Over the past couple of years, humanity has learned to work from home. It is a pity, however, that for this we have to go through a pandemic. However, most people can now call colleagues from home without any problem. But the quality of the cameras built into laptops, alas, leaves much to be desired. And that’s the best thing – an external webcam. In fact, any will do, but today we will look at a rather convenient option – the new JPL Vision Mini with a very convenient design.
The box for this JPL webcam is as compact as possible. There isn’t even an instruction, it’s just printed on the inside of the package. The set includes only a camera and a shutter to cover the lens and be sure that no one is watching. And that’s all, imagine. No bags, unnecessary waste paper and other things, that’s true minimalism.
The appearance of the JPL Vision Mini camera, in fact, is also uncomplicated and very classic. Slightly matte plastic, a pair of microphones on the sides, a rather large “pupil” of the lens. The JPL Vision Mini is similar in performance to the JPL Vision + webcam, but has a more compact, lightweight design. The camera measures 72 x 33 x 31.7 mm.
But the mount on the monitor is very convenient. This is a three-position unit, rather weighty, with a rubber insert on the persistent part, thanks to which the camera can be hung on any monitor, be it a laptop screen, an external flat display or even a TV. In general, the thickness of the screen does not matter, it will suit everything.
Another important feature is the 360-degree rotation of the camera, which you will not find in every model. Yes, there is a wire here, so you have to throw it over somehow, but if you need a camera that can take pictures of yourself and, for example, a client. Or, if you need to tilt it to show documents, something on the table, etc. In general, you can design the cases yourself, the main thing is that the JPL Vision Mini has a turn in any direction
And of course, an important nuance is a separate massive shutter for the camera. It’s strange that it wasn’t made of metal, to be sure. But this is a special cover made of thick plastic that is glued to the camera with 3M tape and if you are not using the camera at the moment, you can close it. Looks impressive, I confess. But I am sure that no one will peep at me through her.
The camera connects automatically and that’s great. Just plug the cable from the camera into the USB port and everything works. The picture quality is vividly good. The JPL Vision Mini can shoot video up to FullHD (1920×1080 pixels) at up to 30 frames per second. To shoot, the camera needs a little light, which is usually not a problem in the office. But at home you may need to turn on a couple of lamps, yet the dynamic range here is worse than in modern smartphones. The camera’s viewing angle is not super-wide, but at a distance of 0.5 meters it captures a person and another 40 centimeters from the sides, so this is great for video conferencing.
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