Elgato’s newest webcam is making some bold claims about bringing DSLR-quality video to mainstream creators, and the specs suggest they might be onto something significant. The Elgato Facecam 4K promises Ultra HD video at 60 frames per second along with professional camera controls that could change how we think about webcam capabilities.
Elgato has built this around a 1/1.8-inch Sony STARVIS 2 sensor paired with a Prime Lens that maintains sharpness up to 1.2 metres with a full 90-degree field of view. The image processor handles everything from encoding to noise reduction, delivering uncompressed video when connected via USB 3.0. That sounds great on paper but the quality to back up this claim will show.
Julian Fest, General Manager at Elgato, explains their positioning: “What once cost thousands of dollars in camera gear now sits comfortably on your monitor.”
The Camera Hub software offers manual ISO and shutter speed controls that give you that professional camera feel, while PTZ controls let you pan, tilt, and zoom digitally while maintaining impressive sharpness. The inclusion of LUTs for colour grading brings film-style post-processing directly into the webcam software, with presets available through the Elgato Marketplace.
For NVIDIA RTX users, there’s realistic background blur capability that mimics DSLR depth-of-field effects. Additional features include advanced noise reduction and HDR support, creating a comprehensive toolkit that goes well beyond typical webcam software.
Perhaps the coolest addition is support for 49mm lens filters, marking the first time a webcam has offered this professional photography staple. This opens up creative possibilities like diffusion effects, starburst filters, or CPL filters to reduce reflections from glasses during video calls or streams.
Elgato is offering a free CPL filter for orders placed through their webstore, though the webcam supports any standard 49mm filter from photography suppliers.
Elgato Facecam 4K looks to be one of the most awesome inventions for the webcam world, but we need to wait until the reviews to see how these tech performs.
