Elgato FaceCam review: "A superstar for streamers, but sub-par for the price" - tidwellhisquam

Our Verdict

The Elgato FaceCam produces a decent picture that's sure to win over streamers with a professional setup, but it's too expensive considering where its competition trounces it for less.

Pros

A wide inning of view (82 degrees)
Stopple and play functionality
Autofocus is responsive

Cons

High-priced
No HDR or Unrefined-light way
No microphone

GamesRadar+ Verdict

The Elgato FaceCam produces a decent depict that's doomed to succeed terminated streamers with a nonrecreational setup, but it's excessively expensive considering where its contender trounces it for less.

Pros

+
A wide frame of horizon (82 degrees)
+
Plug and play functionality
+
Autofocus is responsive
+

Cons

-
Expensive
-
No HDR or Bass-light mode
-
No microphone

The Elgato FaceCam is the latest endeavour to break into the Twitch streaming space by the Corsair-owned cyclosis brand after edifice leading years of good religious belief with the widely beloved HD60 line of internal and extraneous capture cards (which is high in our best enamor card roundup). Elgato is now turning their attention purely to what has become an increasing preponderance in recent eld: streamers having their faces on-show while they spirited.

This convention is nothing new by any way, having been popularized by some of YouTube's rising stars in the young 2010s, but Elgato has hoped that a allegiance to quality - with a high selling price of $199.99 / £189.99 - will be enough to justify proceedings. But does the Elgato FaceCam get a jibe at organism one of the best webcams around?

Features

The missionary station financial statement of the Elgato FaceCam is to brand streamers look as good as they possibly can. This mantra is backed up aside the ironware on show from the gimmick itself, with the lens system being a 24mm full-frame equivalent with an f/2.4 aperture, that also has a Sony Starvis sensor with a custom heatsink to keep the camera from getting too hot.

There's a focus range of just about 1.5 metres and, in my testing, I plant that I was captured effectively on-screen even when moving close to fairly frantically, with minimal ghosting, virtually naught response time, and no video artefacts to mouth off of - true to the nature of the uncompressed 1080p60 ethos of the webcam.

It's valuable noting that thither is no onboard microphone to speak for of. This omission is unlikely to cause any streamers whatsoever harm - the majority, if non each of them, will have some kind of PC headset for gaming on or a competitor for best microphone for streaming, sol it's not going to be a massive issue. But information technology does preclude the folks who might have wanted a streaming-convergent webcam that could also be ill-used for day-to-Clarence Shepard Day Jr. tasks. Summing it up bluntly, Elgato states: 'Because World Health Organization uses webcam microphones anyway'. It's either an attempt at a slick marketing fob operating theater a way to save money - I'll leave you to work out which.

The Elgato FaceCam connects to Mack and PC via USB 3.0 to USB-C adapter. This way that it will not work done USB 2.0 (the easiest way to tell which port is what is to look at the color. USB 3.0 ports leave be blue, so if you don't have any happening your laptop computer or desktop, dress not buy out this photographic camera). This is due to the amount of data transferred for the uncompressed Full HD video, something Elgato claims USB 2.0 just can't handle.

It's not the near riveting inclusion ever so seen in this world, simply the addition of a lens cap is something that - as a DSLR enthusiast and amateur photographer - I sack definitely apprise. Not merely is IT a good privacy option - blocking any uncalled-for attention for you paranoid types - only it's besides a great way to keep the superior Sony-successful lens from scratching operating theater fogging functioning when not in use.

Intention

The Elgato FaceCam is a rather winning-superficial infinitesimal device, with its clear esthetics and large, premium lens. It moldiness be aforesaid, it's kind of subtle on top of my monitor and doesn't tarnish the looks of my workstation, blending in incisively how a high-finish webcam should.

The webcam attaches to the spinning top of your monitor with a sturdy clip and does a good job of staying in place. Just for playfulness - I think, vigorous testing - I shuffled the USB cable back and forwards a couple of times to see if the Elgato FaceCam would stay in situ or careen around like thunder and I'm bucked up to report that it stood solid arsenic a rock. Every you zany online personalities can rest assured that your frantic onscreen nature won't interrupt your streams any time soon.

Operation

This is what high-end webcams like the Elgato FaceCam live and die on: how it looks you bet easy it is to use. In my testing, I utilized a series of programs that the average YouTuber or Twinge streamer would want to be getting this photographic camera for, as well as putting it through its paces in video conferences.

OBS is a fashionable free-to-use broadcasting program that umteen streamers trust upon for its ease of use and ability to layer video streams and images well without being overly taxing on a computer's RAM. I filmed myself playing Hotline Miami whilst having a USB external microphone for commentary and the Elgato FaceCam stream up in the top left and things all looked and ran real well.

What sets the Elgato FaceCam divided from its similarly-priced coevals is the inclusion of the Camera Hub software where you make a bound academic degree of creative control with features you would find happening a tralatitious DSLR camera - much as a real-time ISO reading from the sensor to manually adjust things like the white balance below your light conditions and digital rapid growth.

It's worth noting that you can really economize your profile settings to the device itself with its built-in flash memory so it will remember them for next sentence, you so don't take in to concern about releas through the whole process complete o'er again before your next ringing stream starts; a reall extraordinary summation that I found has worked really good.

There's also the option to end product video in 720p (both at 30 and 60FPS) as well A 540p (again, both at 30 and 60FPS) so Elgato has clearly advised Twitch's video encoding alongside more limited net link speeds when considering the bandwidth of uncompressed video - something I commend it for.

The days of having matchless of the best naif screens behind ME and a tercet of bright LED annulus lights might make up in the distant past, but it was self-evident that the FaceCam performed well enough low natural lighting conditions and adapted fairly well to the harsh, orange soupco of the lighting in my flatbed.

Overall - Should you purchase it?

Piece the overall performance is sound, things start to creak a bit when the price give chase and missing features are factored back in. For example, for the same price you can pick in the lead a Razer Kiyo Professional which does exactly what the FaceCam does, uncompressed 1080p60 video recording, as well as offers a low-light mode and HDR - things the FaceCam lacks. Backing this up once more, there is also the Logitech StreamCam which can do the same things for $169 / £139 directly done USB-C.

It isn't a rotten camera, not by any means, but the selling price feels too highschool without those features. And that's without mentioning the lack of a microphone, or the lack of 4K video, as well, as recovered in models such as the Logitech Brio UHD (which also costs the same).

It's clear that, of course, this is aimed at streamers. If you're a streaming/online placid creator with a professional setup and evenhanded need something that looks nice but is also quick and easy to coiffe heavenward - that as wel has roughly customizability to information technology - then the Elgato FaceCam is a good bet for you. For everyone else, you may need to attend elsewhere.

Elgato FaceCam review: "A superstar for streamers, but sub-par for the toll"

The Elgato FaceCam produces a decent flic that's sure to win finished streamers with a line of work setup, merely IT's to a fault dearly-won considering where its competition trounces it for little.

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I've newly gradatory with a BA Hons degree in Journalism subsequently what feels like an eternity. In that clock time, roughly seven old age, I've written for like Expert Reviews and Technical school Spark, with my rage for all things technical school and gambling related leading ME here as Ironware Editor of GamesRadar+. This past twelvemonth entirely I've helped produce a documentary serial publication for the BBC, and been active agent in the field of music journalism through my escapades seen in No Spotless Singing and Vinyl group Chapters.