BenQ IdeaCam S1 Pro review: A terrific webcam and then some

Price When Reviewed

$199.99

Best Prices Today: BenQ IdeaCam S1 Pro

$199.99

$199.99

On paper, BenQ’s IdeaCam S1 Pro definitely seems too far out of attain of most shoppers hoping to choose up a reasonable 4K webcam. But BenQ’s three-in-one webcam presents a ton underneath the hood, even when a few of the core options barely underdeliver on their guarantees.

BenQ’s IdeaCam S1 Pro jogs my memory of the CA Essential Webcam, which may flip ahead and level down to raised seize an illustration, akin to frosting a cake or soldering a PCB. It lacks CA’s massive telescoping arm, nonetheless. What it does add is a separate 15X “zoom,” or macroscopic lens, which can really feel a bit gimmicky. The one side I used to be shocked by, nonetheless, was the sophistication of the non-compulsory BenQ EnSpire software program utility. It’s value downloading.

Typically, I say a 4K webcam ought to reproduce the decision of a 4K monitor, or 3840×2160 (or 8,294,400) pixels. BenQ’s webcam presents a most photograph decision of 3264×2448, or 7,990,272 pixels. Its video decision maxes out at both 1836p in a 16:9 ratio, or 2448p (3264×2448, or 7,990,272 pixels) in a 4:3 ratio. Inside the S1 Pro is a Sony 8Mpixel sensor, nonetheless, which produces some very good pictures, proven additional beneath. BenQ features a (indifferent, sadly) magnetic shutter lid for privateness, and a hoop gentle that encircles the lens. There’s even a distant management!

In different phrases, this isn’t a real 4K digital camera, nevertheless it’s fairly shut. BenQ doesn’t supply a 60fps possibility, both. However, in our reviews of the best webcams, preferring these premium choices can push costs into the $299 to $329 vary! The IdeaCam S1 Pro, then, is an attention-grabbing compromise.

Mark Hachman / IDG

The bodily design of BenQ’s IdeaCam S1 Pro presents two issues I don’t usually see whereas reviewing webcams: a chunky mount that serves as a counterweight to the the webcam itself, in addition to a locking mechanism to safe it additional. If you steadily transfer issues round in your desk, as I do, it is a helpful function. The result’s that the webcam stays locked in, even on a thick show, till you select to take away it — which you may!

The digital camera attaches to the mount through a “tooth,” which slides right into a corresponding notch within the webcam’s physique. A prolonged twine terminates in a legacy USB-A connection.

Mark Hachman / IDG

I actually like the photographs that the BenQ IdeaCam S1 Pro produced, not less than in good gentle. The digital camera produced pictures with terrific shade steadiness and wonderful element, and the autofocus locked on my face very nicely. This is among the few webcams that I’ve examined that may choose up the small print of my hair. Yes, that’s a bit useless, however isn’t that what a webcam is meant to do?

The solely quirks I seen are the variations within the 4:3 and 16:9 pictures the digital camera captures: Changing the decision additionally modifications the digital zoom, so you could must readjust the digital camera’s positioning. (The 16:9 mode zooms in probably the most, which I’ve all the time most well-liked.) The EnSpire app additionally permits you quite a lot of leeway to regulate the zoom additional, approach nearer than you may suppose.

The IdeaCam S1 Pro doesn’t supply any digital pan or zoom capabilities, not like rivals just like the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra.

Upstairs, although, I closed the drapes in our household room, and it was right here that the IdeaCam S1 Pro began to disappoint. In poorer gentle, the colours seem dingier, and the webcam’s picture appeared to get fuzzier, too. It’s right here that I turned on the ring gentle, although that isn’t mirrored in picture beneath. It actually didn’t make a lot of a distinction. I sometimes evaluate a webcam with the default digital camera of the laptop computer I’m utilizing; on this case it was Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio 2. I’ve to admit: In dimmer gentle, I appreciated the Surface’s default picture higher.

Mark Hachman / IDG

As famous above, the BenQ IdeaCam S1 Pro additionally flips ahead in demonstration mode. This isn’t good. Since the lens extends simply an inch or so in entrance of your monitor, you could find yourself with one thing apart from a 90-degree, perpendicular view. BenQ’s IdeaCam S1’s software program does routinely flip the picture into the right orientation, nonetheless, and the Enspire utility features a keystone perform to align the picture appropriately, like a projector. Both options turn out to be useful.

