Our Verdict
Whether or not for streaming, recording, or every day conferences, the Elgato Facecam MK 2 is a good digital camera that slots brilliantly into the Elgato ecosystem, and it’s a wonderful standalone product as effectively. Optimizations revamped the earlier mannequin, and borrowed from the Facecam Professional, end in crystal clear 1080p, 60fps efficiency, and with the appropriate settings, it might probably even counter poor lighting situations with out the necessity for added gear.
- 1080p 60fps native high quality is crystal clear
- Improved privateness shutter
- General design is an enormous enchancment over MK.1
- Digicam Hub is nice for customizing picture high quality
- High quality comes at a excessive price
- Appears like a Facecam Professional ‘lite’ somewhat than a brand new innovation
- Solely 1080p decision
The Elgato ecosystem is all the time increasing and bettering, and the Elgato Facecam MK.2 is likely one of the most interesting examples of an organization studying from earlier merchandise to enhance its future choices. Whether or not you’re taking a look at efficiency or design, the MK.2 is a step up from its predecessor, so long as you’re pleased sitting at a max 1080p seize decision.
It ought to come as no shock that, given its marked enchancment over the unique Elgato Facecam, the MK.2 is among the many finest webcams in the marketplace. Regardless of adopting a number of the Facecam Professional design options, the MK.2 isn’t concentrating on the identical hardcore market, however this leaves its excessive MSRP feeling somewhat inflated, regardless that it sits at half the value.
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Elgato Facecam MK.2 Specs
| Resolutions | 1080p/60fps, 1080p/30fps, 720p/60fps, 720p/30fps, 540p/60fps, 540p/30fps |
| Focus vary | 30-120cm |
| Lens | Elgato Prime Lens, f2.4 aperture |
| Focal size | 24mm |
| Area of view | 84 levels (diagonal) |
| Sensor | Sony Starvis CMOS |
| Connection | USB 3.0, USB 2.0, Sort-C |
| Dimensions | 38 x 84 x 61mm (H x W x D with out mount) |
| Weight | 90g (with out mount) |
Elgato Facecam MK.2 options
Why change what works? That may be very a lot the method that Elgato has taken to lots of the Facecam MK.2’s options. The identical Elgato Prime Lens returns, with the identical f2.4 aperture and 24mm focal size. This extends via to the Sony Starvis CMOS sensor, which is used to attain lots of the monitoring results potential with the MK.2.
The Facecam MK.2 provides a superb center floor between the growing older MK.1 and the hardcore Facecam Professional mannequin. One benefit of the MK.2 is that, even for those who use USB 2.0 somewhat than the advisable USB 3.0 connection, you’ll be able to nonetheless get uncompromising 1080p/60fps video high quality.
Elgato can be eager to level out that the onboard reminiscence helps you save your settings between makes use of, however in fact, the MK.1 and Professional each have this identical reminiscence characteristic. Digicam Hub integration is again as effectively, and also you get an awesome quantity of management over how your picture can look. You may belief the automated settings to regulate the picture high quality for those who’re unsure what to do, but it surely’s finest follow to dive in and mess around with the sliders to see how they affect your picture within the preview window. After a number of hours of tinkering, you’ll be shocked at what you’ll be able to accomplish and the way a lot cleaner your closing picture might look.
Elgato Facecam MK.2 design
In our Elgato Facecam MK.1 evaluation, we name the plastic physique “low cost”, however no such considerations exist with the MK.2, because it leans in direction of the Facecam Professional on the subject of design. The physique continues to be largely product of plastic, however as a substitute of getting an affordable really feel, it’s smooth to the contact and creates a light-weight product that sits very simply atop a gaming monitor.
Talking of the way it sits, the Facecam MK.2 comes with a ¼ mount, that means you’ll be able to connect it to any system that makes use of the identical thread, such because the Elgato Mini Mount or Stable Arm. The only thumbscrew that attaches the included monitor mount can be tremendous easy to take away once you’re able to make a change.
A privateness shutter is included, as soon as once more taking inspiration from the Facecam Professional versus the MK.1’s shutter cap, but it surely’s handbook and might’t be activated through software program or from a swap on the digital camera itself. Air flow can be included on the rear of the Facecam MK.2 and surrounding the USB-C port, guaranteeing you’ll be able to put the MK.2 via lengthy classes with no worries about high quality drops. In the meantime, a small blue LED signifies when the digital camera is in use, which is nice for having the ability to establish for those who’re by accident streaming once you don’t need to.
