Elgato FaceCam review: Truly made for streamers - morenoexperearie

The FaceCam is a $200 webcam from Elgato aimed at the gaming/streaming crowd—and it's a unique first raid the crowded camera business.

Why would anyone spend then much connected a webcam? The streaming business is booming. You could easily drop thousands of dollars on a mirrorless tv camera apparatus for professional-superficial stream, but this webcam aims to offer a (relatively) affordable alternative. Even a Rapid climb call in could gain from the FaceCam's capabilities.

Robert Adam Patrick James Augustus Murray/IDG

Elgato made its name away creating consumer-degree moving devices with in favor of-level chops, aimed squarely at the gaming/streaming marketplace, steady expanding from capture devices to microphones and even green screens. The FaceCam is its first-ever standalone webcam, and happening paper information technology features unrealistic hardware and computer software chops. Some limitations arose in the row of our review, and the lack of HDR could be an automatic turnoff for some; nevertheless, overall this is a upstanding addition to the midrange webcam market.

FaceCam computer hardware

There are no two slipway close to it—the FaceCam ishuge. It would look downright silly teetering above a laptop computer screen. Streaming from a desktop with a large proctor, information technology doesn't look that crazy, and it's actually a lot littler than a mirrorless camera. It has a more boxy, security-camera look away compared to former webcams I make present. Because of an all-plastic construction it's shockingly light at 96g, Beaver State 0.21 pounds, which gives it a cheap feeling in the hand despite the high-end ironware that's packed wrong.

Cristal Patrick James Murray/IDG

From left to right: Elgato FaceCam, Razer Kiyo Affirmative, AverMedia PW513, Logitech Spiritedness

At the heart of the FaceCam is a Sony Starvis CMOS sensor, the same one that seems to exist featured in the Razer Kiyo Pro and the Dell UltraSharp 4K. The FaceCam—like the Kiyo Pro—topnotch taboo at a 1080p, 60Hz signal, which is well below the 4K resolution in other cams in this price set out. However, 1080p is in reality preferred in many an scenarios.

We'll pose into figure functioning soon, but unitary area where the FaceCam differs from other webcams is in its lens setup. It features a fixed-focus lens system in govern to fighting focusing problems (like the Kiyo Pro continues to give) that come along arsenic a distracting 'breathing' pattern when a camera's trying to auto-stress. I'm completely fine with the want of auto-concentrate in a webcam, especially because the FaceCam is designed for a distance of 12 to 47 inches from the camera—standard for a desktop setup.

Adam Saint Patrick Murray/IDG

The FaceCam is still much smaller than this Canyon Eos R with a telephoto lens.

The FaceCam defaults to a 82-stage field of view (FOV), which roughly translates to 24mm happening a full-frame camera, and is a nice focal length to aim for. Unfortunately (and different the Kiyo Pro) there is no option to get a wider FOV in situations where you mightiness need it; Elgato chose to tune the camera for this duration. New 4K webcams have a wider FOV out of the box and let you crop in connected the impressive—which gives nice flexibility but can impact image prize.

The FaceCam connects to a PC via an enclosed USB 3.0 Type-C (camera) to Type-A (PC) cable. A bundled plastic privacy cover clicks into place. A monitor lizard mount attaches via the industry-standard 1/4-column inch yarn, so IT bathroom be decorated on a assortment of options—including Elgato's Multi Mount System and basic tripods found happening Amazon.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

The FaceCam is surprisingly (alarmingly?) perch.

The last guiding light hardware choice was to not include a microphone. While this might seem like a downside, most streamers are already using either a headset operating theater stand-solo microphone. Both of those options bid much better prize than anything a webcam can crack, so I don't think over it's a worse choice.

Tv camera Hub software

Great hardware toilet follow held posterior by inferior software, and this is one spot where Elgato interject a lot of effort. The Television camera Hub software program available via Elgato's website is a very simple tool for modifying introductory settings equal contrast, exposure, and white balance. It forgoes some of the fancy features available in the AverMedia CamEngine software, but it does what IT does in a simple way that mimics DSLR/mirrorless camera controls.

X Patrick Murray/IDG

Elgato's Camera Hub software is a delight to practice for camera nerds like me.

Naturally the FaceCam can also cost limited by other program similar OBS or Zoom, thanks to its utilize of oecumenical connection protocols. Using a USB 3.0 connection, programs can get a straight-from-the-shoulder, uncompressed signal using the 8-bit 4:2:2 UYVY encoder. For those World Health Organization aren't video nerds like me, it means the signal the FaceCam feeds over USB 3.0 uses much of information to flow from the topper select possible out of the camera into software program. A USB 2.0 connection uses a compressed signalise and is not recommended.

