Logitech Brio Ultra HD Pro 4K webcam V-U0040 – HDR, Windows Hello, and lots of pixels for a better image (UC review)

The Logitech Brio Ultra HD Pro 4K webcam has been around for a while – it was one of the first 4K webcams and has stood the test of time. Until recently, it was the most technically advanced – and with Windows Hello IR camera capability, in some ways, it still is.

At $349.95, it is also Logitech’s most expensive prosumer/business webcam – fifty dollars over the Brio 4K Pro. That shares the same optics and Windows Hello capability but has a 1-year consumer warranty and is certified for consumer video conference apps. Typical users should look at the Brio 4K Pro as the extra features on the Ultra are more for prosumer use.

Australian Review: Logitech Brio Ultra HD Pro 4K webcam Model V-U0040

Website	Product range and Product Page
Price	$349.95 but shop around, and you may save 20%
Warranty	3-years ACL
From	Logitech online or CE and IT retailers
Company	Logitech (Est 1981) is a Swiss-American computer peripherals and software manufacturer with headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland and Newark, California. It is best known for keyboards and mice.
More	CyberShack Logitech news and reviews

First impression

It is typical Logitech – a stylish rounded rectangle (102 x 27 x 27 (L/W/D) with a monitor clip larger than it is. It also has a ¼” tripod mount.

A large 4K capable, 8-bit, 16.7m colour autofocus lens, an activity LED, an IR sensor, IR LED, and dual stereo mics are on the front. The box includes a detachable privacy shutter and a 2.2m USB-A to USB-C cable. The 4K image requires USB 3.0 or later, and FHD requires USB 2.0.

You can use it straight out of the box, but the App enables firmware updates and stores the settings – there is no on-camera storage or processing.

The App – Logi Tune

Logi Tune (13 April 2022) seems to be a dumbed-down version of older Logitech Capture. It adjusts

• Field of View (FOV) 65/78/90°
• 5X digital zoom (at 1080p)
• RealLight 3 auto light correction
• Enables autofocus on/off (the lens is fixed focus, and this enables electronic focus)
• Colour tones/filters – Original, Bright, Blossom, Forest, Filk, Glaze and mono
• Auto exposure
• Auto white balance
• Brightness, contrast, saturation and sharpness
• PAL or NTSC flicker reduction
• HDR

We downloaded Logitech Capture (V2.08.11 10/11/21), and it still works with the Brio (and Logitech Stream Cam). These are the additional feature over Logi Tune: set preferences for maintaining frame rate or exposure; Chroma key, horizontal/vertical image flip; watermark; text overlay; background; filters, borders, transitions; change recording folder; change video encoder (Intel Quick Sync); NVIDIA NVENC and Open H.264); framing grid; split and PIP screen; set ALT key actions and more. These go into your profile on the PC, and you must have Logitech Capture running to use the settings.

Tests

We test at <40 (night), 200 (reading), 400 (office) and 1000+ lumens. The camera displayed a clear, bright picture at 200 lumens or more. It was acceptable at 40-100 lumens but struggled with HDR.

Auto HDR worked well at >100 lumens with adequate detail in shadows and highlights. Although the colours are not as saturated, the Bright filter fixed that and extended the dynamic range.

Sorry, Windows screengrab deactivates the camera preview – so no pics.

Low light or looking too craggy?

Use the soft light Logitech Litra Glow – it is a video light with benefits (review) from the front and slightly above will even out skin blemishes and wrinkles. Highly recommended, and you will find the colour temperature and intensity that suits you.

Resolution

Missing from the App was the ability to select resolutions. However, this is generally dependent on the video application in use. So, while it can do 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps and 720p@30/60fps, you need to select that in the application.

Windows camera App shows an 8.3MP 3840 x 2160 still or video image (or less), and we guess that as it has electronic zoom, the sensor is larger – about 12MP.

Voice

It has two forward-facing mics for stereo. These are good to about 1 meter but only have basic background noise reduction – you need an extra mic and onboard smarts to do that properly. I would give its voice quality 8/10, but that is enough not to need a separate mic.

UC Use

It works with any video app as a standard webcam and is certified for Microsoft Teams; Skype for Business; Cortana; and Windows Hello; BlueJeans; Cisco Webex/Jabber; Fuze; Google Meet; GoToMeeting; Lifesize Cloud; Pexip; RingCentral Video; Vidyo; and Zoom. Certification enables better use of its features.

Mounting

It has an integrated monitor stand and a ¼” tripod hole mount. The monitor stand also acts as a desktop foot.

CyberShack’s view – Logitech Brio 4K webcam is very good value

To be fair, we have just completed the class-leading Jabra PanaCast 20 4K webcam review. It is amazing how far tech has come since the launch of the 2018 ground-breaking Logitech Brio Ultra HD Pro 4K webcam.

The main difference is that the Jabra has AI and onboard processing, and that is why this superb webcam costs $559 versus $349.95 for the Logitech Brio Ultra HD Pro 4K.

Would I buy the Logitech Brio Ultra HD Pro 4K? Absolutely. Not everyone needs the Jabra PanaCast 20 AI, and the Brio is pretty close for a lot less. In fact, the average user would be over the moon with the Brio 4K Pro at $299.

Do you need 4K? No. It is nice, but frankly, 1080p@30fps is about right for webcams. In fact, many video conference Apps reduce the quality to 720 or 1080 anyway.