Actually, thank you for doing all of the research that you did. I need to look more carefully at this when I am not on deadline, and I might have a question or two, especially about what I would need to do if I wanted to tweak the webcam settings. And I am assuming that this is also predicated on on LWS280 being installed, correct?
No, you can (and to be tidy should) uninstall all the Logitech software other than LogiCameraSettings. lws280 is completely obsolete (and messy). And you don't need OBS.
Yes, I always forget that any open camera window can be used. Webex consistently provides a better quality image than Zoom, but still, the scale hits about 35 and then from there on down I can see no adjustment in the image. Perhaps I look better focused than I would believe possible for a webcam? I had tried LCS, but thought that it was missing some controls that were found in LWS. I can reinstall it and look for the difference, but it is not important at the moment. Again, I cannot recall if LWS works with older models, but none of them have offered a working zoom function with the C920s. I do not want digital zoom, but if optical zoom was available, I would take it in a heartbeat. I should have some time to paly around over the long weekend, and I'll try to report back anything useful.
I tend to set them up with just one click of zoom in (using LCS). It only reduces quality slightly and makes the user that much bigger. Otherwise they are too small.
I have had no luck getting the C920s to show digital zoom with any of the Logitech software. The 9000 did with LWS280, but not the C920s. I believe that the C920s and the C922 were designed from scratch to utilize UVC drivers as opposed to Logitech drivers like the original C920. Not a big issue, but a symptom of the problems at hand. I had considered the Brio, even though it is expensive, but I have seen a lot of samples where IQ was not what was expected, so having the same issue at twice the price was not appealing. Regarding webcams with optical zooms, I believe that the Avaya HC020 has a limited zoom feature. I tis the same price as the Brio, and I have been tempted by it.
I do not disagree about the quality of feeding a signal from a camera, but the logistics and space considerations on my desktop make that a difficult choice, despite my having a lot of available gear (and believe me I seriously considered it). My goal is to look reasonably acceptable on video calls. If you have reasonable lighting, a reasonable camera, and are willing to tweak the settings a bit, then that is certainly possible. And it is funny that it took webcams to cause a plastic surgery run. Most cellphone cameras have a lens equiv. of about 30mm full frame, and that is one reason that I would never use one for any type of "fill the frame" headshot.
A good ringlight and the touch-up feature in Zoom make one look at least 10 years younger. The ringlight provides shadow-less light and the touch-up smooths the skin.I do not disagree about the quality of feeding a signal from a camera, but the logistics and space considerations on my desktop make that a difficult choice, despite my having a lot of available gear (and believe me I seriously considered it). My goal is to look reasonably acceptable on video calls. If you have reasonable lighting, a reasonable camera, and are willing to tweak the settings a bit, then that is certainly possible. And it is funny that it took webcams to cause a plastic surgery run. Most cellphone cameras have a lens equiv. of about 30mm full frame, and that is one reason that I would never use one for any type of "fill the frame" headshot.
--Ken
I have the LumeCube Panel Mini right next to, and just above, my camera when I use a one light set-up (I use two lights for special meetings). Interestingly enough, Zoom's help feature states the following:
I saw that when Zoom first posted it, early in the pandemic when Zoom was heavily stressed by extreme growth. I don't think it still applies. I see 720p throughout in meetings with many people (Pro Account - i.e. the cheapest paid account.). The Brio I saw looked like 1080 to me but I don't know how to prove it.
I saw one recorded video from the Brio where the person knew how to set it up, and it looked quite nice.
I did try the manual focus on the C920s. It made little difference for my face's distance from the camera and was soft. In comparison, the Kiyo is both more accurate, better to re-focus, less jumpy, and much sharper, all out of the box. Razer provide a big software package called Synapse that provide controls for the camera. I have not yet tweaked them, or seen if they are persistent, but I can say that the manual focus is way better than on the C920s. I was able to actually see my face come in and out of focus. On the C920s, it mostly just hit the end of the range and that was supposed to be the same as best focus. The other unusual things it that in Device Manager, the Razer is listed under Cameras rather than Imaging Devices.
That's helpful, thanks. The Kiyo sounds good. It seems the C920s is worse than the C920 - I can get perfect focus manually with all of mine. My main complaint with Logitech is their chaotic software and the support website with the downloads. It is hard to see how it could be made much worse.