Even when the camera give is being put-upon by some other program, launching the Camera Hub software to verify television camera settings presents No problems. That's one major flaw of the Razer Kiyo Favoring: The Razer Synapse software requires the attention of the camera systematic to access the settings—which is a problem if you try to adjust the image middle-livestream. Being a video professional myself, I found the Camera Hub to be the easiest-to-use software program I've encountered for a webcam; it makes sense to my tv camera-orientated brain.

Television camera carrying into action – auto/day

For my formal webcam tests I captured four 1080p, 60Hz signals fed into a 4K OBS project—all taking up a corner of the frame—and ran done some lighting/setting tests. The webcams I old against the Elgato FaceCam were the Razer Kiyo Pro, AverMedia PW513, and Logitech Invigoration—all inside the $200 price scope of the FaceCam, and most direction on brave flowing. I've organized them in the included YouTube videos from top nigh to seat right: first the FaceCam, then the Kiyo Pro, PW513, and the Brio.

Adam Patrick Gilbert Murray/IDG

In order to capture a similar camera angle, I had to stack the PW513 and Brio. All of them then fed into OBS.

The first scenario is victimisation to each one tv camera in its default contour (with everything updated to the modish firmware). In the default configurations, things like auto-white-equilibrize and pic are used to capture what the camera thinks is the correct image. All cameras also default to their widest FOV, which results in more things seen around the edges. I tried to put whol the cameras atomic number 3 close put together as executable to approximate the same angle. Also, the Kiyo Pro and Brio default to HDR-on.

In this example the first thing to notice is the Patrick Victor Martindale White balance each camera presents, as it's the most dramatic change. Which colors you like are decidedly a matter of personal savour, but I choose the Kiyo Pro's representation of my peel tones and the reproduction of the colour in the plants and on the cream walls. The FaceCam is rather reddish in comparison when information technology comes to my skin tone, and it affects the wall color as fountainhead.

When it comes to exposure and changing range, each camera handles things sort o swell. The FaceCam has a routine more grain in the image than I would require in this light, and is pushing a higher photo, but information technology has plenty of dynamic range to work with. The Kiyo Pro is a tad underexposed due to HDR (high-dynamic range) being enabled. The Brio has the flattest figure whole, which isn't the best out-of-box experience butshould prove useful when tuning later.

When I call down the glistening artwork card, the Brio is the quickest to adjust vulnerability, which can atomic number 4 kind of jarring. The FaceCam adjusts its photograph a bit, but maintains a pretty even look throughout. The Kiyo Pro kicks its HDR into higher gear and is the only camera to preserve the highlights, flatbottomed though the overall image is underexposed as a result.

Observe reading for more camera performance!

Camera operation: Manual/daylight

In this second scenario I went into the settings of each camera to see how intimately I could tune the image, and how much flexibleness at that place was to the software.

For the FaceCam I was fit to telephone dial in almost every setting nicelyexcept for the white counterpoise. I struggled with acquiring the right colors prohibited of the tv camera, as I didn't have hold over tone or color temperature. Auto does look to allow both strengthen and temperature, so that solution is much better, but this would embody preventative for those who want Thomas More fine ascendancy. I hope Elgato can add this setting in the coming.

Piece the Logitech Camera Settings app is pretty bare-bones, it presented the biggest jump in quality out of all quaternity, but it still wasn't where I hoped it would be in footing of color and sharpness. The AverMedia CamEngine definitely has whole sle of check over the image, but I found the sensor just didn't ingest enough dynamic rank to diddle with for my taste. The zoomed-in image was also very padded.

I wish well the tools for the Kiyo Pro were easier to use inside Razer Synapse (and accessible when another application has control over the camera), but I was able to dial in nigh exactly what I sought-after with the settings that are at that place.

Camera carrying into action: Auto/backlighting

In this 3rd scenario I once again reverted whol the cameras to their default settings to see how well they handled an intensely backlit situation. Not that I would ever urge anyone use a webcam this way, but by doing this stress essa we behind father a glimpse into how the cameras deal with high-contrast situations. Boy, does each unmatched handle it other than!

The FaceCam pushes the exposure up to keep my face bright, simply in doing so reveals more noise and plainly blows out the windowpane. The Kiyo In favor and its strong HDR is successful for this rather scenario: It does a fantastic job at keeping driving rank in the highlightsand the lowlights, but it leaves my face a bit darkish. The PW513 did the opposite of the FaceCam, protecting the highlights (the windowpane) at the expense of everything else. The Animation's HDR does what it can to hold onto both ends of the vulnerability, only it doesn't quite get there compared to the Kiyo Pro.

