There are a lot of factors that go into choosing the right camera (or cameras) setup for your conference room. One of the most common factors is the table.
Table Shape
The most common table I run into is the rectangle.
Setups like this can be captured from a single camera. Longer tables like the one in the picture would need a pan/tilt/zoom (ptz) camera mostly for the optical zoom aspect. Another technology that would help with this setup is auto framing. Auto framing uses artificial intelligence to see where people are sitting at the table and will zoom in to frame them.
The U
This is one I sometimes run into for boardrooms. the U shaped table spreads people out while still allowing them to see each other.
While one camera set in the middle of the room can capture the entire space you will either need somebody driving it or leave it zoomed all the way out. There are two better options:
Camera Tracking
The first one is through camera tracking. There are several manufacturers making camera tracking tech but the better ones for this type of setup use two cameras. One is focused on the active speaker and the other is looking for the next speaker. The benefit of this is when the system switches from one speaker to the other you don’t see the refocusing as the other camera has already found the speaker and zoomed into them before switching over.
Triggers
While camera tracking generally uses sound to determine who to focus on you can also use triggers like a mic being unmuted. Large U shaped setups also lend themselves to discussion systems, mics with built in speakers for each seat at the table. With multiple cameras covering the room the view is determined by which microphones are unmuted. Ideally the system will be setup to only allow a small number of mics to be active at any one time.
Vaddio makes a reliable trigger called the StepVIEW that works great in classroom settings. Its a rubberized mat that triggers a camera preset when stepped on. Place one at the podium and the camera will automatically zoom into the teacher standing at the lectern. When they step off the mat the camera zooms out to a wider view. There are a lot of creative uses for triggers.
Everybody is turning on their camera these days, make sure you have the right one!