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I would like to have the ease of use of a webcam (plug it in via usb and it works), and the quality of a dedicated camera. And a possibility to make some presets (focus, zoom, crop, white balance), that are on by default and can be switched easily.

It doesn’t have to be perfect, just better than a standard Logitech Webcam. If it would be in the quality range of an iPhone camera, I would be super happy.

Any ideas what to buy?

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These look neat but not widely available yet: https://opalcamera.com

Yes, something like that. But not Mac-only and without a 4 usd per month subscription service to use it…

For what it's worth, the camera itself functions just fine without the additional software (which currently still has its quarks). I'm sure you could replicate at least most of the software functionality with OBS if you really wanted to.

Do you have a spare smartphone lying around? Install Camo or any other alternative on it. Connect your smartphone via USB, launch the app, and you're done.

https://reincubate.com/camo/

This is way too brittle. What happens if someone calls me? Then I need to check if the smartphone is on, open the app, make sure it’s connected.

I want it to just work. With zero overhead.

Disable any sleep function on the smartphone and keep it connected to an USB port with the app opened?

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