Best Webcam for Teaching Yoga on Zoom
Becca is the author of Teaching Yoga: Creative Cueing for Safer Mixed Level Classes. A long-time studio owner and teacher trainer, she now teaches online, blogs, and creates resources for other yoga teachers.
In March of 2020, many of us who teach yoga and fitness quickly pivoted to online content for our clients. We searched YouTube trying to figure out the best cameras, mics, lighting, and platforms. I had no idea at that time, that in 2024 I’d still be teaching yoga online!
After the initial rush to get online my tech set up has really evolved. I now believe the Logitech webcam all the techy Youtubers told us to buy wasn’t really the best for all of our needs when instructing yoga classes. Don’t get me wrong, it is a great webcam for some situations!
In this post, I’ll share how to get the most out of the popular Logitech cam if you already purchased one. I’ll also include some alternatives that I’ve found work better for me when teaching yoga online including using my iPhone as a webcam.
Why Not Use My Laptop Camera for Online Yoga Classes?
So first off, why did I buy that Logitech webcam to begin with? Why not use my laptop’s camera? The laptop I had did not have a great camera. It was dark and grainy. This is not unusual as the manufacturers of many laptops save money by skimping on the camera quality. Also trying to prop my laptop up on a stool or on a shelf to get a good shot was cumbersome.
When the Logitech Webcam Works Best and How to Improve it for Teaching Yoga Online
When I first started teaching yoga online on Zoom, I settled for using a Logitech webcam with a USB cord extender.
I like to use a long cord extender with whatever webcam I use as then I can more easily move the camera around to wherever I want. The Logitech webcam is designed to focus on faces that are a few feet away from the lens. It is great for business meetings, chats with friends, or teaching yoga workshops where we give a lecture sitting close to the camera. It also works pretty well for teaching the seated section of class, if we bring it a few feet from our mat. With the cam on a long cord I can move it in the middle of class if needed.
However, for the standing section of class, it performs adequately, but the focus is not great. This is because to get our entire body in the shot when standing we need to be 8 to 12 feet away. Like I said above, webcams are designed to focus on faces that are closer. Due to this, sometimes in the middle of yoga class, it doesn’t know what to focus on, and the picture goes fuzzy. If there is a small plant or other item closer to the camera, then it might decide to focus on that! This is due to the auto-focus that comes standard with the webcam.
Download the Logitech Software and Turn Off Auto-Focus
The best way to improve the auto-focus issue is to download the software that Logitech provides with the webcam called Logi Tune and turn OFF the auto-focus. (Ignore the noise on YouTube that says to break open the cam and use a screwdriver on it, lol. One guy started that idea and then they all copied it. What if you want to also use it for closer shots? Also, you might break it.)
Note that Logitech changes and updates the software and the current version may or may not be available for whatever operating system you are using. Here is the link for the latest version of Logi Tune. (Note: If you also use your webcam for gaming and other streaming, you might want to visit Logitech’s main download page and check out their more comprehensive app, the Logitech G-Hub).
Downloading and installing the Logi Tune app on my iMac only took a few minutes. Once I launched it, I had to choose which of their webcams I own. After I picked my cam, it immediately connected, and I then clicked on “image adjustments.” Boom, there was a toggle switch for turning off the auto-focus. If you have a Logitech camera and you like it, this is a quick and easy fix to the auto-focus issue. You can also make other fun adjustments like brightness, contrast, saturation, and sharpness.
Using our Smartphone as a Webcam for Teaching Yoga Online
For me though, even with turning off the auto-focus, I wasn’t satisfied with the quality of the image. However, I didn’t want to spend the money on a DSLR camera (the high-end option). So at first, I started using this app called Camo. It’s a great app and is probably still one of the better choices. Camo works great to turn your phone into a webcam and has a lot of options for adjusting the picture. And the Camo basic version is free!
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In 2022, Apple came out with a great solution that I now use. If you are a Mac user, and your Mac has macOS 13 or later and your iPhone has iOS 16 or later, then you can use the Mac continuity camera. It easily connects your phone within Zoom and other apps as your webcam.
For my Zoom yoga classes, I don’t want any issues with Bluetooth cropping up, so I use a cord to connect my phone to my iMac. When I launch Zoom and I look at the video options, I magically find my iPhone listed as an option. It’s really that easy.
The picture quality for the full body shots is noticeably better than the Logitech webcam and the built-in computer camera. I asked a few of my longtime students to get on Zoom with me and help choose which camera or webcam provided the best picture, and everyone voted for using my iPhone as my webcam. Read more about this option on the Apple website.
I could go on about this tech stuff FOREVER, so I’ll stop here for today. Want me to cover more about my set up? Let me know in the comments and I’m happy to share more. ♢
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