Logitech just debuted the Reach, an overhead webcam that makes it easy to stream or record objects that are sitting on your desk. The Reach is mainly aimed at online educators, though it’s a compelling concept for anyone who needs to stream or record illustrations, board games, LEGO builds, food preparation, or any other action that happens on a flat surface. While Logitech hasn’t revealed pricing for the Reach, customers who sign up for launch day email alerts will receive an unspecified discount toward Reach’s Indiegogo campaign (which isn’t live just yet).
The Logitech Reach is a pretty simple concept: it’s a 1080p 60 FPS webcam mounted to a T-shaped bracket. You can adjust the camera on both a horizontal and vertical axis (“height” and “reach”), or you can tilt it to get the perfect angle. A button on the Reach webcam activates 4.3x optical zoom, while autofocus ensures that you always get a detailed picture.
And, interestingly, a ring on this camera’s lens shows you the orientation of your image—this allows you to determine and correct image orientation on the fly, though as Logitech notes, you can actually hold this ring while pivoting the camera to retain its orientation.
To be perfectly clear, the Logitech Reach isn’t a new concept. You can stick any tripod-mountable webcam or DSLR on an overhead mount. In fact, you can even do it with your iPhone (the Mac can use the iPhone as a wireless webcam), and Logitech’s Brio 500 webcam can tilt down to capture items on your desktop.
But the Logitech Reach is notable for a few reasons. Obviously, it’s a purpose-made solution, so you don’t need to buy any additional accessories. But it’s also got that orientation marker and 4.3x optical zoom button — these two tools are incredibly useful and give the Logitech Reach some flexibility that other solutions lack. Oh, also, Logitech Reach comes with both a freestanding mount and a desk clamp, so it can adapt to different situations right out of the box.
We still don’t know the launch date or pricing for Logitech’s Reach webcam. But “to drive real-market validation,” Logitech will launch this product through an Indiegogo campaign. To receive an unspecified discount when the campaign goes live, sign up for launch day email alerts.
Source: Logitech
