The Logitech C310 isn’t the cheapest webcam on the market, but its certainly one of the most popular budget webcams around, and happens to be one of the most affordable products in the Logitech family, a brand well known for creating high-quality peripherals and webcams.
It was certainly a budget-buy back when it hit the market in 2010, and even now its listed on the Logitech webstore for $50 / £45, but the age of the Logitech C310 certainly brings its relevancy into question - does a 12 year old product still hold up after all these years? Surprisingly, yes, but only if you fit a certain demographic.
With only 720p / 30 fps to play with, this won’t be the top choice for content creators or streamers, and many modern laptops actually have a built-in webcam that outperforms the C310. This limits the webcams appeal to folks who exclusively use a desktop computer or laptop without a built-in camera, and those that don’t need to care too much about the quality of their broadcast at that.
If you want an affordable way to keep in touch with distant family and friends over a video call, or perhaps you have a child who needs to join an online class then the Logitech C310 will perform admirably, like an old but reliable workhorse. Still, if you want to look your best then there are better options on the market that cost just a smidgen less which might be worth saving up a bit longer for.
Specifications
Resolution: 720p
Field of view: 60 degrees
Frame rate: 30 fps
Digital zoom: x2 (no official app)
Inbuilt microphone: Yes
Autofocus: No
Privacy cover: No
Connection: USB-A
Key features
Compared to products like the Razer Kiyo or the Logitech StreamCam, the Logitech C310 is fairly barren of unique features. In a sense, you’re getting what you paid for though - a stripped back basic webcam used for occasional calls.
One of the few features you do get is automatic light correction which uses Logitech’s RightLight 2 to set the lighting on the main individual in frame, and then lightens or darkens the video accordingly. In low lighting and uneven lighting environments, it does an alright job of maintaining the light level of your shot, though this isn’t especially effective in a dark room. Instead, it maintains a consistent level of light if, say, you’re in front of a window and people keep walking by and blocking your light source.
The Logotech C310 also has a built in microphone that supposedly has noise reducing capabilities but we found this wasn’t especially effective. On a few test calls you could hear everything being said with enough clarity to understand someone. But also every noise coming from a noisy desktop PC and the entire street outside because of an open window.
Its safe to say that if you plan on buying the Logitech C310 that you need to have low expectations for the quality of your broadcast, or simply have no need of them if you just need a quick, affordable way of appearing on camera. For students this is still a great choice, especially if you can connect headphones with a stick microphone or even a dedicated USB mic to improve the poor audio.
Build and handling
The Logitech C310 is petite for a webcam, measuring in at 2.8 x 1.2 x 1 inches, and weighing just 2.5 ounces including the mounting clip and cable. Speaking of cable, it’s non-removable and 5 feet long with a standard USB-A connection, which makes it suitable for most computers or laptops besides recentl;y released ultrabooks, of which many lack a dedicated USB-A port.
The cable length is a little on the short side, but it shouldn’t cause too many issues if you plan on using it with a laptop, though desktop users may need to move their display closer to their systems for it to reach.
You don’t get a privacy cover or a tripod, nor does it have a standard tripod thread on the underside so your only mounting option is the claw-style grip thatv rests on your computer display. There are also no controls on the camera itself, but you’ll see a green light to the left side of the lens which will turn on when the camera is in use, notifying you that you’re being filmed.
Performance
: Recording quality is better than expected for a budget webcam. The quality might only be 720p, but many video conferencing applications like Google Meets and Zoom actually limit the resolution anyway, especially if there are more than two participants, so if you wanted something to use for school, college or even work meetings then it can hold its own.
This is great news for people looking for a cheap buy but want to avoid being scammed as many cheap webcams sold on third-party sites like eBay and Amazon can’t match the quality of brands like Logitech. You don’t always need to sacrific quality for cost.
That said, you can snap up an original Razer Kiyo for around $50-$65 dollars because it frequently goes on offer (also likely due to its age), and the quality is a significantly improvement on the Logitech C310. If you have the option to save a little more and wait for a sale, this will offer better performance all round and you even get a built-in light for dark environments.
Speaking of dark environments, while the automatic light correction on the C310 is admirable, there is a lot of background noise if you’re not in a brightly lit room. If you hate looking grainy, you’ll need additional lighting or a better webcam.
You’ll also want to be the only person in your shot as with just a 60-degree FOV you’ struggle to fit another individual in frame. Compared to the Logitech C920 (argueably the brands most iconic product) which offers a 78-degree FOV, this is less than ideal, but won’t cause any problems if you’ll be the only one using the webcam.
A small gripe is that while Logitech has its own camera hub software, Logitech Capture, the C310 isn’t recognised by it and so you can only make adjustments to settings such as brightness, zoom and saturation if you go digging aroundusing a third-party software.
Verdict:
The Logitech C310 certainly doesn’t shine as brightly as it once did, but it still has a place on the market for people who need a cheap webcam, especially if they don’t care about any funky features, and the Logitech name provides some quality assurance that users won’t always get from buying a brandless product elsewhere.
You can sometimes find it one sale which can bring the price down as low as $25 too, so if you need to grab a webcam for your kid to use in lessons or to hold your over while you transfer to remote working then its still a solid option - just be aware that most modern laptops have a built-in camera that can match it, and that there are better options available to you for only a smidgen more if you need them.
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