If you have ever shopped for webcams you will have most likely realized that even though everyone and their mom sells a webcam, there is only one on the market that everyone recommends. The Logitech c920 has been at the top of the market for almost 5 years now and before that the c910 was also the go to camera. It’s crazy to think that basically the same camera could still be considered so good after so many years. Surely the tech has improved, right? Well with the popularity of streaming really getting traction Logitech decided to follow up the C920 with a new model called the C922 that is focused directly at streamers. Given the past models I have high expectations, but more than anything else I’m curious what is different with the C922 at all. So today I’m going to check it out and see what it’s all about.

Product Name: Logitech C922 Pro Stream Webcam

Review Sample Provided by: Logitech

Written by: Wes

Pictures by: Wes

Amazon Link: HERE

 

Specifications
Max Resolutions/FPS Full HD 1080p at 30fps / 720p at 60fps streaming
Microphone Two integrated omnidirectional mics with noise reduction capture stereo audio from every angle
Sensor 2-megapixel sensor
field of view 78° horizontal
Dimensions Without clip

Height x Width x Depth:

1.14 in (29 mm) x 3.74 in (95 mm) x 0.94 in (24 mm)

Dimensions Including clip

Height x Width x Depth:

1.73 in (44 mm) x 3.74 in (95 mm) x 2.80 in (71 mm)

Weight including clip and cable 5.71 oz (162 g)
Cable length 6 ft (1.8 m)
System Requirements

Windows® 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10

Mac® OS X 10.9 or higher

Chrome OS™

Android™ v5.0 or above

USB port

Warranty 2-Year Limited Hardware Warranty
Package Contents

Webcam

Tripod

User documentation

3 month premium xsplit license

 


Packaging

The box for the C922 Pro Stream Webcam has the same Logitech styling that recent Logitech product have like the flat black background and the greenish blue for the branding. But when compared to the C920 the box is very different. For starters, the C920 had a large window up top where you could see the whole camera but the C922 doesn’t have that. The box is also bigger this time around due to the included tripod. That said the front of the box does still have a photo of the camera on it. The front also has the 1080p at 30fps and 720p at 60fps information in the form of a logo. The second logo represents the background replacement functionality that is exclusive to the C922, but the icon isn’t really easy to understand.

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The back of the box, however, takes care of that. They have information on the resolution and fps performance like the front. Then the background replacement logo actually has a short explanation under it making it a lot clearer what the image means. The last logo is the automatic low light correction logo. Beyond that down at the bottom, Logitech understands that people are going to wonder what the difference is between the C920 and the C922 so they have a breakdown of features. They also included the C270 as well.

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Inside when you first open the box up you will find the camera all the way on the top. Up under it is the small desktop tripod, taking up most of the box. Then for documentation they include a setup guide and a single piece of paper with a 3 month X-Split premium license code.

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Photos and Features

If you have even seen the Logitech C920 or even the C910 there aren’t going to be too many surprises here. For the C922 Logitech didn’t really reinvent the wheel, in fact physically they didn’t change much at all. So the camera has the same wide design with microphones on both sides of the camera. There are two lights on both sides of the camera but they did change the lighting color from blue to a soft white. This might seem like a small change but in the past, you can often see the blue lights in reflections of glasses. The camera itself is a 2 megapixel camera that supports 1080p and 720p. At 1080p though it could use a performance upgrade, it is still locked at 30FPS but at 720p you do get 60FPS.

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The USB cable feeds out of the back of the camera, so if you mount it above a monitor you won’t have to worry about the cable ever being in front of your screen.

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Like the C920, the C922 has a rubber pad on the bottom with a tripod attachment point. This can be used with the included desktop tripod or you can get creative with it and mount it up much higher using any traditional camera mount.

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Beyond the regular base and the tripod mount, the C922 has a few different mounting options. The base pivots up to raise the camera up if you sit it on your desktop. There is also a pivot just under the camera itself. When flipped out the mounting setup can also be hung on the top edge of a monitor. It uses a flip-out rubber mount to get traction (I have it flipped out in one photo below but not the second). Altogether the C922 can be mounted just about anywhere.

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I’m sure soon we will be moving to USB 3.0 for HD webcams, but the C922 still runs over USB 2.0 via a 6-foot long cable. The cord itself doesn’t have any special sleeving or anything. The tag is, however, important. This is where they have your serial number in case of a problem later on, so don’t remove it.

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So then we have the tripod. This, as well as the white lighting, is the only thing that physically sets the C922 apart from the C920. The mounting connection for the table top tripod is your standard camera mount. There is a rubber pad on the top for grip to keep it from coming unscrewed and the mounting point has knurled edges so you can thumb screw it into the camera. The Tripod has a quick lock on the side that unlocks the ball pivot on top. The ball pivot doesn’t have a lot of movement in most directions, but it can correct small level issues, then it can move a full 90 degrees back. The three legs flip out, so if you pack it all up it doesn’t take much room.

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Like I mentioned before, the C922 isn’t very different from the C920, so I grabbed my well used C920 for comparison. When them next to each other I can see that on the front of the camera the lens area is now blacked out more. They also have the new Logitech logo as well but beyond that the mounting and casing is all exactly the same. This isn’t a bad thing at all, the C920 is an amazing camera, so why change things unless they need to be changed.

