Elgato Launches Facecam, a New Premium Webcam, Alongside Four More New Products for Content Creators

[VSG]

[Editor's note: Our review of the Elgato Facecam can be found here]

Elgato, a leading provider of hardware and software for streamers and content creators, today announced the launch of Facecam, a cutting-edge entry into the world of professional-grade webcams. Facecam captures video in true Full HD 1080p60 through an all-glass studio-quality Elgato Prime lens. Equipped with a Sony Starvis image sensor that excels in indoor lighting conditions, and an optimized fixed focus, Facecam keeps you looking sharp in live streams, conference calls, online classes, or anywhere demanding high-quality HD video capture. The result is a webcam tailor-made for creating today's most professional content.

Alongside Facecam, today Elgato also launches a host of new gear to upgrade your production setup: Wave XLR, an XLR to USB Type-C microphone interface and digital audio mixer; Stream Deck, now with interchangeable faceplates, a detachable USB Type-C cable, and a beautiful new stand; and Wave Mic Arm plus Wave Mic Arm LP, two fully adjustable boom arms for optimal desktop microphone positioning.



Facecam features a studio-quality f/2.4 24-mm, all-glass Elgato Prime Lens. A state-of-the-art Sony Starvis CMOS sensor with back-illuminated pixel technology ensures extraordinary detail in a variety of lighting conditions, especially indoors. Optimized fixed focus enables you to move freely and stay in focus, while an adjustable field of view up to 82° allows you to set close-up or wide angle shots. Facecam outputs true Full HD at 1080p60fps without artifacts thanks to an advanced image engine that outputs uncompressed video.

Facecam makes configuring and installing an expert webcam setup simple and easy, seamlessly mounting to nearly any monitor or camera mount via a choice of an expandable monitor clamp or a 1/4" thread. Connecting to your PC or Mac via a detachable USB Type-C cable, uncompressed image data is transferred with extremely low latency. The accompanying Camera Hub app gives you DSLR-like control of settings such as field of view, brightness, and exposure - and your settings are saved directly to Facecam for instant recall on all your computers. The Stream Deck plugin enables instant tactile control and integration with your entire setup.

"With Elgato's history of innovation in every aspect of content creation, we knew that our first webcam had to set a new standard in the industry," said Julian Fest, SVP and GM of Elgato. "Facecam is the culmination of thousands of hours of meticulous engineering, and it comes at a time when more people than ever are looking to build a highly professional setup that can help establish and grow their audiences. Facecam is a blend of premium hardware and advanced software that gives users an intuitive, powerful solution to achieve stunning video quality. Manually tuning a camera to capture the perfect shot has never been easier."

Debuting alongside Facecam, Wave XLR connects your existing high-quality XLR microphone to your PC, upgrading its audio capabilities and enabling integration with the Elgato Wave Link app to mix your microphone audio with multiple other independent audio sources. Controlling your microphone with Wave XLR is easy thanks to its silent capacitive mute button and multifunctional control dial. Proprietary Clipguard technology prevents sound distortion when input levels peak, while up to 75dB of ultra-low-noise gain amplifies insensitive mics. Wave XLR also provides up to 48 volts of phantom power to drive condenser microphones for extra high audio detail and capacity. Like Facecam, Wave XLR integrates perfectly with Stream Deck for advanced audio control.

Next in the lineup is the all-new Stream Deck. The iconic interface with fifteen bright LCD keys that can be customized with icons and actions to control apps and tools, Stream Deck now sports detachable components that allow users to completely personalize their setup. A new fixed-angle desktop stand keeps Stream Deck firmly planted and can be removed to lay the unit flat or mount as desired. The USB Type-C cable can be disconnected and replaced by any USB Type-C cable. Plus, the faceplate easily snaps off so users can just as easily snap on a different design from a growing range of custom faceplates adorned in vibrant colors and graphics. With the recently updated Stream Deck 5.0 app and Store featuring plugins, royalty-free music tracks, sound effects and more, Stream Deck is an extremely versatile, fully customizable control interface for any computer-based workflow. It's also the perfect companion for Elgato products, including Facecam and Wave XLR.

Joining Elgato's selection of Wave audio gear and accessories, Wave Mic Arm and Wave Mic Arm LP offer content creators, radio broadcasters, business professionals - anyone with a desktop audio setup - two premium-quality mounting options. Wave Mic Arm, a traditional suspension boom arm, stands tall at 750mm / 29.5in and comes with an extension riser that adds another 150mm / 5.9in of height to reach over bigger obstacles such as computer monitors. Wave Mic Arm LP, by contrast, is an all-metal, low-profile boom arm that sits below the shoulder line to ensure an unobstructed view while making a stunning impression on and off camera. Streamlined and elegantly designed, both mic arms feature hidden cable channels with removable covers for easy access, an adjustable clamp mount that fits popular desk designs, and a ball head with a 1/4" screw plus 3/8"-5/8" adapters for ultimate flexibility.

Whether you're just getting started or looking to upgrade, Facecam and the newest wave of Elgato streaming gear and accessories have the power to turn your desktop into a professional content studio.

