With the advent of high-speed Internet, a variety of video services and social networks, people have a desire to create their own content and communicate more, while observing the interlocutor. It is not a new invention that comes to the rescue here – the webcam.
Due to the current situation in the world, webcams have become very popular among ordinary citizens – they are used, among other things, for remote work and learning.
Today we are testing a webcam from the company Logitech – model StreamCam, which is suitable not only for everyday video calls, but also for creating high-quality content on Youtube and Twitch thanks to support for recording in resolution FULL HD at 60 FPS…
PACKAGING, COMPLETE SET AND APPEARANCE
The camera comes in a small gray cardboard box. On the front side, the manufacturer depicted the product in its real colors, and also listed the main features. On the back and sides there is more detailed information about system requirements, characteristics, features and equipment.
Inside the box, the camera is laid in a formatted folded cardboard, and a visual instruction with installation options is placed on the lid of the package.
Includes camera, monitor mount, tripod mount (1/4 “thread), 3 months XSplit streaming software premium license code, documentation and 2 years warranty.
The Logitech StreamCam is available in two colors: graphite (dark gray) and cream (white). We received a graphite model for testing.
Externally, the webcam resembles a rectangular speaker. Its dimensions are 66 x 58 x 28 mm, and it weighs 150 grams without the mount and 222 grams with it. The body is made of fairly durable plastic. On the front, there is a large lens window surrounded by fabric trim. Hidden below are microphones and a white activity LED.
On the sides of the four sides of the body there are bulges for installing the camera in the mounts. Installing the Logitech StreamCam into the mount is effortless – it holds very securely. In this case, the camera can be installed both horizontally and vertically. Removing the device from the mount is as easy as installing it.
A one and a half meter wire comes out from the back of the camera for connecting to a PC via a USB Type-C 3.1 connector. An adapter for USB Type-A is not included in the kit, so keep this in mind if you decide to purchase this model.
SPECIFICATIONS, SOFTWARE AND RECORDING
According to the manufacturer, the Logitech StreamCam uses a premium Full HD lens with glass lenses. In addition to 1080p, the webcam supports 720p and 360p resolutions and frame rates of 60, 50, 30, 25 and 24 FPS. The module has an aperture of f / 2.0 and a focal length of 3.7 mm. The diagonal viewing angle of the lens is 78 degrees. There is autofocus at a distance of 10 cm and proprietary technology for focusing on faces. The device received two omnidirectional noise canceling microphones that can function both in stereo and in two mono channels.
The camera requires a PC with a 7th generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and Windows 10 / macOS 10.14 or later to operate properly. For broadcasting or recording at 60 FPS, a camera connection is required via a USB connector of at least version 3.0.
The Logitech StreamCam works seamlessly with popular streaming software such as Open Broadcast Software, XSplit, and NVIDIA Broadcast. However, the manufacturer also has a proprietary camera application called Logitech Capture. It does not offer streaming functions, unlike the software mentioned above, but thanks to it, the user has tools with basic capabilities for creating video content, as well as fine-tuning the camera itself – controlling autofocus, stabilization, exposure, white balance and automatic framing, which focuses the image directly on the user’s face and moves the frame when changing position. In addition, the application works with chroma key, allows you to apply various effects (filters, text, frame), as well as record video and take screenshots from two sources at once. For example, from a camera and a monitor screen.
As for the recording quality itself, the Logitech StreamCam demonstrates good picture quality in daylight and room lighting. With a lack of illumination, of course, noise appears, and the automatic backlight adjustment function brightens the picture at least a little, but does not solve the noise problem.
The sound recorded from the built-in microphones in stereo mode sounds muffled, which cannot be said about the two-channel mono mode, where speech is heard much louder and clearer. But the overall sound quality of the microphone is quite average, and if you are going to create content tied to communication, then it is better to get a better quality external microphone.
RESULTS
The Logitech StreamCam is a solid, versatile camera. It is easily suitable not only for high-quality video calls for work or study via Skype or Zoom, but also for creating a variety of content in good proprietary software. Thanks to a very quick and convenient transformation of the camera from horizontal to vertical, you can easily and quickly create content for Instagram, TikTok and other platforms on your PC. And all this in 1080p at 60 frames. The only thing missing is an adapter for USB Type-A, but this is already a trifle.
Author: Sergey Dyakonenko (Madnfs)
Read also: Logitech G333 gaming headphones review…
