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How big is the market for "good webcams"? If 99% of the people just need a "good enough" (to recognise your face) webcam, that they turn off after the initial "

How big is the market for "good webcams"? If 99% of the people just need a "good enough" (to recognise your face) webcam, that they turn off after the initial "hello!" (so noone notices they have no pants on if they have to stand up), does that really make it worth it to develop new tech for the 1%? ...compared to phone cameras, where people actually want (and are willing to pay more) for a good camera, especially for one that works better in shitty lighting conditions.

llampx 6y ago
On the flip side, with my phone I'm usually calling friends and family in my pajamas. With my laptop I'm calling serious people for serious business, sometimes as a group. It makes more sense for the laptop to have a better camera. I think until recently enterprise IT hasn't cared about laptop camera quality because the understanding was that proper video conferencing would be done from a conference room with a $2k camera setup. The pandemic has flipped that on its head.
biggc 6y ago
With the rising popularity of streaming, a lot of people are getting a mirrorless camera and capture card. This is ridiculous overkill, and I imagine that a "premium" webcam could provide the desired features* at a much lower price point and smaller package * Good auto-focus, depth of field, "natural" color, high resolution.
bootlooped 6y ago
Since there are many webcams available for over $150, I'd say the market for "good webcams" is big enough. If people spend $150 on a webcam I think they expect it to be good.
curryst 6y ago
I keep mine on. I've noticed that coworkers who don't keep their cameras on seem less human. Without a face to the name, it's harder to conceptualize them as a person. So I keep mine on. I think video presentation is going to become the new "dress for the job you want" over the next decade or so, so it's worth it to put a little bit of effort in. Now that remote is becoming normalized, do you want to be the person on Zoom with a video that's grainy from trying to compensate for the lack of light, or the person with lights that make them look like they just came from the spa all the time? It shouldn't make a difference, but it does.

llampx 6y ago

On the flip side, with my phone I'm usually calling friends and family in my pajamas. With my laptop I'm calling serious people for serious business, sometimes as a group. It makes more sense for the laptop to have a better camera. I think until recently enterprise IT hasn't cared about laptop camera quality because the understanding was that proper video conferencing would be done from a conference room with a $2k camera setup. The pandemic has flipped that on its head.

biggc 6y ago

With the rising popularity of streaming, a lot of people are getting a mirrorless camera and capture card. This is ridiculous overkill, and I imagine that a "premium" webcam could provide the desired features* at a much lower price point and smaller package * Good auto-focus, depth of field, "natural" color, high resolution.

bootlooped 6y ago

Since there are many webcams available for over $150, I'd say the market for "good webcams" is big enough. If people spend $150 on a webcam I think they expect it to be good.

curryst 6y ago

I keep mine on. I've noticed that coworkers who don't keep their cameras on seem less human. Without a face to the name, it's harder to conceptualize them as a person. So I keep mine on. I think video presentation is going to become the new "dress for the job you want" over the next decade or so, so it's worth it to put a little bit of effort in. Now that remote is becoming normalized, do you want to be the person on Zoom with a video that's grainy from trying to compensate for the lack of light, or the person with lights that make them look like they just came from the spa all the time? It shouldn't make a difference, but it does.