EPOS Expand Vision 1 webcam evaluation: It needs to get a grip

At a look

Expert’s Rating

Pros

4K picture high quality is fairly good in sure circumstances
Excellent mic high quality
Two-year guarantee

Cons

Poor design limits what shows it will possibly join to
The EPOS management app guarantees greater than it delivers

Our Verdict

The EPOS Expand Vision 1 proves to be extra bother than it’s value, even for a 4K webcam.

Best Prices Today: EPOS Expand Vision 1

$177.52

$177.99

The EPOS Expand Vision 1 webcam is probably the smallest 4K, 30Hz webcam we’ve seen, a compact little system that comes with its personal nifty carrying case. But no matter EPOS did to shrink this webcam down sacrificed one thing important: It has bother merely holding on to some shows.

Simply put, that is a kind of merchandise that may give you the results you want, or it may not—and at over $150, you may not need to take care of the effort of discovering out.

We actually don’t have many complaints with both the 4K webcam itself or the built-in twin noise-cancelling mics. A small dial constructed into the webcam closes a {hardware} iris that serves a privateness shutter, and a small white LED alerts when the digicam is energetic.

Further studying: See our roundup of the perfect webcams to study competing merchandise.

EPOS is without doubt one of the few webcam producers to bundle every part inside a good protecting carrying case, which the compact (2.3 x 1.2 x 1.7in) webcam neatly matches into. It’s the angled USB-C connector that alerts one thing’s a little totally different about this digicam, nonetheless. The cable is comparatively prolonged, at about 46 inches, lengthy sufficient to enable the webcam to perch on prime of a desktop monitor. That’s the place the issues begin.

Webcams don’t want to be deep, however they often are. Take the eMeet SmartCam C960: It’s not a significantly fairly webcam, with a digicam meeting that’s simply over an inch deep. The Expand Vision 1 is analogous, or about 1.2 inches at most. But eMeet wasn’t afraid to connect it to a base that’s nearly 2.5 inches lengthy, and so the C960 does its job: it comfortably grips just about all the shows you’ll need to connect it to.

The EPOS Expand Vision 1’s clamp doesn’t lengthen far sufficient, in order that the digicam can’t grasp greater shows. Instead, it merely balances upon them.

EPOS sacrifices this flexibility in favor of aesthetics. EPOS makes use of a related “jaws” design to enable the webcam to seize on to a monitor, however the ridges aren’t lengthy sufficient or pronounced sufficient to present strong contact. To be truthful, the Expand Vision 1 held properly to one desktop monitor. Another, a barely thicker show aimed on the skilled house, merely was too thick for the Expand Vision 1. I managed to match the Expand Vision 1 onto my laptop computer, however I had to tilt the show to accommodate the digicam as a result of the entrance jaw or tooth wasn’t lengthy sufficient. It was simply an excessive amount of problem to align correctly, not to mention really use.

Fortunately, the pictures the digicam produces are fairly good. It was a little stunning how properly the Expand Vision 1 did in what I take into account a extra dimly-lit workplace surroundings in contrast to a extra brightly-lit room upstairs. While the EPOS documentation claims that this webcam can shoot video at up to 4K at 60Hz, Windows reported that this webcam would solely shoot video at 30Hz, in any respect of its supported resolutions.

EPOS Expand Vision 1 office — We’ve used a screenshot of the Windows Camera app to exhibit the EPOS Expand Vision 1 in a downstairs workplace. The picture seems fairly good.

Mark Hachman / IDG

EPOS does ask you to obtain a utility that may assist management the Expand Vision 1. At first the utility couldn’t discover the digicam; I had to re-connect a second time for the 2 to pair.

There’s actually no level in utilizing it, although. The utility guarantees pan and zoom options, in addition to a controllable subject of view from a “wide angle” to a closeup. The modifications are infinitesimal, nonetheless. The white steadiness is barely higher, although not by a lot.

The one plus? As you would possibly count on from a firm whose official identify is EPOS Audio, this webcam’s mics are wonderful.

EPOS Expand Vision 1 upstairs — The 4K digicam exhibits off a wall that needs to be painted. But this isn’t actually a nice picture for a variety of causes.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Should you purchase the EPOS Expand Vision 1?

Simply put, the webcam market is simply too aggressive for us to suggest a webcam with the shortcomings of the EPOS Expand Vision 1. Again, you might discover that this compact webcam matches your monitor. But with points connecting to laptops in addition to thicker shows, we don’t suggest that you just purchase it.