Now to get a little nerdy, part of how apiece camera performed has to perform with something titled 'metering'—which is a puff mode of saying how and where the tv camera looks to expose. The FaceCam defaults to what is known as 'center-leaden' metering, meaning it is basing its exposure connected a weeny area in the center of the frame. I don't know just how big this area is, but based on this test I bed it's small enough not to be influenced by the window. This means the auto-exposure was just look that small area—probably circumferent to where my lower human face is—and pushing ascending the signal to get a appropriate exposure. Inside the Photographic camera Hub software you can switch it to the other popular metering mode, called 'average'—this is what I'd guess the PW513 is using. This modality takes in the whole frame when it's trying to decide how to expose, and because a large part of the frame is concerned by a very bright window, the PW513 distinct to press the signal inoperative and underexpose the rest of the image.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

Kiyo Pro (left) and FaceCam (starboard)

Both the Kiyo Pro and the Brio use HDR (overflowing-dynamic rank), which takes multiple images at different exposures and then stitches them together—a apply now same common on smartphone cameras. This retains the well-nig info, simply it's not always perfect and should only be used in scenes with a lot of contrast. HDR is not available happening the FaceCam, unfortunately.

Camera performance: Auto/lowlight

In that fourth scenario I closed the blackout curtains and wrong-side-out disconnected totally the lights to capture a very low lighting scene. I was lit only by my two 32-inch monitors, and you can visit a hint of RGB from my Microcomputer down by my feet. This is a same stressful test for any camera, and reveals plenty about how they handle themselves.

The FaceCam and PW513 both exhibit a good amount of stochasticity in their images, as they push the camera sensors hard in order to get a proper exposure. The Brio chooses to drop the frame rate systematic to get more than light into the sensor—more than necessary in my opinion—resulting in sudden/blurry crusade.

No of them areaccurate per-southeast, as IT was identical dark in the room, merely each camera has a stellar flaw presented in how they are capturing this scene. The FaceCam's grain is very distracting, The Kiyo Pro's white balance keeps shifting, the PW513 is very dark and whispering, and the Brio is very bright and movement is blurry.

Television camera execution – manual/lowlight

In this parting scenario I ruttish two Light-emitting diode lights I have and set the television camera settings manually. Along with the glow from the monitors, I am lit by one and only Elgato Ring Light mounted to the left of the cameras, and one Elgato Key Light Air out mounted behind my left shoulder. Both are at a very low smartness and set back to 3200K, which is shut to tungsten color, and warmer than the drear light coming off my monitors.

The first notable difference lies in the coloring temperature Reading of each camera. I manually set each photographic camera to 3200K, which means it should match the color coming from the LED lights. But each camera struggled to portraying both temperatures mixed together, which is why from each one one's image looks different. The FaceCam gets just about looking natural, but it has a slight greenish hue. The Kiyo Pro's image is really blue boilers suit, and the Brio adopts a Thomas More reddish look.

Interestingly, when I raise my arms to adjust my glasses, each camera except for the FaceCam is still doing whatever auto-photo flatbottomed though I manually dialed in the settings. This means most of the luminance controls for the rest of the cameras aren't actually adjusting the exposure at once, but quite compensating for the auto-exposure.

Adam Patrick Sir James Augustus Murray/IDG

This is a great win for the FaceCam in my book, as I corresponding to have as much direct control as assertable. Scorn the large measure of metric grain with auto-exposure on, I was able to turn down the signal manually to get a clean image without using the interference reduction toggle.

Using the Camera Hub software to telephone dial in these settings worked fantastically—and it's probably where Elgato put most of its efforts. This makes sense because most flowing setups use dedicated LED sooner than undyed ignition. With a trifle more tuning and lighting work I could gayly use this television camera in a pressurized ignition scenario.

Conclusion

Elgato's FaceCam has left ME equal parts aroused and let down. They have located a high saloon aside releasing high-quality products for every parts of a streaming setup. I usually induce nobelium problem recommending their gear.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

The FaceCam offers a fantastic software experience that is easy to purpose and displays settings in a way someone WHO is familiar with camera tech can understand. The look of the image is very nice in controlled lighting, and there is plenty of room to make for with for tweaking. Elgato also ready-made clever decisions when it came to the design of the computer hardware. But the lack of a wider lean against, manual controller over color tone, and HDR; and imbue problems passim; were wholly peculiar problems I couldn't overlook. It's so close to being a truly fantastic webcam.

At $200 it's still a great choice compared to others in that price range, especially if you plan on using it in price-controlled lighting scenarios and are comfortable adjusting the image manually. I'm hoping Elgato can improve upon this sound base with more software features and deeper integration with its past (largely) fantastic products.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/394853/elgato-facecam-review.html

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