With the COVID-19 crisis going on, it’s more important than ever to stay in touch with loved ones and friends. Video chat has taken the place of all of my human interactions, therefore a decent webcam has become an absolute must.
Alternatively, if you fancy streaming content and possibly gaining a worldwide audience the Logitech Streamcam is for you. Whether you're a makeup artist, musician or gamer the Logitech Streamcam solid choice. Who knows you could become the next Pewdiepie or Ninja?
Webcams were something I hadn't thought about in years because functional cameras have become ubiquitous in modern phones, tablets and laptops. However, if you want to make video content, they are an essential tool and the Logitech Streamcam is one of the best if you don’t have access to a top of the range SLR digital camera and has been designed specifically with content creators in mind.
The Streamcam is small discreet and sits nicely on your computer, or wherever you choose to mount it, giving you plenty of options and mounting brackets are surprising steady.
The device comes in two colours, white and graphite black. It measures 66mm by 58mm by 48mm and weighs only 150g, making it suitable for a professional environment, as well as small and subtle enough to not be obvious or distracting.
The Streamcam follows simple, elegant and minimal design with no flashy lights, dials or controls on the device. It features one muted LED light to let you know it's on. While I can’t say it’s particularly attention-grabbing, I am however very thankful that it doesn’t look like a giant eyeball staring at me over my monitor like some of the previous webcams I've owned.
The Streamcam gives you the option of recording in full 1920 by 1080 HD resolution as well as 720 by 1280 and 360p by 640. These options are really appreciated if you have slow internet or are just having meetings that don’t need to be perfect quality.
The footage is sharp and looks more like what I’d have expected from an entry-level SLR rather than a webcam.
Frame rates vary from a smooth 60 frames per second all the way down to 24 frames per second.
There is optional image stabilisation, which is nice to have but not really needed as my computer doesn’t move while I’m recording, but if you are filming while on a less stable laptop or while out and about it's a great feature to have.
The audio is pretty basic with the mic providing mono and stereo options and it will do in a pinch. However, serious streamers would want to invest in a separate mic.
Setup was pretty easy after downloading the Logitech Capture software. The camera did work without the software, but the capture software really adds options.
The Streamcam’s Logitech Capture software comes with a variety of useful tools, some are invaluable to streamers but have really helped with productivity at home.
I was really impressed by the number of options and layouts for my footage. The software can capture from multiple sources simultaneously if you have multiple cameras or want game footage to play in the background or if you just want to share your screen while talking with work. This made it great for work meetings but even better to show off my gaming skills to friends.
The software studio controls allow you to really personalise your layout. There are options to tweak the colours, sharpness and contrast but the software also features the ability to apply filters, add frames, add watermarks or text overlays everything an aspiring streamer would need.
One of the best settings included was a chroma key option to replace my background that was a lot of fun.
You can save up to 6 different custom presets, for different platforms or for different types of streams.
Smart Autofocus and exposure were very accurate. Utilising AI tracking which while not instant it is reliable. Autoframing is pretty accurate and means you don't have to worry as much about the placement of the camera all the time and if you move a lot during recording although it took time for me to get used to the camera tracking my movements in real-time.
The aperture of the cameras lens is f2.0 which is very useful in low light situations like a bedroom or when you are solely illuminated by the glow of a screen.
You can rotate the camera and record in vertical mode. This puts the video in 9:16 format which works better on mobile and for Instagram if you want to keep that mobile look.
The software is compatible with Twitch and Youtube allowing a streamer to cast footage live direct to those platforms very easily.
The camera is also compatible with Twitch’s Streamlab software, it's just a shame the Logitech Capture software can't stream directly to these formats.
USB-C is used on the device which can cause an issue if you don't have a newish computer or don't have an adapter as one is not included with the camera. The cable is also wired to the camera, and cannot be replaced if damaged. The length of the cable can also cause an issue as it's 5ft which was fine most of the time but was slightly too short when I attached the camera to a tripod.
I was surprised that in this privacy-conscious world, no lens cap or slider wasn't included or built-in, making me paranoid if I left the camera plugged in.
While nowhere near as expensive as a Digital SLR, it’s certainly not cheap, but the excellent quality and high frame rate make it worth it.
Verdict
The Logitech Streamcam performs surprisingly well. While it can't quite compete with professional DSLRs, the high-quality visuals and vast array of customisation options and tools combined with solid low light performance and very impressive face tracking make this camera a webcam not to overlook.
The Logitech Stream camera is the gold standard for webcams and perfect for those dabbling with or starting out as a content producer due to its versatility, array of tools, high frame rate and sharp picture quality.
The Logitech Streamcam is available now for £139