Elgato Facecam Pro, True 4K60 Ultra HD Webcam for Live Streaming, Gaming, Video Calls, Sony Sensor, Advanced Light Correction, DSLR Style Control, Wide Angle, works with OBS, Teams, Zoom, PC/Mac

Great webcam clear picture

This is a fantastic camera, and the software that comes with it is feature rich. Picture quality and auto focus is incredible compared to an older Logitech model I was using before, and the out-of-the-box settings didn't need modification from default in my environment to get crisp picture with rich colour. This webcam is probably is the most powerful webcam I've seen, and while it's not cheap for a webcam, I've only ever seen better quality streaming output from a significantly more expensive mirror-less DSLR camera setup at a mates house... but there again he does control lighting in his environment rather than streaming in the gloom. This purchase has future-proofed my webcam needs for many years to come. I love it. It should be noted that it doesn't have a microphone. I use it alongside a Wave-3 dedicated microphone so that's no drama for me, but may have been a deal breaker if I was just swapping out my old Logitech webcam which did have a microphone (even if I muted it). Oh and one final thing to note, after initial testing on my main 'gaming'/productivity machine, I hooked it up to a video capture PC (an old i7 with a Nvidia 1030 low profile GPU in it) that my lad uses to stream console/iPad games, and noted that the Elgato software removed/greyed-out several 4K features. I haven't worked out whether that was based on the old underpowered GPU (which is normally fine for a rig that just basically captures gaming streams) or whether it was related to swapping the USB-C to USB-C cable that the camera came with, for a USB-A 3.0 to USB-C cable. So to get the best out of this high-end webcam, you'll probably need to run it on a device with a gaming GPU which has an available USB-C port and a dedicated Microphone.

So… the Elgato FaceCam Pro is quite a unit but it’s actually surprisingly light for its size!Out the box you get the camera, a screw on monitor mount, and a heavy duty usb c 3.0 cable.Build quality is excellent and despite its size, it balances well on a laptop monitor screen.It’s relatively plug and play but requires the Elgato Camera Hub software to get it going and to make adjustments to suit your environment.Picture quality is fantastic… as is the very wide field of view. This side of an SLR, this is a webcam that delivers 4k 60fps (no other webcam can do this!) and a picture that is almost Sony SLR territory!That said… the software is a bit fiddly and you do have to keep adjusting for different lighting environments.The autozoom actually makes a whirring noise as it adjusts!! (Actually quite audible) and it’s not quite as quick as the other two webcams I would suggest are also worth considering (for less money)…. The OBSBOT Meet2 4k and the Insta 360 Link 2C, that are much faster and silent when doing autofocus.The FaceCam Pro I found also struggled a bit in low light. As soon as you get up into the higher ISOs it starts to get a bit grainy and again I found cameras like the OBSBOT failed much better.Colours though are very detailed… depending on your preference, they can be too detailed? That means you really have to be top of lighting game to get the most out of it.I actually ended up sending the FaceCam Pro back as despite the almost SLR like quality, I found the constant adjustments in the software , or the need for OBS to get the most out of it, just too much work.Also, cameras like the OBSBOT Meet2 4K were a much better all rounder… easier to use and a little “softer” for both recording and Zoom/Teams calls.The other big thing to bear in mind is this camera does not play nicely with hubs!!You need USB3.0 minimum… there can be huge lag (and I mean a delay of several seconds on a second screen!) if you don’t plug directly into a laptop! (I’m on a MacBook Pro M3, so it’s no slacker!!)Overall, if you’re a serious streamer, and have the patience to get the most out of it, then this might be a great option for you.That said, there are a couple of lightweight heavyweights, that are significantly cheaper that handle more, don’t make noises when they autofocus, and have some very clever functionality that for me personally at least, have sent me in their direction instead 👍

I cannot praise Elgato enough because of the professional quality and performance level of their equipment.I have the Ring Light; Prompter; Stream Deck XL; Facecam Pro; A Cold Shoe; and Low Profile Boom. I’ve happily bought into the Elgato universe and I’m very happy with my choices and their quality. I should really recommend Elgato to everyone but I want my video broadcasts / podcasts to be a far higher professional standard than everyone else’s. I tend to keep my secret weapons… secret!I’ve been a professional independent investigative journalist and editor working undercover in danger zones for forty years and high professional quality is my standard and necessity. I’m now changing direction l a little and moving into blogging and podcasting with two broadcast show series starting later this year and so I needed to research deeply into this media format. I chose Elgato together with Røde as reaching the professional standards I expect and they both easily attain this.I’m still setting up and equipping my home studio and without hesitation Elgato and Røde will be getting a lot more of my business. My next purchases are Key lights (x2); Capture card 4K144; + from Elgato.I have a few innovative ideas too and so I’ll be designing and building my own to fill a few gaps.In my professional opinion Elgato is simply professionally excellent and truly great value for money!