Anker C200 Webcam Review

[Lucrecio Houle]

Whenit comes to choosing the best webcams, the Anker PowerConf C200 sets out a straightforward deal: you get a solid webcam that performs well when attached to Windows or macOS, and you don't have to spend a huge amount of money to buy one.

You miss out on some of the more advanced features available on the high-end 4K webcams, but in terms of value for money it's an excellent proposition. Our full Anker PowerConf C200 review will help inform you as to whether or not this is the webcam for you.

If you need more help kitting out your home office after you've bought yourself a new webcam, we've got plenty of other buying guides for you to check out: take a look at our lists of the best keyboards, the best 4K monitors, and the best standing desks you can buy.

The Anker PowerConf C200 is available to buy now for around 60 in the UK and $70 in the US, although the widgets embedded on this page should give you the lowest prices currently on offer on the web. In the UK, you can pick up the webcam from retailers including Amazon and Anker direct.

The webcam will configure itself automatically and doesn't need a separate power cable. However, to get at all of the available functionality, you need to download and install the accompanying app: this lets you tweak settings such as brightness and contrast in a rather rudimentary way, and change the field of view (65 degrees, 78 degrees, 95 degrees) if you want to show more or less of whatever's behind you.

While we're always glad to see some supplied software, we reckon most people can do without it, and to use it you have to register yet another account with yet another company (unless you already have an account with Anker). The programmes that we tested the webcam with managed perfectly well in terms of lighting and focus without the help of the Anker software.

The Anker PowerConf C200 is clearly more basic than those premium models, but given its price, it's still great value for money. While it doesn't hit the heights of some of the other models mentioned, it's not going to let you down in terms of the video and audio quality you get. It handles focusing and low light well, and you get some basic tweaks with the accompanying software too.

Whether or not the webcam is going to be a huge upgrade over the one you've already got embedded into your laptop or monitor (if there is one) is one key question you have to ask. This is more suitable for those who don't already have a webcam attached to their computer and who are looking for a solid, affordable option that's going to work simply and easily with any video calling or streaming software.

On the other hand, those of you who'd rather stick to the budget end of the market might want to check out the Logitech Brio 500. It offers a 1080p video resolution, it's small and lightweight, and it comes with software that lets you do some basic picture tweaking. For a good quality upgrade for your computer, it's definitely worth considering as an alternative to the Anker.

Arriana Vasquez is an updates writer for Wirecutter who also works as a professional product photographer, for which she shoots everything from rings to raincoats. For Wirecutter, she has worked on several camera-related guides, including our guides to instant cameras, instant photo printers, and tripods.

The current version of this guide builds on the work of Wirecutter senior staff writer Melanie Pinola, who has written about technology and home-office topics for more than 12 years for sites such as Lifehacker, PCWorld, Laptop Magazine, and Consumer Reports. She has tested and reviewed various gear for Wirecutter for more than four years.

Once we narrowed down the field, we took multiple pictures and videos with each webcam under controlled conditions so that we could compare them directly. With each contender, we captured the following:

We then asked a panel of Wirecutter staffers to compare the images and videos from the different cameras, without knowing which was which, and to rank their quality from best to worst. We used that data, our findings from the previous version of this guide, and notes from other professional reviewers to arrive at our picks.

Its autofocus works quickly, and its exposure and white balance are very accurate. Even in rooms with a mix of sunlight and warm overhead light, or where we sat in front of a bright window, the Brio 505 delivered a more color-accurate image with snappier autofocus than the higher-resolution Logitech Brio 4K.

Generally speaking, these options all work the same way: After you install software and connect the device (over USB or Wi-Fi in some cases, but USB is more reliable), you can select that device as the camera in web-conferencing and video-streaming apps. You should also have a tripod or some other way to raise the camera or mobile device to the proper height.

Though such features are more than what most people need, Camo is a more affordable alternative to buying a DSLR. The software is simple to use, and we found the video quality excellent at both 720p and 1080p (tested with an iPhone XR).

If you use Windows and have an iPhone/iPad or an Android device: Use DroidCam. In contrast to Epoccam and iVCam, DroidCam was the only app that actually worked for us (tested with a Windows 10 Surface Book, a MacBook Pro, a Samsung Galaxy Note 7, and an iPhone XR).

The free version of DroidCam for Android provides only 480p video and shows ads. The free version for iOS offers 720p resolution but adds a watermark. For $5, you get 720p video on Android, remove the watermark on iOS, and unlock camera controls.

What sets it apart is that you can pair several Mevo Start cameras together using the Mevo app (iOS, Android) and use them to create a multi-camera setup for conference calls. Each camera also has a mic input so you can use a lavalier mic or small shotgun mic for better audio quality, as well as the ability to accept a microSD card for recording footage directly to the camera.

Footage from the Lumina was unimpressive out of the box, but what really turned us off was the long list of permissions required to use its software. Even after we installed the software and tried to calibrate the Lumina using the included color checker, it still produced footage that was too warm and too soft, especially for a 4K camera. It has other flaws, too, namely a cheap-feeling plastic build and a privacy cap that attaches to the camera with a weak magnet (which we lost just a day after opening the box). Overall, this is not what we expect from a webcam that costs almost $200.

Obsbot is a popular webcam line among certain reviewers, but the warranty oddly covers different parts of the webcam for different lengths of time. We think a company should be transparent about its products and offer clear warranty programs.

Arriana Vasquez is a senior updates writer for powering, home office, cameras, and hobbies at Wirecutter. Her hobbies include reading and photography. Her photos have won several awards in various online competitions, and she is the producer and co-host of Old Books Podcast.

For its $71.99 USD price, this webcam can do no wrong with its high-speed 4K at 30 FPS and 1080p at 60 FPS transmissions. It also adapts to ambient light, balances brightness, and clears dark light to bring out realistic and colourful images. The AnkerWork app allows the user to take advantage of the full use of the webcam, with features like matrix metering.

The app goes into lots of details, like adjusting image quality, resolutions, frame rates and noise reduction. One of the key image features was its ability to either put on Auto Exposure and Auto White Balance or have the user adjust it manually to fit their liking. The choices are enough to tinker with and find a good balance for different purposes and environments.

The overall shape of the AnkerWork C310 webcam is a little non-traditional, with many modern webcams that take the rectangular shape horizontally. Rather, this one is rectangular in-depth, looking more like a handy-cam video recorder. It has an adjustable mount since it protrudes more outward behind the computer monitor. There is an option to mount it to a screwable mount, but the attached pop-out one that rests on the monitor is also available. The weight is not too bad if you need to use it on a laptop or on-the-go.

Probably the most highlighted feature of the AnkerWork C310 webcam is its AI capabilities. It combines AI autofocus, AI framing, and dual-microphone AI noise cancelling to automatically optimize sound and display in real-time. The AI autofocus typically keeps the subject in focus nine out of ten times, superfluously. The AI framing adds a level of versatility because the lens tracks movement and keeps faces centred, allowing the user to move around freely with no worries.

Even if the quality of the image transmission and app functionality is a bit dodgy at times, the AI capabilities really made the price point worth it. The AnkerWork C310 webcam excels when it is properly set up with the appropriate settings. It is a fairly economical, handy webcam that is small and compact. If you ever need to make a slight upgrade in webcam quality, this is a great bump up from the simple, traditional webcams. Never look like a blur on Discord or Zoom again!

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Can anyone recommend a webcam that you have personal experience with that is good for MS teams meetings on a Windows computer working at home, sitting on a 25" monitor across a fairly wide desk? Field of view ideally narrower than average, 60 to 70 degrees, up to 80 ok.

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