I do livestreams on YouTube and until recently I was using a DSLR camera, but I got tired of the setup and started feeling sorry for it, as they are not recommended for long videos and live previews (they wear out and get damaged). I wanted to get a webcam, but I saw that in order to have a similarly good result, I would have to invest A LOT of money in 4K models from well-known companies. I randomly came across a review of the DS-U12 and the reviewer was impressed, while the footage he provided was very decent. So I bought it for around €40 from skroutz (I saw that the price has dropped even further).

My impressions after a few days:

I was impressed by the quality of its materials. It comes in a box that prepares you for a low-budget content, but its plastics and the cable (2 meters long and very convenient for me as the tower is far from the screen) are of excellent quality.

Its stand is also great. It has 3 arms and a special front panel to fit perfectly on all screens, of any thickness. Mine is curved and it fits perfectly. Maybe the profile of the front panel could be a bit lower, so as not to cover the plastic pixels on the top of the screen (about 1cm).

It doesn't have a cover for when it's turned off. In stand-by mode, a red light stays on, which turns blue when recording. I noticed that the camera heats up in stand-by mode, so I unplug the cable. There was no problem, but some primitive instinct tells me that when something heats up without anything working, something is not right.

The camera is plug n' play, meaning you connect it and it works. No software is needed. I saw that there is such software, but it is completely "spartan," with VERY basic customization options, which I handle more effectively from broadcasting programs. There is no flashy program with a super graphical interface, like the competition has.

The image quality was the reason I bought it. It is indeed excellent for its category, but it requires a little attention to two things. One is that you need good lighting to achieve the perfect results you may have seen in reviews. I use a ring light in front of me and the result is very good, but in low light, the frame rate starts to drop (it seems to stutter imperceptibly) and the textures become a bit "pastel"... I suppose it's an automated attempt to remove noise. Needless to say, for amateur work, all this is negligible.

The second thing you need to pay attention to is the Field of View, meaning the range that the lens captures. If you have doors, windows, messy rooms, etc. behind you, they will all be in the frame. It bothered me a little because objects and light sources that I didn't want were entering my frame, as they affected the exposure and focus on me. Eventually, I adjusted the camera on me through software with zoom and manually adjusted some other parameters, and now I'm fine with it. However, I mention all this because without customization, it may not be suitable for Skype and Discord calls.

Also, IMPORTANT, the microphone is NOT GOOD. For basic use, it is sufficient, it's good that it exists as an alternative solution, but you definitely need a microphone if you care about quality.

For a budget below €40, I believe it is the way to go.

I bought this specific one to replace an old one I had at 720p. The truth is that I searched quite a bit before ending up with this one, and its price combined with the reviews ultimately led me to purchase it. As for the image, it produces very good results with a 1080p resolution at 30fps. Any movements (hands, head, etc.) are displayed quite smoothly without noticeable delay. Even in low-light conditions, it can cope with minimal visible noise, although with a small light (such as a desk lamp), the noise almost disappears. Something that may bother some people is its quite wide-angle lens, as it captures a large part of the space. This may not be ideal for calls (Zoom, Discord, etc.), but for streaming use, one can adjust it to their liking through software. I have placed it on the monitor, and it is very stable since its base allows for adjustment as desired. It can be securely attached to a tripod or another base. I did not try the microphone; I deactivated it directly because I use a separate microphone. Finally, it is plug and play via USB 2.0, as stated, and as long as it is connected to the computer, there is a red light, while when it is being used by a program or application, the light turns blue. For someone looking for a camera for telecommuting, tele-education, meetings, streaming, or even YouTube, I recommend it as it combines everything at a good price.

The image quality is very good. I simultaneously have the Logitech 930c and I dare say that in terms of image clarity, it competes quite well. It has a wide-angle lens, nothing like the classic €20 camera that has image width from right to left ear and length from hairline to chin. Its microphone is decent. Not exceptional, maybe a bit bass-heavy, but it can be heard well enough to get the job done. If someone has higher demands, it might be good to invest in a standalone microphone. That's what I did, since I have a quiet voice and it wasn't loud enough. Its base attaches well to the screen and has a 30-degree tilt to adjust to the desired height.

The first major drawback is that it doesn't zoom. This is not stated anywhere (from what I've seen) and it's something that costs me, to be honest. In one-on-one video calls, you want to focus the image on the person participating, not transmit useless details from the surrounding space and people wandering in the background. And no, not all computers can simultaneously handle a third-party program running alongside the video call program for image processing, nor do all users have the knowledge to do it.

The second major drawback is that it doesn't come with software. Once you connect it to the USB port, you have an image. The definition of plug and play. However, this means that its image is not customizable. You can't set the refresh rate, color, anything. It only changes based on the specific application and separately for each application.

Of course, if it had these two features, it would probably have to cost much more than the €39.90 I paid for it. Despite the fact that I will conclude that it is worth every penny (with the reservation of its durability over time, something I cannot evaluate because it was recently purchased), I will give it four stars just for the lack of zoom. We wanted a zoom, Hikvision. Half a zoom, damn it. ~sigh of disappointment because this point made me a drama queen~

Notes:
The red light is always on, indicating that it is receiving power. When it is in use, the light turns blue.

----- Edit ----

January 2022 and the camera is functioning like the first day.

1.