Elgato FaceCam evaluate: Truly made for streamers

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The FaceCam is a $200 webcam from Elgato geared against the gaming/streaming crowd—and it’s a assorted first foray into the crowded camera industry.

Why would anyone utilize so grand on a webcam? The streaming industry is booming. You would possibly perhaps presumably presumably perhaps presumably without problems fall thousands of bucks on a mirrorless camera setup for official-taking a look circulate, but this webcam goals to offer a (quite) inexpensive different. Even a Zoom name would possibly perhaps presumably presumably perhaps make from the FaceCam’s capabilities. 

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

Elgato made its name by constructing user-grade streaming gadgets with pro-level chops, aimed squarely on the gaming/streaming market, step by step rising from resolve gadgets to microphones and even inexperienced screens. The FaceCam is its first-ever standalone webcam, and on paper it aspects amazing hardware and energy chops. Some boundaries arose at some level of our evaluate, and the dearth of HDR would possibly perhaps presumably presumably perhaps very wisely be an computerized turnoff for some; nonetheless, overall here’s a noteworthy addition to the midrange webcam market.

FaceCam hardware

There don’t seem like any two systems around it—the FaceCam is huge. It would look downright silly teetering above a computer masks. Streaming from a desktop with a wide video display, it doesn’t look that crazy, and it’s actually grand smaller than a mirrorless camera. It has a extra boxy, safety-camera look as in contrast to other webcams I even have on hand. Due to an all-plastic snarl it’s shockingly gentle at 96g, or 0.21 kilos, which affords it an economical feeling in the hand no topic the excessive-stop hardware that’s packed internal.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

At the coronary heart of the FaceCam is a Sony Starvis CMOS sensor, the same one which appears to be like to be featured in the Razer Kiyo Expert and the Dell UltraSharp 4K. The FaceCam—admire the Kiyo Expert—tops out at a 1080p, 60Hz label, which is wisely under the 4K decision in other cams in this designate vary. Nonetheless, 1080p is de facto most favorite in loads of eventualities.

We’ll secure into image performance rapidly, but one situation the effect the FaceCam differs from other webcams is in its lens setup. It aspects a difficult and fleet-level of interest lens in picture to wrestle focusing considerations (admire the Kiyo Expert continues to have) that seem as a distracting ‘respiratory’ pattern when a camera’s attempting to auto-level of interest. I’m totally dazzling with the dearth of vehicle-level of interest in a webcam, in particular for the reason that FaceCam is designed for a distance of 12 to 47 inches from the camera—linked outdated for a desktop setup.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

The FaceCam defaults to a 82-degree area of peer (FOV), which roughly interprets to 24mm on a full-frame camera, and is a nice focal dimension to just for. Sadly (and never just like the Kiyo Expert) there would possibly perhaps be no longer forever any choice to secure a wider FOV in instances the effect it’s doubtless you’ll presumably presumably perhaps presumably need it; Elgato chose to tune the camera for this dimension. Other 4K webcams have a wider FOV out of the field and allow you to gash in on the label—which affords good flexibility but can affect image quality.

The FaceCam connects to a PC by potential of an integrated USB 3.0 Form-C (camera) to Form-A (PC) cable. A bundled plastic privateness quilt clicks into space. A video display mount attaches by potential of the trade-linked outdated 1/4-race thread, so it would possibly perhaps perhaps probably presumably presumably perhaps additionally be mounted on a ramification of alternate concepts—in conjunction with Elgato’s Multi Mount Machine and traditional tripods chanced on on Amazon.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

The last notable hardware choice used to be to no longer include a microphone. Whereas this would presumably presumably perhaps seem admire a plot back, most streamers are already the utilization of either a headset or stand-on my own microphone. Both of these alternate concepts provide considerably larger quality than anything else a webcam can provide, so I don’t think it’s a nefarious choice. 

