Logitech Brio vs Streamcam vs C920 vs AVerMedia PW513

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Last updated July 2022.

The 4 webcams being compared here are some of the most popular and are of diverse price ranges: Logitech C920 vs Logitech Streamcam vs Logitech Brio vs AVerMedia Live Streamer CAM 513 (PW513).

I’ve also created a separate article where I’ve swapped out the PW513 and C920 with the Razer Kiyo and Razer Kiyo Pro. I’ve reviewed too many devices to stuff into one article, so check my home page for the over dozen devices I’ve compared.

Left to right: Logitech C920, AVerMedia PW513, Logitech Brio, Logitech Streamcam.

Price
Specifications
Image Quality
Focus
Microphone Quality
Verdict

Price

I bought my AVerMedia PW513 for $250, the Logitech Streamcam for $170, the Logitech Brio for $150, and the Logitech C920 for about $50. All links are to Amazon, and as of this writing I’m aware that there are massive shortages in supply inflating prices.

Specifications

Logitech C920: 1080p, 30 FPS. 78 degree field of view (diagonal). USB 2.0.
Logitech Streamcam: 1080p, 60 FPS. 78 degree field of view (diagonal). USB type C. For a USB 3.0 slot, requires a USB type C female to USB A male converter (Amazon).
Logitech Brio: 4K, 30 FPS or 1080p, 60 FPS. 90 degree field of view (diagonal). USB 3.0.
AverMedia PW513: 4K, 30 FPS or 1080p, 60 FPS. 94 degree field of view (diagonal). USB 3.0.

All four devices have a 1/4th inch tripod thread at the bottom. You have to pull apart the Brio’s monitor clip to access that one, and the Streamcam comes with a separate tripod clip and a small tripod in the box.

Each device also has a built in microphone. Audio samples are near the end of this review. Only the PW513 has a privacy cover.

Image quality

Footage from all 4 webcams were recorded with manual settings. They are also zoomed out to their max so you can compare their field of view. The Brio and PW513 were recorded in 4K. The Streamcam and C920 were 1080p. The lighting conditions I’ll be comparing are: daylight only, indoor low light, and studio lighting.

Since this comparison was originally done, AVerMedia has released a firmware update to the PW513 which allows for better manual settings control. The video at the top of the page still shows pre-patch footage, but the images in the article are with the latest updates applied.

Daylight only

These shots are with the blinds closed and daylight coming in through the window. The angle is not optimal; a better position would be me facing the window. I used this positioning because it’s a very common backdrop for everyday use like Zoom meetings.

The C920 is the darkest in these conditions, but it doesn’t do too much worse than the Streamcam and the image is still usable. The Streamcam will show off its color reproduction in later images, but it’s helpless in that regard without adequate light.

The Logitech Brio does the best here and it is able to retain the colors the best without making the entire scene look like it’s in a cave. The AVerMedia PW513 gets wrecked in the color department with a weird green tint, but at least it is able to maintain a brighter image than the two 1080p webcams without an increase in grain.

In moderate lighting settings, the Logitech Brio is the best overall. As I’ll soon show, however, even the C920 can beat out the above images of all 3 of the much more expensive options if you give that one studio light. Proper lighting and settings are more important than the webcam itself.

Indoor Low Light

This scene is lit only by an overhead light. Every single one of these webcams get bodied in low light. The C920 is almost completely unusable, and the other 3 are super grainy and just low quality. I wanted to demonstrate this to show that whether you spend $50 or $250, it doesn’t matter without the right lights. I currently use an Elgato Ring Light (my review) to illuminate my shots.

Studio Lighting (Night)

In these night time shots, I have an Elgato Ring Light in the front, two LimoStudio lights, and my background is lit by an Elgato Key Light. Yes, the lighting is overkill for the average streamer, but I wanted to get these webcams in the best possible environment so there is no doubt which webcam is the best.

If I didn’t label them, could you even tell the difference between the C920 and Streamcam? That’s how big of a deal lighting is. They both show off even better colors then the two 4K options here! The Streamcam has the most accurate colors overall, and the Brio and PW513 are naturally sharper because they’re in 4K. The PW513 continues to struggle with colors, but it shows off some impressive dynamic range and is slightly crisper than the Brio.

Best 4K Webcam: Logitech Brio vs AVerMedia PW513

If you’re looking for the best 4K webcam specifically, the battle to watch is the Logitech Brio vs AVerMedia PW513. These images were both taken with studio lights plus daylight.

The biggest weakness of the PW513 is its color accuracy. This is shown perfectly in the above images. By default, the PW513 just couldn’t recreate my skin tone at all. By adjusting the hue, it got much closer, but at the expense of making my lips and the skin surrounding my eyes super pink. I go into more detail on my attempts to fix the colors to no avail in my PW513 review.

The Brio’s FOV isn’t quite as wide and it’s a bit less sharp, but it still looks better in any given lighting situation.

Focus

The Logitech C920, Streamcam, and Brio all have autofocus, but the AVerMedia Live Streamer CAM 513 is a fixed focus device. That’s problematic when you want to show off something small close to the camera, but for normal use I find it better to turn off the focus on these webcams anyway if possible.

I tried filming some workout videos and a capture card installation tutorial with the Logitech Streamcam’s autofocus and it was a nightmare. The Streamcam can never really tell exactly where you are. The Brio and C920’s autofocus are much faster, but even they randomly lose focus occasionally.

Microphone Quality

Microphone audio quality is an often overlooked feature of webcams… for good reason! The audio on all of these devices is wack. But I’ve included samples of them so you can hear for yourself anyway.

If you don’t have access to an external microphone then these will still work, but I recommend pairing any of these with a better mic like the Razer Seiren Mini or Fifine K669B (my reviews). Audio quality was probably the single biggest complaint of my older content, and it will definitely annoy those on the other end of a video conference or fellow Twitch viewers.

Verdict

Best overall webcam

The best webcam in this comparison and the one I recommend is the Logitech Brio. It beats out all three competitors in moderate light and bests Logitech’s own Streamcam and C920 in terms of field of view.

However, it trails behind the Streamcam in color accuracy and the AVerMedia Live Streamer CAM 513 beats it slightly in sharpness. 4K really gives the Brio a significant advantage over the Streamcam and C920, and the PW513 just can’t compete with its abysmal colors.

UPDATE: Several months after this comparison, Nexigo launched the N970P which I’ve compared directly with the Brio in this video.

Best budget webcam

If you’re on a budget, I suggest getting the Logitech C920 and then some good lighting. It doesn’t beat any of the other webcams head to head in any category, but it never falls super far behind either.

If you want to maximize your webcam’s quality, also consider checking out my manual webcam settings guide.

Product Listings

Logitech Brio: https://amzn.to/330gYo0
Logitech Streamcam: https://amzn.to/2vNMCJi
Logitech C920: https://amzn.to/2HmeWHn
AVerMedia PW513: https://amzn.to/3kL0kQE
Elgato Ring Light https://amzn.to/34K9fvK

Logitech Brio vs Streamcam vs C920 vs AVerMedia PW513

Price

Specifications