There are two significant limitations with your built-in webcam. One, you can’t upgrade it beyond your manufacturer’s specs. Two, you can’t move it independently.
My first webcam upgrade was a
Logitech C960. It’s a 1080P webcam, which is a nice upgrade over the 780P camera in my MacBook.
I made a massive upgrade to my video this year just before the pandemic hit. In my case, it starts with a
Sony Alpha a6400, that’s connected to a
Elgato Cam Link 4K USB adapter. It’s hard to beat the glass lens and bigger sensor from good camera improvement. You can’t always see the highest quality on every video call, but it’s easy to spot when I record and upload a video.
You can mount this camera on a tripod on your desk, but I wanted something more secure. The
Elgato Master Mount L gives me exactly what I want. It mounts to my desk with a clamp, and the
Flex Arm extends my camera out over my desk to create a nice frame with my camera.