Anker Powerconf 300

A broader perspective

Looking good with this webcam

WEBCAM ❘ £100 from Amazon www.snipca.com/38752

Thanks to the greater reliance on video chats during the recent lockdowns, webcams have become more essential than ever, giving us visual contact with family, friends and work colleagues from the comfort of our homes. Manufacturers are reacting to this demand by bringing out devices with improved features and picture quality – and the Anker Powerconf 300 is a great example of this.

This is a USB-C device, though it also comes with a standard USB adapter, should you need it. Its clip securely mounts it to your laptop or monitor, with a broad range of pivot and tilt to help you find the best angle. It can also be connected to a standard camera tripod.

It can capture 1080p footage at up to 60fps, or drop it down to 720p or 360p if limited bandwidth is a problem. The viewing angle is a very wide 115 degrees, which is great for getting several people into the frame, though it can be cropped and set to a close-up, if you prefer. It can even follow your face as it moves, digitally zooming in when it stays still for long enough. There are two noise-reducing microphones on either side of the unit, which can filter out background sounds.

Video and audio quality are both impressive. The video image is clean and free of graininess, and you can tweak the settings manually to get a better picture if need be. The audio quality uses noise suppression to eliminate the kind of background hiss many other webcam mics pick up, though you’re still better off buying a decent USB microphone if you want the very best audio.

VERDICT Clear image quality, excellent audio and plenty of features make the Anker Powerconf C300 well worth its price tag

ALTERNATIVE Logitech C925e Business Webcam £74 This cheaper unit has great picture quality and software but a narrowerer 78-degree viewing angle