The Logitech C920 webcam looks great, there's no setup involved, and its appealing price makes it ideal for anyone who wants to upgrade their laptop's built-in webcam.
Since 2012, the Logitech C920 has been king of the webcams, and for good reason. It captures sharp video at 1080p, requires no setup, and has an excellent stand for laptops, monitors, and tripods. From occasional Skype chatters to professional Twitch streamers, the C920 fills any role happily.
Like most modern webcams, it should work right out of the box with your favorite video conferencing or capture software. Logitech offers an expanded application with enhanced controls and filters if you're looking to tweak the image or use it in situations other than sitting on top of your monitor.
Logitech's webcam is so good, it's hard to find someone who doesn't think it's the best webcam around. It's the best-seller on Amazon and tops lists from experts at many sites, including The Wirecutter and Laptop Magazine.
We only have minor complaints about Logitech's webcam. In our tests, it captured a decent image with low lighting, but the frame rate can stutter a bit as a result. That's only in very dark situations, though. Adding room lighting or a lamp is enough to ensure smooth video. Its microphone doesn't sound great, but most webcams don't offer high-quality audio capture.
Logitech's slightly-newer C922 webcam is identical to the C920 webcam we're recommending, except for a few features. The newer C922 supports 1080p and 720p at 60 frames per second (the C920 does 720p at 3p fps), performs better in low light, and has a software-based green screen that doesn't work particularly well. It's typically $20-$30 more than the C920, which makes it hard to recommend instead unless you really need the higher frame rate and resolution.
If you really need those features, our next pick, the Logitech Brio, is a better choice. If you don't need the extras, Logitech's C920 won't let you down.
Pros: Great image quality, 1080p, no software required, low price
Cons: Stutters in low light