Digicam Hub tool

Immense hardware would possibly perhaps presumably presumably perhaps additionally be held back by contaminated tool, and here is one situation the effect Elgato put aside in heaps of effort. The Digicam Hub tool on hand by potential of Elgato’s internet situation is a pretty straightforward tool for editing traditional settings admire disagreement, publicity, and white steadiness. It forgoes one of the basic treasure aspects on hand in the AverMedia CamEngine tool, but it does what it does in a straightforward manner that mimics DSLR/mirrorless camera controls.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

Obviously the FaceCam can additionally be managed by other program admire OBS or Zoom, thanks to its utilize of in fashion connection protocols. Utilizing a USB 3.0 connection, applications can secure an instantaneous, uncompressed label the utilization of the 8-bit 4:2:2 UYVY encoder. For these that aren’t video nerds admire me, it manner the label the FaceCam feeds over USB 3.0 makes utilize of heaps of recordsdata to feed the appropriate quality doable out of the camera into tool. A USB 2.0 connection makes utilize of a compressed label and is no longer forever instructed.

Even when the camera feed is being feeble by any other program, launching the Digicam Hub tool to manipulate camera settings affords no considerations. That’s one main flaw of the Razer Kiyo Expert: The Razer Synapse tool requires the attention of the camera in picture to secure entry to the settings—which is a project in case you are attempting to adjust the image mid-livestream. Being a video official myself, I chanced on the Digicam Hub to be the very best-to-utilize tool I’ve encountered for a webcam; it makes sense to my camera-minded brain.

Digicam performance – auto/daylight hours

For my formal webcam tests I captured four 1080p, 60Hz signals fed precise into a 4K OBS project—every taking on a nook of the frame—and ran by arrangement of some lighting fixtures/surroundings tests. The webcams I feeble against the Elgato FaceCam had been the Razer Kiyo Expert, AverMedia PW513, and Logitech Brio—all at some level of the $200 designate vary of the FaceCam, and most specializing in game streaming. I’ve organized them in the integrated YouTube videos from high left to backside gorgeous: first the FaceCam, then the Kiyo Expert, PW513, and the Brio.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

The main command is the utilization of every camera in its default configuration (with the total lot updated to essentially the most in fashion firmware). Within the default configurations, issues admire auto-white-steadiness and publicity are feeble to resolve what the camera thinks is the factual image. All cameras additionally default to their widest FOV, which ends in additional issues viewed across the edges. I tried to position the final cameras as terminate together as doable to approximate the same perspective. Also, the Kiyo Expert and Brio default to HDR-on.

On this case the main thing to survey is the white steadiness every camera affords, because it’s essentially the most dramatic exchange. Which colours you admire are actually a topic of non-public fashion, but I get rid of the Kiyo Expert’s illustration of my pores and skin tones and the reproduction of the color in the vegetation and on the cream partitions. The FaceCam is rather reddish as in contrast when it comes to my pores and skin tone, and it impacts the wall color as wisely.

By manner of publicity and dynamic vary, every camera handles issues very wisely. The FaceCam has a bit extra grain in the image than I could perhaps presumably presumably perhaps seek recordsdata from in this gentle, and is pushing an even bigger publicity, but it has loads of dynamic vary to work with. The Kiyo Expert is a tad underexposed attributable to HDR (excessive-dynamic vary) being enabled. The Brio has the flattest image overall, which isn’t the appropriate out-of-field ride but would possibly perhaps presumably presumably perhaps restful prove valuable when tuning later.

When I order up the lustrous graphics card, the Brio is the quickest to adjust publicity, which will likely be rather jarring. The FaceCam adjusts its publicity a bit, but maintains a slightly even examine some level of. The Kiyo Expert kicks its HDR into bigger tools and is basically the most helpful camera to withhold the highlights, though the total image is underexposed as a result. 

Retain studying for additional camera performance!

• The FaceCam from Elgato is a extremely efficient webcam for streamers who’ve a difficult and fleet lighting fixtures setup and are no longer timorous to tweak settings.

  Pros

  • Very straightforward-to-utilize tool
  • Improbable encoding alternate concepts
  • hardware make
  • Generally correct auto settings

  Cons

  • Reddish hues in all eventualities
  • Lack of HDR and a wider-perspective option
  • Historical integration with other Elgato merchandise
  • Lacking hue control in tool