Expert's Rating
Pros
- High quality in the right light
- Good control for Windows and Mac
- Extra effects with GeForce
Cons
- Doubtful with wrong light
- No microphone
- No control for Windows on Arm
Our Verdict
The Facecam Neo, the latest offering from Elgato, is designed to make professional streaming as easy as possible.
Whether you’re streaming a work call or a popular video game, you’re going to need a webcam that makes you look good. The Facecam Neo, the latest offering from Elgato, is designed to make professional streaming as easy as possible.
The Elgato Facecam Neo is sold as either as a standalone product or in a kit that includes other gadgets such as a microphone, a light panel, and so on. As a standalone product, it costs $99.99. For that price, you get a sturdy little camera that can be angled vertically and swiveled sideways. It’s a nice camera, but it definitely has its limitations, which we’ll dive into below.
Further reading: Best webcams 2024: Top picks and expert buying advice
Elgato Facecam Neo: Easy to hook onto your screen
You get a bracket to hook the webcam onto a screen and it sits firmly. It can also be used to stand it on a table, slightly elevated. Otherwise, you can also attach it to a stand of your choice, there are standard threads for it at the bottom.
Mattias Inghe
Mattias Inghe
<div class="scrim" style="background-color: #fff" aria-hidden="true"></div>
</div></figure><p class="imageCredit">Mattias Inghe</p></div>The camera has a USB-C cable attached, so that’s the only way to connect it to a computer unless you buy your own adapter for USB-A. Elgato doesn’t specify whether it’s a USB 2.0 or 3.0. However, according to the stated system requirements, a USB 2.0 port on the computer should be sufficient and there shouldn’t be any compromise on image quality.
The camera delivers 1920×1080 pixels at 60 Hz at best, with a signal that does not seem to contain too much compression. I don’t see any otherwise typical jpeg artefacts in video recorded with it, just some banding in tinted areas.
Whether it can do that with a USB 2.0 connection I don’t know, I didn’t actually have a port to plug it into and test. But most Type C ports today are USB 3 model, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
The Facecam Neo has no built-in microphone. For audio, you’ll need to connect to an external microphone or use a headset.
Mattias Inghe
<div class="lightbox-image-container foundry-lightbox"><div class="extendedBlock-wrapper block-coreImage undefined"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large enlarged-image"><img decoding="async" data-wp-bind--src="selectors.core.image.enlargedImgSrc" data-wp-style--object-fit="selectors.core.image.lightboxObjectFit" src="" alt="Elgato Facecam Neo bakifrån" class="wp-image-2430078" width="1200" height="860" loading="lazy" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Cooling grille with self-draught on the back.</figcaption></figure><p class="imageCredit">Mattias Inghe</p></div> </div></figure><p class="imageCredit">Mattias Inghe</p></div>Elgato Facecam Neo: Looks good, but only in the right light
The image quality is good thanks to a CMOS sensor and large aperture, autofocus, and optics with a 26 millimeter focal length that gives it a 77 degree angle of view. In 60 Hz image mode, the response is instantaneous and the image is completely free of blur and the image shows crisp details.
It can be really good with the right lighting, with studio light, or incident daylight, but the image can also be annoyingly dark. I get harsh contrast and excessive color saturation when testing with just indoor lighting late at night in my home office.
Skin tones become mottled and shades are unflatteringly emphasized. I don’t usually like the beauty filters found in many smartphone cameras, but here I actually started longing for something similar. Or at least better automatic light compensation. Other webcams are better this. The camera can deliver the right image, but the only thing that works with plug and play auto is the excellent white balance.
Mattias Inghe
<div class="lightbox-image-container foundry-lightbox"><div class="extendedBlock-wrapper block-coreImage undefined"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large enlarged-image"><img decoding="async" data-wp-bind--src="selectors.core.image.enlargedImgSrc" data-wp-style--object-fit="selectors.core.image.lightboxObjectFit" src="" alt="Elgato Camera Hub bildinställningar" class="wp-image-2430077" width="1200" height="700" loading="lazy" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">To get a handle on excessive mottling and harsh contrast, I need to go into Camera Hub.</figcaption></figure><p class="imageCredit">Mattias Inghe</p></div> </div></figure><p class="imageCredit">Mattias Inghe</p></div>Elgato Facecam Neo: Competent software works best with GeForce
Let’s talk about the Camera Hub program real quick. It gives you control over digital zoom and crop with face tracking, contrast, light level, sharpening filters, saturation, and color temperature control as well as various HDR, noise reduction, and anti-flicker options.
If you want to have good control over your image, this program is a must. It’s not as difficult as it may seem, though. I needed to adjust the light and contrast sliders to
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