Today I'm taking a look at this JLab Pop Cam. My main goal is to see if it can replace my current top-down camera, which has a frustrating issue. I also think it would be useful to do a side-by-side comparison with the Sony A6000 that I use as my main webcam. It's important for me to mention that I was sent this camera at no cost. However, this is my own independent review, and no company had any say in the actual content of the video or this article.
Check out the YouTube video for more tests and information:
If you are curious about the camera you can check it out through the built-in product links in that YouTube video, or my links here:
- Amazon: https://amzn.to/4eY1tlD
- ebay: https://ebay.us/KbOx7Q
- Best Buy: https://bestbuycreators.7tiv.net/Qjvyzx
As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases! It's more about time from the click rather than what you buy. Usually anything within 24 hours of the visit.
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| The JLab Pop Cam in its retail packaging |
JLab Pop Cam Specifications
Looking at the box, the specifications are pretty straightforward for a webcam. It features a 1080p resolution that captures video at 30 frames per second. The camera has a 2.1-megapixel sensor, an 80-degree field of view with fixed focus, and an adjustable clip. It's compatible with PC, Mac, and Chromebook. The camera also includes a built-in privacy shutter and has an attached five-foot USB-A cable.
For those who may not be familiar with these terms, 1080p is a common high-definition video resolution, offering a clear and detailed picture for most uses. Megapixels refer to the number of pixels in the sensor; while higher is often better, 2.1 megapixels is standard for a 1080p video stream. The 80-degree field of view describes how wide of an angle the camera can capture, with 80 degrees being a good middle ground that can show a person and some of their background without being overly distorted like a fisheye lens.
The Problem with My Old Top-Down Camera
My current top-down camera is a C-mount style camera I picked up on Aliexpress. While having an interchangeable lens is nice for adjusting focus and zoom, this specific camera module has a major flaw because it can only do auto exposure. When I put objects in the frame or take them out, the exposure of the entire frame changes dramatically. This is frustrating when trying to record consistent video.
My hope is that the JLab Pop Cam, while simpler, will at least allow me to lock the exposure settings and provide a more stable image.
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| The instruction manual highlights the very useful quarter-20 threaded attachment for tripod-type mounts. |
Unboxing and Key Features
The camera itself is compact and has multiple degrees of adjustment. You can rotate it and tilt it up and down. There is also an LED on the front that indicates when the camera is active, which is a nice secondary confirmation in addition to the physical privacy shutter.
One feature that is going to be super helpful to me personally is the threaded tripod connection, also known as a 1/4th-20" mount, on the bottom of the clip. This allows it to be mounted on standard tripods and mounting arms.
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| What the webcam looks like after trying to adjust image quality. |
Performance and Control in OBS
When I plugged the camera in, it was nice to see that it has its own name in the device list in OBS, "JLab Pop Cam," instead of a generic "USB Webcam" label. This makes it much easier to manage multiple cameras.
Right off the bat, the biggest benefit to me is that the exposure setting works in OBS. I can go into the video configuration and manually set the exposure, which solves the main problem I had with my old camera. (to a degree... the slider isn't exactly fine control).
The image quality isn't amazing, especially compared to my mirrorless camera setup. I found that I could also set the color range to "Full" and the camera still functioned, which is something many webcams I've used have not been able to do.
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| A side-by-side comparison of the Sony A6000 (left) and the JLab Pop Cam (right). |
Compared to a mirrorless camera with an APS-C sensor and a nice lens, the JLab Pop Cam is obviously not going to be nearly as good. However, it can be functional depending on what you're trying to do with it. For my use case of having a smaller, secondary view of things on screen, it's pretty decent, and the ability to set the exposure is the most important part.
The Pop Cam as a Top-Down Replacement
With the quarter-20 tripod connection, I can connect the camera to my mounting arm without any issue. As a top-down camera, it works. It's much wider than my old C-mount camera, but I can adjust that by cropping the source in OBS. So, while I lose some of the zoom and focus functionality of a C-mount lens, I gain a much more consistent and reliable video experience. Since it's a fixed-focus lens, it's not going to be ideal for showing very close-up details, but for general top-down views, there are options.
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| The video feed from the JLab Pop Cam being used in a top-down camera setup. |
One thing to consider with cameras like this is that sometimes the settings won't save after you restart your computer. However, it's possible to find scripts for OBS that can automatically reapply your preferred settings for standard webcams every time they start.
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| This is what happens when auto exposure is enabled in OBS with this webcam. |
Final Thoughts
Overall, the JLab Pop Cam is not a terrible camera. For my personal setup, replacing a top-down camera that had uncontrollable exposure, this is a nice benefit. The quality isn't amazing, but I was able to adjust the settings to get the color decently close to my main camera setup.
You have to keep in mind that a camera in this class isn't going to produce an amazing image. But for specific situations like needing additional cameras, top-down views, or a simple webcam for video calls, it is decently functional. The built-in tripod mount is very helpful and the manual controls in OBS work as they should (although they don't have a lot of fine grain control while adjusting them).