GamesRadar+ Verdict
The Opal Tadpole tries to fill some very inconvenient holes in the webcam market.
The Tadpole’s tiny size makes it portable, and its design makes it very appealing.
Ultimately, this isn’t a product worth spending extra money on for most content creators.
(Image credit: Future / Fraser Porter)
Opal isnt wrong when it describes its Tadpole as the tiny webcam with a clip.
It feels bad to say, but its true.
I just used whatever I had on hand to get the job done.
However, it still feels like a very small tadpole in a very big pond.
Design
Potentially my favorite aspect of the Opal Tadpole webcam is its aesthetics.
It is an absolutely stunning piece of kit that appeals to my enjoyment of minimalist technology.
A large, sleek, white aluminium square houses the lens that will sit atop your laptop.
Youll notice I put the word large in quotations as it really is anything but that.
Once again the prevailing word here is simple.
(Image credit: Future / Fraser Porter)
The clip has a range of 35 degrees which means it will fit the majority of thebest gaming laptops.
Also on the rear of the Tadpole is a fittingly tiny cable.
I found this to be far too short at only 55cm in length.
(Image credit: Future / Fraser Porter)
Features
Underneath the Scandinavian-style hood, there is actually a fairly robust and well-rounded camera.
Additionally, it provides vibrant enough colours giving you an image that has a nice pop to it.
This was an attractive mental image, but unfortunately, one that didnt quite come to pass.
Opal has decided to use a directional microphone to only capture audio in front of the webcam.
I found this to be both incredibly helpful and incredibly annoying at different times.
Performance
I was very excited to try the Opal Tadpole.
As Ive said, the aesthetics are perhaps my favorite aspect of the whole package.
This was an attractive mental image, but unfortunately, one that didnt quite come to pass.
The next big issue I ran into was that it wasnt compatible with my PC/monitor setup at home.
So I hooked it up and was similarly underwhelmed by the experience.
It does look good and does exactly what you expect from a sub-$200 webcam.
What remains is an additional purchase that’s tricky to justify.
In terms of the microphone, I was actually fairly impressed by what it can do.
Not much more to it.
Should you buy the Opal Tadpole?
This was incredibly tough for me.
Even the way it’s presented in its box is visually appealing and minimalist.
However, it falls short for me compared to some of the other webcams you could get today.
If I want a content creation webcam with 4K abilities, there are plenty of options out there nowadays.
I really wanted to love the Opal Tadpole, but unfortunately, I dont.
This included video calls on Discord, some light streaming, and facetime calls.
I tested the machine extensively over a period of a month or two.
For more on how we test the latest content creation gear, check out the fullGamesRadar+ hardware policy.
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