Elgato Facecam MK.2 efficiency
The Elgato Facecam MK.2 is a good launching pad for wannabe streamers and content material creators. Its 1080p/60fps native seize is crystal clear, and enjoying round with settings within the Digicam Hub can take a poor, low-light setting and actually make it pop.
The identical goes for streaming with the Facecam MK.2, supplied you’re utilizing a software program bundle and broadband reference to the bandwidth to hold the high-quality picture – in any other case, you’re going to be susceptible to compression points. Talking of compression, it seems that, regardless of the good picture high quality, when utilizing assembly software program like Groups or Google Meet, I observed lots of picture ghosting, and my colleagues identified that the picture being displayed was clearly compressed, and a good distance from the picture the Facecam MK.2 is able to producing.
One constructive, nonetheless, is that this seems to be a case of applications like Meet and Groups attempting to change your picture earlier than you head into a gathering. A manner round that is merely rejecting any picture alterations which might be provided, and sticking with the native settings you’ve chosen within the Elgato Digicam Hub.
Fortunately, you’re not locked into 1080p/60fps and might scale back it to 720p/60fps or all the best way right down to 540p/30fps with a number of different choices in between. Whereas a 120fps mode is marketed, this isn’t a local 120fps seize, and is as a substitute used as a solution to create results like gradual movement.
In the meantime, the automated settings constructed into the Elgato Digicam Hub are surprisingly efficient and can prevent hours of tinkering attempting to get the right shot, but it surely’s totally depending on the sunshine in your setting. You probably have an workplace area and full management over the lighting scenario, you’re higher off discovering the right settings and committing them to the onboard reminiscence.
If you happen to work in an open area, or with unreliable lighting, permitting the MK.2’s computerized settings to continuously alter your picture is the best way to go. The automated settings will all the time purpose to provide the most natural-looking picture, balancing out the brightness and heat tones to forestall pure mild giving every thing a heat orange tint or glow.
One other setting you need to use to bypass such points is the excessive dynamic vary. This setting takes an overexposed and underexposed picture and interlaces them to create a contented center floor the place all of the element is retained and improved vs a regular snapshot.
Pair this with 4 ranges of noise discount, and you’ll actually enhance your closing picture high quality to outstanding ranges, once more cementing the Facecam MK.2 as an incredible digital camera for streamers who aren’t chasing 4K resolutions.
Lastly, face monitoring is feasible however requires the Nvidia AR SDK to be downloaded, and also you’ll want no less than an Nvidia GeForce RTX 20-series GPU. As soon as put in, you’ll profit from not solely the face monitoring but additionally the pan and tilt options that may help you be extra dynamic with the footage you seize or broadcast. Tie this characteristic with preset scenes and settings that you would be able to assign to an Elgato Stream Deck, and also you’re instantly upgrading your video manufacturing over a much less exhilarating static view.
Conclusion
The Elgato Facecam MK.2 makes the appropriate marginal enhancements over its predecessor to make it price an improve, however for severe streamers and content material creators, the Facecam Professional continues to be a greater possibility.
Its excessive MSRP of $149.99 (£149.99) can be justified by the standard on show, but it surely pushes the Facecam MK.2 far out of attain for what many informal streamers might be prepared to pay for a product that doesn’t attain 4K. Regardless of a max decision of 1080p, nonetheless, there are sufficient options packed into the Facecam MK.2 for it to face its floor, particularly on the subject of Elgato’s supporting software program and ecosystem.
Options
Razer Kiyo Professional
Razer has Elgato matched on most fronts with 1080p/60fps seize, the identical Sony CMOS sensor, and HDR integration. The place the Razer Kiyo Professional excels, nonetheless, is with its built-in microphone, a wider area of view, and the truth that it may be discovered for as much as half the value.
Elgato Facecam Professional
If you happen to can look previous the value, the Elgato Facecam Professional is the last word 4K digital camera for streamers proper now. Nonetheless, for those who’re not chasing 4K, the Facecam MK.2 has adopted so many options and design factors from the Professional, that it’s wiser to avoid wasting your money and keep on with the 1080p mannequin till increased resolutions grow to be the norm.
