Working at home is now more popular than ever. Communication with your team is still essential to do your job well. Video calls happen consistently throughout the work week. No one wants to be the one who has the webcam from the early 2000s. Webcams are a competitive market and Logitech has had a good grip on the competition since the release of their c920. Logitech thinks their Brio 500 is the perfect webcam for almost anyone. The new webcam they hope will be in millions of households.
Out of the small box will be the stand and camera. The camera has a nice design with a cylinder shape. The materials are hard plastic but it doesn’t feel cheap. It comes in three different colors off-white, graphite, and rose. All three are matte finishes that look more professional than over the top. I like how the mount is attached by a strong magnet. It allowed me to pan the camera easily while it was in the mount. I can even point the camera down toward my keyboard if I want to show anyone something. I was making a lego set and streamed my build process to my friends. It’s a neat little trick. Logitech’s $200 Brio Ultra does not have this ability. It’s easier to move the camera rather than the whole monitor if I want to change the angle of the webcam.
The video quality is pretty standard. I don’t think it looks as clear as Logitech’s website shows. The 4MP camera is just okay. I compared the quality to the classic Logitech C920. There is a noticeable difference in sharpness and color. It is not super significant, I was hoping for a bit more since the C920 is several years older now. The wider lens of the Brio 500 is nice, just make sure you have a clean room because the camera shows a lot. For those that like privacy you can rotate the right side of the webcam to close the camera from viewing anything. Im sure hackers hate this webcam.
The audio on the microphone is passable. I find it funny how in terms of audio quality most people have low expectations for clarity on video calls. It is not the best and it is not the worst. I wish Logitech would allow you to tune EQ your microphone using software but alas, there is no way to do so. One thing I would change is the length of the 5 ft cable. My desktop only has one spot for USB-C which is toward the bottom of my tower. If I want to use the webcam on my main monitor I need to use an extension cable.
To get the most out of your Brio 500 be sure to download Logi Tune. Logitech’s software app for their webcams. Here is where you will be able to download any updates to the webcams. I had one for the Brio 500 out of the box. I had fun playing around with the auto-tracking feature, RightSight. I prefer a darker-lit room and it did decent in tracking in low-light situations. RightSight is in beta currently. I hope in the future it can track faster. I noticed I could walk out of frame then the camera tries to find me.
You can make image adjustments through RightSight. There are filters to choose from if you want to have a different look. You can tune the brightness, contrast, saturation, and sharpness. I kept all of these features on but I appreciate how you can toggle off and on HDR, auto white balance, auto exposure, and autofocus.
The Brio 500 has an MSRP of $129.99. It is not on the cheaper side of webcams. Logitech’s build quality is always top-notch. I am slightly disappointed with the video and audio quality overall for the price point of the Brio 500. I hope Logitech will stop giving webcams 5ft of cable from here on out as well. I am not sure if the extra features, such as the privacy cover and magnetic mount, are worth the extra money personally. It is a solid webcam that I wish was a bit cheaper. Because of the price point, I’m sure this webcam will be in thousands of homes, not millions.