Availability, Warranty, and Pricing
Elgato Facecam, Stream Deck, Wave XLR, Wave Mic Arm, and Wave Mic Arm LP are available immediately from the Elgato and CORSAIR worldwide network of authorized retailers and distributors. Elgato Facecam, Stream Deck, Wave XLR, Wave Mic Arm, and Wave Mic Arm LP are backed by a two-year warranty and the CORSAIR & Elgato worldwide customer service and technical support network. For up-to-date pricing of Elgato Facecam, Stream Deck, Wave XLR, Wave Mic Arm, and Wave Mic Arm LP, please refer to the Elgato website.

Web Pages

• For more information on Elgato Facecam, please visit: https://elgato.com/facecam
• For more information on Elgato Stream Deck, please visit: https://elgato.com/stream-deck-mk2
• For more information on Elgato Wave XLR, please visit: https://elgato.com/wave-xlr
• For more information on Elgato Wave Mic Arm, please visit: https://elgato.com/wave-mic-arm
• For more information on Elgato Wave Mic Arm LP, please visit: https://elgato.com/wave-mic-arm-lp

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[Caring1]

Wanker cam for egocentric people.

 

[EzioAs]

1080p60fps webcams are still pretty expensive it seems.

 

[ZoneDymo]

1080p60fps webcams are still pretty expensive it seems.

Yeah it's pretty silly and sad how that is basically not.moving forward at all

 

[Fourstaff]

1080p60fps webcams are still pretty expensive it seems.

Webcams are a niche industry in comparison with the size of the camera on phone market. Also, lots of profiteering currently.

 

[PLAfiller]

Webcams need this soft box light IMO, @WhiteNoise had a really elegant DIY solution as I saw in one of his posts. I have this light ring, but with no screw for a webcam in the middle.

 

[silentbogo]

Webcams are a niche industry in comparison with the size of the camera on phone market.

Webcams aren't just the old tiny boxes on top of your monitor. And you can hardly call it a niche product, since nearly every laptop on the market has it, along with many AIOs and business-centric monitors.
The problem is - they haven't changed since mid-2000s. I haven't upgraded my 10 y.o. C270 only because there is nothing to upgrade to. Anything in sub-$100 segment is just as shitty(if not worse) even if it claims 1080p30 or 1080p60: just using interpolation and high compression to make your image look like someone spread Vaseline over your lens. Everything over $100 is outside my comfort zone unless it's very-very good. I'm not even gonna start on Brio and other hi-end models.
Yes, the market is smaller than smartphones, but it's not small by any means. Even real niche products like soapbox cameras, security devices etc. had lots of progress and development over the years. Only webcams are stuck in a time bubble, when George W. Bush still was a president of US and "can it run Crysis" pun was still funny.

 

[Fourstaff]

Webcams aren't just the old tiny boxes on top of your monitor. And you can hardly call it a niche product, since nearly every laptop on the market has it, along with many AIOs and business-centric monitors.
The problem is - they haven't changed since mid-2000s. I haven't upgraded my 10 y.o. C270 only because there is nothing to upgrade to. Anything in sub-$100 segment is just as shitty(if not worse) even if it claims 1080p30 or 1080p60: just using interpolation and high compression to make your image look like someone spread Vaseline over your lens. Everything over $100 is outside my comfort zone unless it's very-very good. I'm not even gonna start on Brio and other hi-end models.
Yes, the market is smaller than smartphones, but it's not small by any means. Even real niche products like soapbox cameras, security devices etc. had lots of progress and development over the years. Only webcams are stuck in a time bubble, when George W. Bush still was a president of US and "can it run Crysis" pun was still funny.

The ones that sit on your laptop, sure. Those have improved over the years. The tiny ones sitting on top of the monitor (like this Elgato one), that is niche. Few mln a year at most vs hundred mln a year in smartphones.

 

[silentbogo]

The ones that sit on your laptop, sure. Those have improved over the years.

Say what? Even the latest and greatest laptops still come with the same old 720p sensor and at most are capable of producing 60FPS of soap-filled video, or 1080p30 that looks worse than native HD due to lackluster exposure and excessive compression... The only thing that improved is upscaling/denoising/sharpening filters and stream compression algos (e.g. software, not hardware). Same thing with desktops - either suffer through limited bandwidth of USB2.0, or shell out upwards of $200 for something a bit more "modern". Even the latest M1 macs with their newly-introduced facetime magic still have a boring 720p sensor, and the only thing that changed is adding a wide-angle lens and a ton of post-processing.
The main reason - making a USB3.0 UVC device yields much lower margins than selling an outdated tech for x10-x20 the manufacturing cost. That's why I can count all existing USB3.0 webcams on fingers of one hand (including this one), and there's still gonna be one finger left to express my feelings about this situation.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

Wanker cam for egocentric people.

Have you seen the options that you can play with for this webcam? You cant do the stuff with other webcams that this one can.

 

[WhiteNoise]

Webcams need this soft box light IMO, @WhiteNoise had a really elegant DIY solution as I saw in one of his posts. I have this light ring, but with no screw for a webcam in the middle.

Thanks. I used one of these, a camera softbox Diffuser: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KT5ETNA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and then bought an 18W LED photography light kit and fitted the lamp head with bulb within the softbox. Sits next to my cam and works great but certainly does not look as nice as that one above!