Verdict
I can see where BenQ was going with the ideaCam S1 Pro and it ’s a nice look webcam with passable functioning . The command puck is also a welcome innovation that is genuinely useful for users with lots of display needs , and there are some good feature like document switching and AI performance boosts that make a difference for sure tasks .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Say the name BenQ and you ’d be forgive for thinking primarily of high - quality admonisher , projectors and lighting setups for home and office use . But , the mark does webcam too , and the BenQ ideaCam S1 Pro is one of its late .
Its range of screen features , from gaming to office monitors , are predominant on the market at the moment , but with the ideaCam S1 Pro , the blade has taken to eye as a direction of diversify its product range and appeal an interview who are concerned in presenting and streaming when sit at their desk .
I ’ve spent a twosome of week with the photographic camera , using it as a standard webcam for Zoom and Microsoft Teams calls , as well as delving a little more into its modular invention and using it for more intensive photo and presenting oeuvre .
Design and Features
In terms of an unboxing experience and initial depression , the first thing that endure out about the ideaCam S1 Pro is that it has a very not bad and attractive design .
The box do in two sections , the nice looking tv camera itself , finish in a brushed alloy look , and then the restrainer , a nifty remote - look machine that act as a desktop associate . This allow the user to move the camera , take picture at the pressure of a button , freeze the frame and orient the image for presentation modes .
jell up the photographic camera is moderately ego - explanatory and it was nice to see a variety of different selection , include the ability to sequester the photographic camera to a standard tripod mount should you postulate to . The bond to the square bracket for the top of the monitor is fairly lightweight and does n’t ‘ click ’ into spot like I sense it should . This is to make it easy to seize the camera for handheld cinematography and presentation work , but I ’d forego a flake of simplicity here to lessen the danger of the television camera falling off the back of the flat screen monitoring gadget , which it did on a turn of occasions for me .
Properly tighten it though , and it ’ll concur , which is more than can be enunciate of some of the magnet attachment , which seem quite fragile . Minor niggles perhaps , but it does affect the overall setup experience .
The IdeaCam is a feature - pack camera for a all-encompassing range of presentation expressive style and uses . Two feature article stood out in 24-hour interval - to - daylight use , firstly the power to suspend the frame when presenting , which mean you may perfect in on documents , object or share of introduction to focus on , readjust the camera , and be ready for the next crack when the time comes .
There ’s the power to use BenQ ’s EnSpire software system to promptly and easy annotate on said immobilize material body which is astonishingly useful when portray to large group remotely and you need to dwell on a certain topic or add context . The contingent the camera can cabal up when zoomed in cheeseparing helps with this , but so too does the dual image style mode , which car switches the flair of the image depending on what the camera hold the most useful with regards to what you ’re present .
Performance and Video Quality
There are a brace of ways I see people using this photographic camera . first , as a standard webcam , the photograph quality is sound , if not nous - blowing , with the let in LED hoop light around the lens helping to light up up the milieu a little .
The zoom functionality offers excellent detail , and the addition of the Ideacam ’s 15x zoom glass lens attachment is where the quality lie , which makes the webcam an interesting proposition for students , teachers or reader for example who really desire to hone in on point when introduce on big displays to larger hearing .
The detector itself is a Sony CMOS sensing element with a 3264 x 2448 resolve in a 4:3 formatting , and it offer this at 30fps with the lens give to a 2.2 aperture . I find that the low light performance , in my fairly drab office staff space , was not inevitably groundbreaking but the addition of AI features like background cost increase , grain control and mike boost helps sharpen up the overall output somewhat and insure fluid performance .
When igniter did glow through the windowpane , the AI features and the aperture automatically responded quickly to equilibrate the overall picture caliber , brighten the dim surface area and even out the tonality and line .
One downside of using the control faculty and the presentation mode is that its function has to be done through BenQ ’s EnSpire platform , and it feels like a rather clunky app . It allows you to ascertain the camera using the puck on your desk . There is some logic to it , and I can clap BenQ ’s ambition if you ’re felicitous to blame your way through the occasional difficulties ( the software program itself go down my system of rules a span of time on launch at first ) . Unfortunately , the ambition outweighs the execution and there is piffling discernible benefit for the average work - from - home user as it does n’t work natively with Zoom , Teams or Google Meet .
If you want to control the focus of the camera , freeze the frame , make billet or annotate your sieve while presenting , you ’ll have to share screen , which brings up potential bandwidth government issue and degrades the caliber of the image
From an audio perspective , the calibre of the mike is unspoiled and benefits from AI sweetening such as background noise cancelling . It wo n’t needs gibe some of the best audio - capturing engineering science in cyclosis camera , which you may find for a similar price as the ideaCam . TheHP 960 4 K streaming camerafor lesson offer better audio quality for streamers or content creators who need sonic clarity .
The zoom options are twin with some nifty features that are impressive to use , if only potentially useful in sealed situations .
Smart stress automatically hones in on documents in certain formats , which again could be utile for teacher or big demonstration , and the automatic rotate choice truly makes handheld use an option for showing objects from different Angle . This is one country where I found that the LED twinkle was utile , as it can brighten up desktop environments when focussing on the table and bringing near objects into sharp focus .
The auto - rotate option also works when you flip the camera to show at the table when climb on the monitor too , so you ’ll seldom have to worry about presenting in the right data format again .
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Should you buy it?
If you ’re demo to large amount of money of people this is a great selection , especially if you ’d care to footnote , freeze the frame and talk about what you ’re showing .
This is n’t the photographic camera for you if you ’re a streamer or a depicted object creator . I also would n’t advocate if you want an easy - to - use , high - quality work - from - home television camera .
Final Thoughts
BenQ ’s first pleasure trip into the webcam scene is an excellent drive . But I found it hard to recommend to average out drug user thanks to occasionally unmanageable - to - use outside software and a clunky control mental faculty system in the Pro version .
Video quality is good , but I did n’t get it needfully any better than relatively cheaper rivals such as theLogitech StreamCamor theLogitech Brio 300 .
However , theorize you ’re a instructor or lecturer in motivation of a system of rules that ’s easy to move around and you require presenting tool . In that case , I suggest giving this a looking , as the AI features boost the overall public presentation of the webcam significantly and it ’s easy to use in handheld style with its reflexive rotation , freeze frame and image style option .
There are in high spirits character offering out there for remote workers or streamers who will be demanding more out of their camera , but few offer as many features for those in pauperism of a presenting or recording camera when concentre on documents or object .
If you ’re looking for more performance , better camera tone and require top - tier autofocus to move between different subjects , theInsta360 Linkwould be a good recommendation if you have the budget to spend .
Trusted Score
How we test
Used as my principal webcam for hebdomadal meeting and general distant working utilisation for a couple of week .
Used for more detailed study on a tripod , moving it around the room and presenting meeting observe remotely .
FAQs
BenQ uses an 8MP Sony CMOS sensing element for this webcam
