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- Automatic face tracking
- AI noise suppression
- Solid image quality
- Privacy shutter an afterthought
Webcams, once unfashionable, have become essential over the course of the pandemic, so much so that the devices have at times been in short supply.
That’s all changing now that manufacturers are ramping up production, however, and new models like the Anker PowerConf C300 are also beginning to appear with increasing frequency.
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Anker PowerConf C300 review: What do you get for the money?
As with most webcams, you don’t get an awful lot with the Anker PowerConf C300. Included in the small box is the camera itself, which is attached to a 1.5m USB-C to USB-C cable and a monitor clip, a couple of stick-on privacy shutters and a USB-C to USB-A adapter.
The clip allows you to quickly and securely mount the camera to the top of a monitor or laptop display and it has a decent range of pivot and tilt, too, which make setting the right angle very easy.
It’s also equipped with rubber pads to prevent it slipping out of place and there’s also a 3/4in thread set into the stand’s base for mounting on a stand or tripod.
The camera is capable of capturing 1080p footage at up to 60fps and you can set it to 720p or 360p via the accompanying Anker Work app if bandwidth is an issue.
The camera’s maximum viewing angle is a very wide 115-degrees, which is great if you need to get more than one person into the frame. This can be adjusted manually via the software if you want a closer crop on your face, or you can have it track your face automatically.
The webcam’s dual microphones are located on either side of the unit and these are supplemented by AI noise reduction technology, which automatically filters out background sounds.
Anker PowerConf C300 review: How good is image and audio quality?
As for video quality, the colour balance leans towards the warm side, even slightly yellowish, but the image is generally clean and noise free and any shortfalls in overall image quality are compensated for by the flexibility of the software.
As mentioned, the Anker Work software (available for MacOS and Windows 10) allows you to tweak the angle of view, from the widest 115-degree setting to a pared-down 90-degrees or 78-degrees.
However, there are plenty of other ways to adjust the image. You change the resolution, toggle the HDR setting on and off, flip the image horizontally, and adjust the brightness, sharpness, saturation and contrast.
The software’s cleverest feature, however, is its automatic face tracking, which is able to keep one person (or a group of people’s) faces in the frame as they move around. It works pretty well, too, although you do lose some resolution when the software digitally zooms in on your face, softening the image somewhat.
As for audio quality, that’s also very good. It uses noise suppression tech to effectively eliminate the background hiss that many other webcam microphones pick up on. You’re still best off buying a decent USB microphone if you want the very best audio quality but this beats the microphones in most cheaper webcams hands down.
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Anker PowerConf C300 review: What don’t we like?
One thing I’d have liked to see is an integrated privacy shutter. The camera does include a stick-on shutter in the box, but this feels like a bit of an afterthought.
It would also be nice to have the option to disable the AI noise suppression but that feature is baked in and cannot be turned off.
Anker PowerConf C300 review: Should you buy it?
Priced at £115, it may not be the cheapest 1080p webcam around, but the Anker PowerConf C300 is certainly the most feature-packed, coupling solid image quality with a wide-enough angle to take in groups as well as individuals, automatic face tracking and effective background noise suppression technology.
The Anker PowerConf C300 is a fantastic all-rounder, and well worth spending the extra money.
