Elgato Facecam

[Inle]

Elgato just released the Facecam, a high-end $200 webcam targeting aspiring live streamers and content creators. In our review, we confirm that it really has the best picture quality of all the webcams out there. The Facecam is built around a Sony STARVIS BSI CMOS image sensor with 8-element all-glass optics and offers a ton of unique features.

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[Leiesoldat]

I didn't see this in the review, but I'm assuming that this cannot be used for Windows Hello unlike the Logitech Brio.

 

[Inle]

I didn't see this in the review, but I'm assuming that this cannot be used for Windows Hello unlike the Logitech Brio.

It can't, that's right.

 

[scouserpcgamer]

It can't, that's right.

having used 1080p and now use Logitech Biro 4K camera the quality of the 4k is just way better, in the UK price be about £199.99 i think, were can get the Logitech Biro for £209, that is 4k and has HDR and also the ability to login with Windows Hello if you choose

 

[Inle]

having used 1080p and now use Logitech Biro 4K camera the quality of the 4k is just way better, in the UK price be about £199.99 i think, were can get the Logitech Biro for £209, that is 4k and has HDR and also the ability to login with Windows Hello if you choose

The Windows Hello support is an obvious advantage of the Logitech Brio, along with its microphone, but when it comes to image quality in any lighting conditions, it's not even a competition - the Elgato Facecam demolishes the Brio. There are many examples of this on the camera performance page of my review (most samples contain a direct A-B comparison to the Brio): https://www.techpowerup.com/review/elgato-facecam/5.html

The sharpness, motion processing, color science, white balance and camera controls - in all these aspects the Elgato Facecam runs circles around the Logitech Brio. This is coming from a long time owner/daily user of the Logitech Brio (the sample used for comparison is my own)

 

[ZoneDymo]

200 bucks is a lot of money for a webcam tbh, you can get entire camcorders for less.
But it does look like a pretty solid product, something you buy and then be done for life kinda, because 1080p looks plenty sharp in 20 years and 60fps looks plenty fluid (assuming this would even work still after 20 years but whatever).

 

[Chomiq]

Ok, tell the truth @Inle where did you dump the body?

Good catch on the mic, how the hell can someone praise Elgato for this is beyond me.

 

[Mussels]

I love the dismembered leg

 

[Inle]

Ok, tell the truth @Inle where did you dump the body?
View attachment 208310

Good catch on the mic, how the hell can someone praise Elgato for this is beyond me.

Hahahahaha, at one point in this or some other sample I'm laughing because I'm telling her "this shot looks like I've killed you, temporarily disposed of your body on the couch, and forgot that I'm recording"

 

[scouserpcgamer]

The Windows Hello support is an obvious advantage of the Logitech Brio, along with its microphone, but when it comes to image quality in any lighting conditions, it's not even a competition - the Elgato Facecam demolishes the Brio. There are many examples of this on the camera performance page of my review (most samples contain a direct A-B comparison to the Brio): https://www.techpowerup.com/review/elgato-facecam/5.html

The sharpness, motion processing, color science, white balance and camera controls - in all these aspects the Elgato Facecam runs circles around the Logitech Brio. This is coming from a long time owner/daily user of the Logitech Brio (the sample used for comparison is my own)

Oh totally, think if you combined the logitech biro and elgato facecam, it would be one hell of a product

 

[5 o'clock Charlie]

@Inle you mentioned OBS Studio on page 1. Did you by chance test this camera with OBS? I am just curious since it is software I use on a regular basis. Great in-depth review. Thanks in advance!

 

[Inle]

@Inle you mentioned OBS Studio on page 1. Did you by chance test this camera with OBS? I am just curious since it is software I use on a regular basis. Great in-depth review. Thanks in advance!

Thank you, I'm very happy to hear you like the review! I did indeed test the camera with OBS. Professional event live streaming is a part of my "other job" so I too spend a lot of time in OBS All of the comparison videos in this review were recorded in OBS so you're basically seeing exactly what you can expect to get when using the Elgato Facecam in OBS. The integration was super seamless (the camera uses the UVC protocol, of course) and all of the Camera Hub functions work without a single hiccup.

 

[5 o'clock Charlie]

Thank you, I'm very happy to hear you like the review! I did indeed test the camera with OBS. Professional event live streaming is a part of my "other job" so I too spend a lot of time in OBS All of the comparison videos in this review were recorded in OBS so you're basically seeing exactly what you can expect to get when using the Elgato Facecam in OBS. The integration was super seamless (the camera uses the UVC protocol, of course) and all of the Camera Hub functions work without a single hiccup.

Thank you for providing feedback about OBS. Looks like I will be getting one of these. For my needs, the lacking an integrated mic is no big deal since I use an external mic. In fact, I prefer that since one does not have to wrestle so much with applications defaulting to that integrated mic. Your review has great timing since I am currently in the market for a new webcam

 

[mechtech]

Supported Resolutions (uncompressed): 1080p60, 1080p30, 720p60, 720p30, 540p60, and 540p30

Can it do 1440p or 2180p compressed?

Shame about no built in mic. I see webcams are another victim of covid pricing, but its coming back down again. I think when I bought my old MS lifecam cinema webcam (720p I think), I got it on sale at staples for $35 Canadian about 5 years ago.

Edit - when you did any testing between cameras did you use the MS windows camera app?? (just to eliminate any software packages differences between cameras??)

 

[Inle]

Supported Resolutions (uncompressed): 1080p60, 1080p30, 720p60, 720p30, 540p60, and 540p30

Can it do 1440p or 2180p compressed?

Shame about no built in mic. I see webcams are another victim of covid pricing, but its coming back down again. I think when I bought my old MS lifecam cinema webcam (720p I think), I got it on sale at staples for $35 Canadian about 5 years ago.

Edit - when you did any testing between cameras did you use the MS windows camera app?? (just to eliminate any software packages differences between cameras??)

No, 1080p60 is as far as the Elgato Facecam will take you. Higher resolutions aren't supported in any way or form.

Aside from OBS, I did try camera in the default Camera app, as well as Teams, Zoom, Google Meet and the preview window built into the Camera Hub software, to check for consistency between various apps. There was no difference between them while previewing the video.

I'm with you on the no-mic issue. In my studio I regularly record video with multiple cameras + audio with two separate microphones. Even though I never use the audio recorded by my camcorders, the recorded waveform makes aligning the video from the cameras and audio from external mics a breeze. It comes down to two clicks in DaVinci Resolve. Without that I'd have to waste tons of time in post-production to align everything perfectly. This is an issue every streamer will inevitably face if/when they decide to use the Facecam to record something other than their live stream, assuming they don't record audio together with the video. Plus, I'm fairly sure Elgato will have to deal with angry customers whenever someone buys the Facecam because they're impressed by the picture quality and just want to look great in their meetings, but didn't research the product enough to find out that it has no microphone.