Elgato has a new flagship webcam, and despite packing some clever features, it's coming under some early fire. Elgato Facecam 4K is already available following its reveal on Tuesday, but the comment section of its reveal video on YouTube is filled with interested viewers who are questioning the claims the brand is making about its latest gear for streamers.
4K60 capabilities are still not all that common in the webcam market, because, as Elgato references in its reveal video, live streamers on Twitch still can't broadcast in 4K, so high-end cameras can seem a little surplus to requirements. Elgato hasn't done itself any favors though, because it's claiming that its new Facecam 4K can rival DSLR cameras despite footage shown in the video being grainy and a little noisy.
"Sorry to say but it does not look like DSLR", says one comment. "Don't get me wrong, it looks great for a webcam, but calling it "DSLR-Like Quality" is a bit of a stretch."
"Is it me or it's still over sharpened and grainy???" another reads, while a more succinct comment cuts straight to the point: "Rivals DSLR, ya sure about that?"
To be totally honest, as someone who reviews all sorts of webcams, microphones for streaming, and other content creation gear, I can see what people are talking about. The image quality shown isn't exactly as clear as the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra, and that may be down to the size of the sensor used. Both cameras use a Sony Starvis sensor, but the one in the Elgato Facecam 4K is only 1/1.8-inches, whereas the one used in the Kiyo Pro Ultra is a 1/1.2 inch sensor that's a bit closer to the average 1-inch sensor found in most DSLR cameras.
As much as I can see what commenters are talking about when it comes to the noisy footage, I actually think the innovative features onboard this webcam arguably make up for the slightly disappointing visual quality. For starters, the Facecam 4K is compatible with DSLR lens filters, which is a big boon for creatives who want a bit more versatility from "just a webcam". Lens filters allow you to have more control over the light that comes into your footage, almost applying a filter or some color grading before you enter post-production. This is a really great feature, and one I haven't seen in other webcams.
Along with that, you also have full integration into Elgato's camera hub software, where you can control things like FOV (maximum of 90 degrees), as well as zoom, pan, and tilt. As you might expect, Facecam 4K is fully compatible with Elgato's other products, like Elgato Prompter and the Stream Deck+. Interestingly, this webcam doesn't have a built-in microphone, which means you will need to opt for an external option. In fairness, webcam mics are seldom very good, and most people use their own microphones anyway, so this is a nice way to keep costs down.
Facecam 4K has an Elgato Prime lens with a 21mm full frame equivalent focal length, which is combined with fixed focus features and an F4.0 aperture that engineer it toward keeping you focused in a desk setup. A lot of the time, webcams can suffer from their autofocus not having the depth you might require from it, so I'd be interested to test out how Elgato's solution compares.
It wasn't all doom and gloom in the comment section of the reveal video. A few enthusiastic fans were saying things like "I might have to try this out", and Elgato even replyied to one comment saying, "it’s not a DSLR yet Facecam 4K delivers DSLR-like results for a webcam with its large sensor, real lens filters, manual controls, uncompressed 4K and incredible colors out of the box."
Hopefully, I'll get the chance to try Elgato's new camera soon, so keep an eye out for our review. Either way, I'm happy to see another 4K webcam from a big brand coming in cheaper.
If you're looking for more content creation gear, you might want to know about the best capture cards, the best streaming mixer, and the best ring lights for streaming
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