The EPOS EXPAND VISION 1 is a 4K webcam certified for use with Microsoft Teams and Zoom with an RRP of $379. Read on to find out if it’s worth spending that much on a webcam.
Unboxing and Setup
What’s in the box is the EPOS EXPAND Vision 1, a 1.2m USB-C 3.0 cable, a zippable carry case and paperwork. Cleverly the setup instructions are printed on the box under the lid, saving packing materials.
Setup is easy after installing the EPOS Connect software it’s essentially a plug and play device.
EPOS Connect
The webcam software allows you to change settings and choose whether the camera is zoomed in close, at a standard field of view or wide-angle as well as for visual adjustments such as colour temperature, mirroring the image etc. The software also enables firmware updates for the webcam to fix bugs and improve features.
Specifications
- Color: Black
- Weight: 83.5 g
- Dimensions: (W x H x L) 58.4 x 29.4 x 42.5 mm
- Microphone 2 x omni-directional microphones with noise cancelling
- Microphone coverage: 180° optimal voice pickup area
- Effective microphone range: 3 m
- Microphone frequency response: 110 – 10.000 Hz
- Camera: 4K wide-angle
- Lens type: 7 element low distortion lens
- Video resolution: Up to 2160p (UHD) @ 60fps
- Zoom: 8x digital, Pan-tilt-zoom: (PTZ) ePTZ
- Field of view (FOV): 90° (Horizontal) / 56° (Vertical) / 95° (Diagonal)
- Video standards: MJPEG, H.264, YUV
- Focus: Fixed with large depth of field for focus up to 3.5 m away
- Automatic light correction: Optimized for best picture quality in various light conditions
- Mounting Options: Integrated laptop clip, 1/4” thread for tripod mounting
Should you buy the EPOS EXPAND VISION 1?
The webcam is well built with a cool feeling metal case, is lightweight with a compact size, fits into the palm of my hand and has excellent microphones for good quality sound.
For what it does, the EPOS software works fine but I prefer webcam software that can automatically zoom in to my face, focus on me whether I’m near or far and follow me when I move. Having to choose wide/standard/zoom manually feels substandard for a webcam that costs this much.
The conundrum with this device is that while the hardware is cleverly designed and has excellent build quality, what’s the point of a 4K webcam when none of the most commonly used corporate video meeting apps like Zoom and Teams etc use 4K video?
It’s like the webcam hardware has teleported here from a future where video conferencing apps transmit and receive in 4K, and the webcam software is from the past lacking features like face following and filters.
The kinds of people I can suggest the EPOS EXPAND VISION 1 for are those who use their webcam for meetings as well as recording 4K videos for publishing later such as lectures, training talks, video podcasts etc. on their Youtube or Vimeo channels.
For everyone else, I’d suggest sticking with a tried and tested 1080p HD webcam such as the Logitech c920 which costs about half the price of the EPOS EXPAND VISION 1.
Disclosure Statement
EPOS have not requested the return of the unit
Neerav, what your review misses, is what should have been sheeted home to device designers and manufacturers, as a result of the rise of WFH and video conferencing due to COVID –
That decent lighting MATTERS, a lot, and a webcam without decent lighting built in, simply will not be able to give good results in all environmental lighting situations.