This Affordable Webcam With Ring Light Is An Ideal Upgrade For Some Laptop Webcams

If you have an older laptop, you probably already know that many built-in laptop webcams can be shockingly bad. That’s a shame because as more of us are working from home, we join far more video meetings and need to look out best. So, how can you upgrade your webcam quality without breaking the bank

The eMeet C970L is an affordable HD webcam that has a built-in ring light with three light levels. The ring light can be switched on simply by touching the top of the webcam. It’s not a very strong source of illumination but if you’re sitting relatively close to the webcam, the light works well as a fill source and is certainly useful if you’re in low light levels.

As well as the integral ring light, the C970L has a 1080P sensor delivering 60fps. The video quality is relatively flicker-free compared with a 30fps webcam. The lens is autofocused and there are two noise-reduction microphones for picking up the user’s voice. The noise reduction feature on the microphones does a good job of filtering out unwanted background noise.

A lot of webcams on the market include a lens cap or shutter cover for protecting the user’s privacy. With the eMeet C970L, there’s an electronic privacy mode that can be activated with a slight tilt of the webcam which turns off the built-in microphones and camera without the need to slide a physical lens cover into place.

Unusually at this price point, the eMeet C970L webcam comes with software for Windows and macOS. The software isn’t a driver and you can use the webcam without it, but if you do install it then it can be used for applying firmware upgrades as well as manually adjusting settings like exposure, brightness, saturation or color temperature. There are four filters that can be used with the eMeetLink software as well as a full auto mode.

There are no AI algorithms built into this webcam so it can struggle with tricky lighting situations where, for example, the user has a window or light source behind them. If this is how you work and you want a camera that can cope with almost any lighting situation then I would suggest upgrading to the AnkerWork C300 webcam. It’s one of the most capable webcams for the money but it does cost quite a bit more than the eMeet C970L.

Verdict: The eMeet C970L is an effective little webcam that has the bonus of a ring light. It’s a useful little function but there’s not the same kind of illumination on offer that you’d get from a separate ring light or LED panel. The webcam works well with both Windows and macOS and is compatible with a range of video, live streaming and gaming software, such as Tiktok, Youtube, Zoom, Xbox, PS4 and PS5. Providing you have sufficient light, the C970L works surprisingly well and offers great value for money compared with a lot of other budget models on the market.

Pricing & Availability: The eMeet C970L webcam costs just $29.99 thanks to a 50% discount until April 10, 2022, using the code RH7O9CK8 on Amazon. The usual price is $59.99.

More info: www.amazon.com

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marksparrow/2022/04/07/this-affordable-webcam-with-ring-light-is-an-ideal-upgrade-for-some-laptop-webcams/