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Performance

Even going into this review I wasn’t all that worried about the video performance of the C922. I knew it had the same camera as the C920 that has performed perfectly for me for years. That said I did still spend time testing it, both in OBS and also using Skype, two situations that streamers would be using their camera in. There weren’t any big surprises as well. The C922 performed amazingly in normal and low light situations. It has a wide camera angle without being too wide like some of the wide-angle webcams on the market. The mounting setup, when not using the included tripod is still very versatile but it does take a minute for someone who has never used it before to completely wrap their head around how to mount it up on top of a monitor. The biggest thing for me is how quickly the autofocus handles movement, I’ve tested webcams in the past, especially from Microsoft, that would constantly try to autofocus. The C922 doesn’t have to do a full focus swing to find the perfect focus, so the focus changes are quick and are never noticeable.

Speaking of focus, I focused a lot of my testing on the differences between the C922 and the C920. With a lot of streamers already owning the C920 I was really curious if the C922 would benefit them. The three changes for the C922 were the LED light color, the Tripod, and a built-in background removal tool as well. The included Tripod was nice to have as it raised the camera up a few inches off my desk. I typically mount my camera on top of a monitor or on my desk but I avoid the desk a lot because sitting it directly on the desk will normally end up with an up close view of my keyboard or mouse with me in the background. The Tripod moved the camera up just far enough for that to not be an issue. I still prefer mounting on top of my monitor over the tripod, but now it’s just to avoid having to look at my fat chin and Logitech can’t do anything to fix that one.

The new LEDs were a small but welcome change as well. The soft white is a little less noticeable, especially when any reflection happens but still lets you know where to look in the dark. Check out a comparison between the two.

other 5

The last addition to the C922 was the background removal tool. Logitech partnered with Personify with this one. The tool only works with XSplit and OBS and basically, what you do to set it up (beyond installing the software) is point your OBS at the Personify ChromaCam for C922 camera over the regular C922 option. Then when you open up OBS it will load up Personify at the same time and start doing its work. In my testing, when you first load up OSB your entire PC will slowdown when loading up personify for the first few seconds. It defaults to the transparent background option but they have included a few Logitech themed backgrounds if you preferred to have a solid color background. There is a settings option, but you can only change a bar between performance and quality.

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As someone who streams, but doesn’t have a dedicated stream setup I don’t have any sort of backdrop behind me. In fact, I would consider my setup to be a worse case because behind me across the room is my wife's PC along with things on the wall. So I wasn’t all that shocked when I turned things on that it didn’t do the best job. It did cut out all of the background behind me, but at the same time it also struggled around the edges and in my hair. I was shocked it did a decent job around my shirt as it is the same color as my chair though.

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To give it a test in a slightly easier situation I also dropped a white background between me and the back of my chair and as you can see below it did a much better job. There was some cutoff on the left side where I didn’t have white still. I suspect if I had a more typical streaming setup with a lighter colored wall behind me the software would handle it. So, in the end, it really depends on your office configuration. You don’t need to go full green screen, but you do want your background to at least have a decent contrast.

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Overall and Final Verdict

Welp, it's official. Logitech is still the top dog in consumer webcams and they did it by not changing anything. The Logitech C922 Pro Stream Webcam has the same top of the class video performance that the C920 and the C910 before it had/have. That means crisp video when talking on skype or for your stream. This isn’t the only camera on the market with a 1080p resolution, in fact, most do. But the C922 still manages to look better in all lighting situations. The quick autofocus performance also helps, unless you go in for a complete close-up you aren’t even going to notice it ever go out of focus. But it CAN get an up close zoom of your eye that shows every detail, don’t ask me how I know. The mounting options mean you can hang the C922 from just about anywhere, including on top of monitors, sit it on your desk, or even use any standard camera mount. Logitech even includes their own tiny tripod for streamers looking to use the C922 on their desk.

As for complaints, I found it really hard to have any issue with the C922. The background removal tool that is one of the key streamer focused additions didn’t really do a great job in my situation, that’s about it though. My only real issues with the C922 are just me wishing to see Logitech make the big step forward. USB 3.0 has been out for officially for almost 8 years but in the past 4 most people have moved to PCs with it. Yet there still aren’t any consumer USB 3 based webcams. 4k and 1080p60 are everywhere including most smartphones but they still aren’t options for webcams.

Taking in all of the pros and cons, the C922 is an amazing webcam and it is great for streamers as Logitech set out to do. Officially it is listed with an MSRP of $99.99 but a look in any webstore will show you that it sells for less. Currently, it is $84.95 on Amazon and at that price, it isn’t too bad of a buy. The problem, however, isn’t with the competition, the C922 has to actually compete more with its brother the C920. It currently sells for $59.99 with the price dropping even lower than that from time to time. With the same video performance, you really have to decide if the white lights, tripod, and background removal tool are worth the additional $25. That said, you know Logitech is doing something right when the biggest decision when picking out a webcam is picking from the C922 or the C920. For me, I will be using the C922, but you won’t go wrong with either.

fv5tophonorseditorschoice

Live Pricing: HERE

Author Bio
garfi3ld
Author: garfi3ldWebsite: http://lanoc.org
Editor-in-chief
You might call him obsessed or just a hardcore geek. Wes's obsession with gaming hardware and gadgets isn't anything new, he could be found taking things apart even as a child. When not poking around in PC's he can be found playing League of Legends, Awesomenauts, or Civilization 5 or watching a wide variety of TV shows and Movies. A car guy at heart, the same things that draw him into tweaking cars apply when building good looking fast computers. If you are interested in writing for Wes here at LanOC you can reach out to him directly using our contact form.

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