Logitech C920 Review

By – Adam Ames and Mike Bezek

Adam Ames and Mike Bezek give their thoughts on the Logitech C920.  Does this unit have what it takes to become the webcam of choice for TPG?

Mike Bezek

My history with webcams is a rather brief one, that’s for sure.  I have never been one for video chat, so using an integrated webcam on my laptop did the trick for those who demanded to see my pale complexion. Usually these conversations were punctuated with the ability to count how many pixels comprised of my video feed, which always felt like an antiquated way to communicate.  In order to reconcile my archaic technological setup, Logitech sent us over a pair of C920 webcams to give us a taste of the future.  Features like 1080p streaming video and a 15MP camera excited me to transform our meetings at TPG from simple audio to high-resolution goodness.

The construction of the C920 is simple in that it requires no tightening mechanism to position it atop your monitor.  An adjustable lever is affixed to the rear of a monitor, which assists in perfectly balancing the camera in whichever desired pitch angle.  The slim form factor means that it is quite easy to forget the unit perched above your monitor, and it looks quite elegant in comparison to many other webcams on the market.  When activated, the C920 alerts you with a very understated blue glow in the form of two parentheses around the lens – enough to let you know it’s in use, but dim enough to become unnoticed after a few seconds.

Installation was rather simple, as plugging in the camera was enough to get everything in motion. Within 5 minutes, I had my software installed, updated, and ready to go on Skype.  Hopping in a video chat, the video quality was absolutely stellar, the clarity of 1080p streaming allowed me to easily see tiny details on Adam’s end.  With a properly fast internet connection, video chat is facilitated with dual microphones and auto-focusing, meaning that speaker setups can make calls with incredible ease. I was also impressed with the sharp audio coming from Adam’s unit, which was virtually identical to the microphone on his Logitech G930 headset.

The inclusion of handy Logitech software allows for one-click operations for Skype, Gmail, and other customizable applications.  Jumping into the Video and Camera modes via the Quick Capture option gives users control of a bevy of options, such as recording video anywhere from 480p, all the way up to 1080p.  The camera works similarly, allowing for captures at 2.0MP to 15MP, which I took the liberty of showcasing the latter’s visual fidelity with the image above.  In short, the Logitech C920 is a simple and sleek camera that has way more value than the price tag lets on. From this point forward, the C920 will be the product of choice in our future episodes of Restore Point.

Adam Ames

My journey into hardware peripherals is not unlike the road Mike has taken.  I never owned a microphone or headset until a few months after I launched TPG simply because I had no need for this type of technology.   In addition, I am not into MMOs or much of any online play so the idea of throwing down hundreds of dollars made no sense.  Yes, it took me over 12 years as a PC gamer to acquire my first mic/headset.  Now throw a webcam into the mix where I never saw myself needing one, let alone reviewing a unit.  However, with our ever-expanding content, specifically Restore Point, the jump had to be made.

Honestly, I was not looking forward to putting the C920 through testing.  As a person with 12+ years of IT experience, I had the unfortunate task of configuring webcams, video meetings, virtual chats for the companies I worked for at the time.  Most of the cams were buried in a slurry of awful drivers, poor online support and just overall terribleness.  The hours upon hours of trial and error made me feel like I lost a few years, or at least, gained a significant amount of grey hair.  Thankfully, those years of dread and fear melted away when I plugged in the C920.

Once attached to my system, Windows did its thing by installing base drivers to get the C920 up and running.  Once the all clear was given, I immediately loaded up Skype and I was amazed at my findings.  All I had done is plugged in the webcam, started Skype and this unit hit the ground running.   When I got online with Mike, streaming was great with absolutely no lag on my end.  This was a far cry from the nonsense and hassle seen with webcams just a few years earlier.

After recording video, there is no need to convert large uncompressed files or attempt to play odd proprietary formats.  The Logitech C920 outputs video content using the widely accepted H264 codec and .mp4 file extension.  Recording at 1080p, a 15 minute test video yielded an extremely high quality file weighing in at 480MB.  If you are in the market for a no hassle webcam without a knock on quality, the C920 is a great pick.  Listed at $99, this unit can be a hit to the wallet for someone working with a budget.  However, as most technologically savvy people will say, “You get what you pay for.”  With that said, the C920 will be part of my PC setup for years to come.