Design and Features
The StreamCam is strikingly different from any other webcam in Logitech’s line-up. It features a boxy design with a larger lens element. Instead of the usual flat plastic face, Logitech has trimmed the front with a fabric covering that fits right in with the company’s MX Speakers or the Amazon Echo Dot. It looks stylish and modern but seems like a mismatch for modern gaming rigs. The black version is a better fit, but it’s the first example of some odd design choices Logitech made here.
Apart from its look, Logitech has made a number of enhancements to the camera itself. The aperture has been lowered to f2.0, which is almost a full stop below the C922’s f2.8. The camera’s sensor is still too small to offer the same bokeh you could expect from a nice camera and lens, but that doesn’t mean it’s pointless. A larger aperture means it can take in more light and offer better performance in dark settings.
The StreamCam is flexible in how it can be set up. The mount that comes pre-attached allows you to position it on the top of your monitor like normal, but it can also be unclipped and rotated to capture vertical video. It’s a neat feature that no other webcam I know of is capable of, and makes the StreamCam more versatile – but I’m left wondering who it’s for. Most streamers don’t use vertical video at all, and for social media applications like Facebook Stories, very few people use anything other than a smartphone. Much more useful is the second mount Logitech included, which allows you to attach the StreamCam to a tripod. To make use of the StreamCam’s 60 fps at 1080p, you’ll need a USB 3.0 connection. This was a major issue when the Brio launched and led to many people connecting their webcams incorrectly. The StreamCam side-steps that problem by ending its cable in a USB Type-C connection. If you’re connecting over Type-C, there’s no way to connect it “wrong,” but if you’re using a PC that’s a few years old, you may not have a Type-C port at all. Logitech recommends using an adapter in this situation, but doesn’t include one in the box, which feels awfully stingy for a product that costs $169. It’s also not common for webcams to require USB-C, so there’s a good chance some streamers will buy the StreamCam only to find out they can’t use it. 
Using Logitech Capture, the camera is able to offer a couple of neat tricks others don’t, including Image Stabilization and Auto Framing. Image Stabilization is a head-scratcher. Most webcams are set in one place and rarely move. They don’t need image stabilization. Turning it on causes the camera to zoom in to hide the shaky edges and still didn’t eliminate jostling when I bumped the desk. In my case, it just wasn’t worth the reduced field of view to leave turned on. Auto Framing is more interesting but feels a little gimmicky. The StreamCam offers the best face tracking I’ve seen on a webcam and uses that to follow you as you move around the frame. It works remarkably well and was able to move the frame to follow me anywhere I moved in its 78-degree field of view. It desperately needs a sensitivity slider, however, because the mix of pan, tilt, and zoom moved too much to be useful instead of silly as I would lean in my chair. I can see the benefit if you move from place to place in a stream, though. Another problem is that the camera doesn’t do this natively, so using it with OBS or XSplit involves leaving Logitech Capture open in the background. The program is lightweight, but if your system is already near its limit, it’s not something you’ll want to leave running. 
The rest of the software feels like it’s still in a beta state. You can choose between Streaming and Recording settings, which trades off frame rate for exposure. The Streaming setting didn’t feel well-tuned, and left my image darker than if I dialed in settings myself. Under the Image Settings tab, you can tweak brightness, contrast, and sharpening (and will need to for the best results) but the sliders are both too small and don’t update until you let go of the mouse. What should be a simple slide requires lots of clicks. After seeing how everything worked, I went back to the sliders built into OBS because they felt much more functional.
Performance
When evaluating a new webcam, it really comes down to video quality and whether the StreamCam offers enough improvements to justify picking it up over the tried-and-true options dominating the market. I sold my own Logitech C922 last year when I invested in the Elgato Cam Link, but had the Razer Kiyo and Logitech Brio to test against. The Kiyo is similar to the C922 and offers excellent video quality and a built-in ring light. In the video below, I go through the StreamCam’s software, followed by comparisons between the StreamCam, Brio, and Kiyo. I also included a sample of a Sony RX100 Mk. V connected through a capture card. This allows you to see the kind of jump this more expensive solution offers compared to an all-in-one webcam. Have a look at how they compared: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/14/logitech-streamcam-software-walkthrough-and-video-quality-comparison"] Where the Logitech StreamCam excelled was its ability to hold focus on my face. No matter where I moved or how bright the lights were, it wouldn’t shift focus once it found me. When I forced it to refocus by putting an object right in front of it, it transitioned moderately quick but wasted no time reacquiring me when I put the object down. The Razer Kiyo performed similarly, but not quite as fast. The Brio, on the other hand, didn’t do well at all and couldn’t seem to separate me from the background. I was also impressed with the StreamCam’s low light performance. The wide aperture really made a big impact, which can improve your video quality if you like streaming in dim lighting. The camera was able to make out more detail within shadows, and was far less grainy than the Kiyo. The Brio also did well with its low light performance but since it couldn’t stay focused on my face, it really doesn’t matter. The StreamCam’s frame rate also held well and stayed buttery smooth even with my Key Light turned off. The microphone quality was impressive, not that many streamers will actually use it. The StreamCam offers dual microphones for Stereo or Dual Mono recording. Though the mics still pale in comparison to a good headset or standalone condenser mic, they would work perfectly fine for Discord chats with friends or video calls. All that said, after three years of waiting, I couldn’t help but feel a little let down. The StreamCam has better autofocus and low light performance – that’s what we would expect from a new camera. 60 fps is nice, but as the crowning impressive feature? Not so much. Where are the innovative streaming features? I would much rather have seen Image Stabilization and vertical video left on the cutting room floor if it meant an integrated ring light like the Razer Kiyo or 4K at 30 FPS. What each of those features does do, is make the StreamCam an objectively better webcam than the C922. That’s enough to make it a new high water mark for streaming cameras, and maybe that’s enough, but I do wish Logitech had done more to push the boundaries.Purchasing Guide
The Logitech StreamCam is available now for $169 from Amazon, Best Buy, or direct from Logitech.from IGN Reviews https://ift.tt/37D3m2I
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming
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