you’ll want to know is: are Logitech webcams good quality products, generally speaking? Well, a big clue to the answer here is that if you take a look at our list of the best webcams, Logitech is the most dominant presence, with the most products appearing in that roundup (the firm also features prominently in our best cheap webcams list).
Obviously, that’s a good sign right there, and it doesn’t take much Googling or perusing of online reviews to realize that Logitech webcams attract some very positive feedback from buyers and critics alike.
Taking stock
As we’ve already touched on, Logitech produces a lot of webcams in many different guises. And that’s obviously a good thing in terms of choice, although it can’t have escaped your attention that in recent times, there’s been a big run on buying webcams due to the Covid-19 outbreak and the amount of people working from home (and now needing to be in video meetings using the likes of Zoom – but wanting an external camera to make them look better and more professional than their laptop’s ropey built-in webcam).
With stock of webcams being vanishingly thin at some points – and still scarce, with the prospect that would-be buyers could face issues around shortages going forward – the fact that Logitech has large volumes of models coming off the production lines makes for an obvious plus point here. Simply put, a good reason to buy a Logitech model is that you’re more likely to be able to actually find one on sale right now (and in the near future) compared to some rivals.
During the shortage, Logitech products – especially its most popular webcams – have fared better in terms of maintaining some kind of decent inventory level. But even then, there’s no guarantee that buyers might not struggle somewhat. At the time of writing, Logitech notes on its website: “We are experiencing an unprecedented demand for our webcams and are working tirelessly to fill orders as quickly as possible.”
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If you are running into difficulties trying to find the right Logitech model for you – or products from any manufacturer, for that matter – check out our where to buy a webcam guide which has up-to-date details on stock levels and availability.
Which Logitech webcams are best?
Having made the decision to buy a Logitech webcam, which are the best models to go for?
Of course, that depends on your exact needs to some extent, but as an overall all-rounder, Logitech’s C920 HD immediately springs to mind. It’s a Logitech stalwart that remains one of the company’s most popular models – and for good reason.
This webcam offers great image quality, and copes very well in different lighting conditions, and when you consider the asking price into the bargain – which is very reasonable for what you’re getting – it’s a superb value proposition.
Another excellent option is the Logitech StreamCam, which as you might guess from the name is ideal for content creators and those who like to stream. As well as being a top-notch 1080p webcam, it gives you 60 fps for smooth streaming, and various nifty features such as AI-powered facial tracking, auto-focus, and smart exposure (for adapting to environmental lighting changes). Note that this model ranks at the top of our best webcams guide at the time of writing.
Other popular Logitech models include the C922, which is the successor to the aforementioned C920. You’ll pay a little more for this newer model as you might expect, but it offers some slight advantages over its predecessor: namely better handling of low-light conditions, a background removal function, plus 720p video at 60 fps is supported. In all honesty, it may not be a particularly compelling upgrade for many folks, but if you can get it at a closely matched price to the C920 – and the pricing can be pretty close at times – the C922 could well be worth grabbing instead.
Logitech’s Brio is another smart option for those who want the benefit of 4K resolution for their webcam. And if money is no object, the Logitech C930e is a heavyweight model which actually carries out its own video encoding, thereby taking some of the processing weight off your PC’s shoulders – but as mentioned, it’s expensive (and the C920 or C922 represent much better value for money).
At the other end of the scale, for a bargain basement option, the Logitech C270 is a solid 720p webcam which can be had very cheaply indeed, and represents good value for what it is (although don’t expect the world at the budget end of the market, naturally).
Looking outside of Logitech options, rival manufacturers to bear in mind include Microsoft, which makes a rather splendid piece of kit in the form of the LifeCam HD-3000 – that’s another sterling budget option.
And content creators might want to check out Razer’s Kiyo, which gives game streamers and YouTubers what they need, with no fuss (it’s very easy to set up and configure) and a very reasonable price tag to boot.
Conclusion
All in all, Logitech is a good choice for your next webcam, and it’s also helpful that the company makes a diverse range of models suitable for all sorts of use cases and budgets.
And if you are on the verge of pulling the trigger on a purchase, you could be thinking that it might be worth waiting until Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday. Certainly it’s possible to get some impressive bargains in these big sales.
However, it’s also true that as we’ve already mentioned, stock issues may persist and they could make getting major discounts a less likely prospect. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be great deals to be had – and Logitech, with its large number of models and production capacity, is one of the more likely manufacturers that could witness some hefty discounting.
So keep your eyes peeled online when the time comes, or better yet, let us do the heavy lifting for you: just head to our Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday roundups where we pick out all the best deals as they happen (and where we’ve already started imparting our predictions on what bargains may come, and advice on how to best prepare for these events).
- Check out current webcam offers with our roundup of the best cheap webcams and see the best webcams: top picks for working from home.
Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).