What could be good could be an improved bodily design that will assist you to level the digital camera on the ceiling in case you forgot to affix the lens shutter. Maybe subsequent time.

Otherwise, BenQ argues that the S1 Pro is completely appropriate as a “handheld” webcam. (Like nearly all webcams, it features a threaded gap for a tripod mount, which you should buy individually.) For no matter purpose, BenQ included a “macro,” or “zoom,” lens that permits you to zoom in for element work.

Mark Hachman / IDG

The lens magnetically attaches to the webcam, and there’s a plastic cylinder that presumably may very well be used to imprison a small insect for additional research. Initially I felt like this function was supplied extra as a child’s toy than an precise presentation assist till I began fidgeting with some ports and connectors on my laptop computer, and realized that this may work very nicely for a detailed PCWorld build video.

The macro lens works nicely, with some limitations. The IdeaCam S1 Pro already presents autofocus capabilities, which appear a bit wobbly when paired with the macro lens. The macro lens cylinder, nonetheless, helps implement a strict fastened distance from the digital camera’s topic, so switching on the EnSpire utility software program and switching to a fixed-focus mode (which may be adjusted manually) helps considerably, enabling some relatively gross images of my laptop computer keyboard.

Mark Hachman / IDG

I’m not a fan of pressured downloads of utility software program, partially as a result of I’m a bit of leery of downloading untrusted software program to my system. BenQ’s EnSpire software program (which is linked to within the product documentation) does add a big quantity of worth, although.

EnSpire not solely permits you to manually change numerous controls akin to distinction and brightness — which, to be honest, the Windows Settings do too — but additionally permits you to flip the autofocus on and off, “freeze” the picture after which ink on it, and apply the keystone adjustment.

The most attention-grabbing function, nonetheless, is a superimposed “ruler” that can be utilized to measure distance, diameter, and the arc of a curve. Using my ruler, it seems to measure millimeters within the screenshot beneath, and fairly precisely, too, from my very own measurements of my laptop computer keyboard. I nonetheless wouldn’t belief it fully, nevertheless it seems to supply a superb estimate of the space.

Mark Hachman / IDG

BenQ’s noise-cancelling mics additionally outperformed the Surface Laptop Studio 2’s default configuration. I take a look at audio by recording my voice on Windows’ Sound Recorder app, and put my cellphone taking part in Spotify shut by. I may faintly hear the background observe utilizing the Surface, and in no way whereas utilizing the IdeaCam S1 Pro’s default mics. (I didn’t have the SLS2’s Windows Studio Effects turned on, nonetheless, which performs AI filtering utilizing the built-in NPU.)

But wait, there’s extra!

One of the value-added options of the BenQ IdeaCam S1 is a well-engineered puck-like distant management that jogs my memory very a lot of the Surface Dial, full with the power to rotate the distant’s exterior ring to zoom out and in. The distant is powered by a pair of AAAA batteries that BenQ gives, and connects to the digital camera and your PC through an old-school USB-A dongle. Between the webcam’s USB-A cable and the distant’s dongle, you could run out of USB-A ports, presumably necessitating a USB-C dongle.

The distant presents controls for digital zoom, switching between guide and automated focus, “freezing” the display, taking a screenshot, and muting the mic. It seems like a $50 peripheral that BenQ contains as a part of the webcam’s value.

Is the BenQ IdeaCam S1 is value it?

Give BenQ’s IdeaCam S1 Pro sufficient gentle, and it delivers in spades. But for those who choose a dimmer workplace, you may want some supplementary illumination (if not a shiny, white monitor) to supply the picture some additional oomph. The digital camera slots into form of a “tweener” value level that’s halfway between a extra standard webcam and one that provides top-of-the-line premium options — and provides some additional worth that these webcams lack, too.

That wins my endorsement: strong engineering, general competence, and a few value-added options that ship. This could be greater than you’re anticipating to pay for a webcam, however the BenQ IdeaCam S1 Pro is value what BenQ asks for it.