Zoom Webcam Quality

[Scarlett]

I’ve just started to use my new laptop Windows 7 for zoom, and noticed that my picture of myself is much worse quality “,vI’ve just started to use my new laptop Windows 7 for zoom, and noticed that my picture of myself is much worse quality, blurry, and fuzzy than everybody else’s. They are all using Apple products. I’ve gone into the WebCam settings and I think I’m on the top level of quality. Is there anything I can do about this or am I stuck with a pretty poor inbuilt WebCam?

[Gizmonster]

Is there a protective tab over the webcam camera??
This happened to me a while ago with the camera on my mobile - it took quite a while before a realised that there was a plastic cover over the lens :P

[Scarlett]

Interesting! Any idea where I’d find the webcam on the laptop?!

[Tilly2]

In the middle of the inside lid, above the screen.

[Scarlett]

Ah- I’ve checked and there’s nothing over the lens !

[bednobs]

clean it with a babywipe

[barry1010]

Are you sure it is a new laptop?

[bednobs]

maybe scarlett means new to her - it's unusual to get windows 7 in a brand new lap top now isn't it?

[Scarlett]

Apologies- it’s Windows 10, and is new as far as I know!! Cost £700 so should be !

[barry1010]

It was the W7 had me doubting it was a new laptop. What make and model is it?

[Scarlett]

ASUS 15.6 Laptop
Does that sound right?

[barry1010]

That's the make but not the model - that's the screen size

[barry1010]

Does this help?
https://www.techwalla.com/articles/how-to-adjust-an-asus-webcam

[Scarlett]

M509D

[barry1010]

Check that the camera driver doesn't need updating - this tells you how
https://www.asus.com/me-en/support/faq/109836/#C4

[Scarlett]

Sorry Barry, I can’t follow the steps. Think it must be a different set up to mine.

[barry1010]

Have you got a search box bottom left of your screen? If you have
1. Type device manager in the box
2. Click on device manager in the pop up panel (it will be at the top)
3. Click on the little down arrow to the left of camera.
4. Right click on your camera and 'update driver'.
5. Click 'search automatically for updated driver'.

It really only takes a minute - mine tells me that I have the most recent driver.

[Buenchico]

The Asus M509D is equipped with the most basic level of webcam there is these days. ('VGA', which only provides a 640 x 480 resolution. Any decent laptop webcam will have a resolution of at least '720p'). So the image quality is bound to be poor.

It seems to be a very strange laptop anyway, coming equipped with a micro-SD card reader but no SD card reader, for example. It's not too bad a machine (if you can put up with the rubbish webcam) if you only pay the £460 price tag for it that can be found on reputable websites but, in my opinion, it ain't worth anything like seven hundred quid!

[Scarlett]

Well tonight it wouldn’t even switch on. When I held the button down the logo would come up, spinning wheel for two secs and then black screen. Repeat. The shop that sold it to me said I have to go to the makers, not him.

[Buenchico]

Keep trying to get Windows to boot. After it's failed three times (with you then powering off the laptop on each occasion) it should launch the Windows repair facility:

[Buenchico]

If that doesn't work, remind the vendor that your contract is with him, and NOT with the manufacturer, and it's his job to put things right:
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/Public/Campaigns/cra/ConsumerRightsSummary-GoodsF2F.pdf