It's not that the components are cheap. They are, but that's not the problem. The problem is that the sensor package is impossibly tiny because it's a webcam. Y

It's not that the components are cheap. They are, but that's not the problem. The problem is that the sensor package is impossibly tiny because it's a webcam. You need more light--and by the standards of that tiny sensor package you are in fact sitting in an unlit room because it's just not getting enough light not to crank up the exposure and kill your framerate. This is a universal problem regardless of webcam and regardless of laptop manufacturer, even Apple. To fix this, you either need to give it the light it wants or get a better sensor/lens package--and in this case, "better" means "bigger". Which is why you buy a mirrorless camera when you're serious about decent video in your office.