When it comes to webcams, the options are insane. The number of companies making them and the number of options from each can be confusing at best. Well EPOS wants to make this choice easier for those who are running meetings on the move with the new EPOS EXPAND Vision 1.
Office meetings on the go
The on-the go aspect of this is pretty incredible. The whole unit is ever so slightly bigger than the smallest USB camera I have. With a clip that folds out, you can mount it onto any monitor, TV, or anything really, no matter where you are.
It all wraps up into a small and tidy looking case which nestles the came safely and has the USB-C cable in the net pocket on top. This tiny form factor is especially impressive when we hit up the quality it pumps out, or pumps in, as it were.
Office Quality, out of the office
The video quality on the EPOS EXPAND Vision 1 is insane. The video is in 4K which means that it is both good quality, and can be used for bigger rooms. This means you can duck into a meeting room or meeting area that doesn’t have any meeting room kit and have a great camera showing everyone.
Out of the box the camera captures a nice wide area. Using the software, you can change its view between being nice and wide, or focusing on one person depending on your needs.
The sound quality is easily good enough, but you may want to get an actual speaker/mic if you plan to use it for a busier meeting.
You gotta pay for quality
There is no getting past the price tag. On EPOS’s NZ website it has a recommended price of $409. Given the quality product here, that isn’t outrageous. But it is still likely out of many peoples’ price ranges. Since EPOS classifies it as an enterprise device, you can’t buy it directly from them. Online retailers have it for upwards of $700. If you can convince your boss to buy it, hopefully they can get it through Voda or Spark closer to the price EPOS has it going for.
Another little note is of course the USB-C to USB-C cable means you need a USB-C cable in your device. Most common laptops these days have them, but we all know what businesses are like, and if you are rocking an old HP EliteBook you may need to find an adapter.
The verdict
The EPOS EXPAND Vision 1 is an absolute banger of a webcam. If you can convince your boss you need one for your work laptop then you won’t regret it. The camera made me look better than the mirror does, so for that I kinda want to convince my boss to buy me one.
