The new Logitech StreamCam, at least from what I can see on its product box, aims to be their brand new successor of their C922 series, or they’re just comparing it with it for no particular reason.
With this model, besides maybe a bit too straightforward naming, Logitech took a completely different direction when it comes to its looks. In particular, the design of the housing which holds in the lens, sensor and other electronics took a new turn, we now have this one-eyed Wall-E looking (blink eye) box thingy, so the camera body is a bit thicker than what we’re used to seeing from Logitech when it comes to their webcams. Around the lens you can see this grayish fabric-like material, which makes it a tad more premium looking while hiding behind it we have a small white LED indicator which lets you know when you’re streaming and recording, and probably the microphone too. As you can see, this particular version is white, but you can also choose to buy a black model.
Although you’re not going to hold its hands, it feels very robust, especially the stand, the build quality is overall pretty decent. Speaking of the stands, with the bundle you will get another mounting bracket option that will enable you to put it on a standard tripod camera thread which is commonly used in this industry.
Logitech StreamCam – their step in the right direction?
The cameras main body can actually be rotated and mounted on the stand in any of its sidewalls, you can see that it has these latches, which is awesome cause this default position really triggered my OCD when I saw the Logi name branding oriented like that. But, of course, there’s a caveat to that, turn it so will put you in a portrait mode, so have that in mind. The stand for the camera is construction-wise very similar to ones seen on their other webcams, very sturdy, carrying some rubberized parts for better grip onto the monitor, and overall it still lets you rotate the camera in different direction thanks to flaps and hinges, while we got some swivel action for the cameras to mount bracket so you basically have two axis of adjustment, which is always a bonus if you have a specific setup. This actually helped my case as with all of those adjustment options I didn’t have any problem with putting it on my bottom monitor, right at the edge of it where I had some room left to mount the camera since I was able to turn its head toward me.
Coming from the back of it we have a nice thick USB 3.1 Type-C cable, yes, you’ve heard that right, USB type-C cable with the Type-C connector being on the one end, while the other end, which goes into the camera is basically permanently plugged into it, reminds me sort of the Apples iMac power connector where it’s seamlessly flush with the chassis. But thing is, that one is detachable, and this one on the Streamcam is not, and I would love that this camera also has that option, because for some users 1,5-meter cable length maybe won’t be enough, although in my case it was. Another thing where detachable cable makes even more sense is when you have a Type-C connector on the end that needs to go into a PC, it makes its use a little tricky since not all users have a Type-C on their motherboards, so I would rather see the Type-C port on the camera itself, just like their MX Keys keyboard, and let the user decide if they will go for a route of having a Type-C to Type-C cable, or Type-C to Type-A, although don’t get me wrong, I’m liking this trend, but this transition can be a bit unexpected and this would make it easier.
Enough about the looks and feels, let’s actually check what’s under the hood of the Streamcam. As you probably already saw from the writhing on the box, this model supports 1080p 60 FPS video streaming, or recording, which is done through a 3,7 mm F2.0 lens, and as you can see, it will give you a pretty wide framing. Yes, I know, I was also surprised by the fact that it doesn’t have a 4K sensor in this day and age, but I guess that was compensated with a lower price compared to their Brio series which has a 4K sensor, although not by much, but Logitech is relying on the fact that the Streamcam should give you better lens and sensor performance. When I think about it, Logitech StreamCam vs Brio standoff would definitely be interesting to check out.
Even though I don’t cover a lot of webcams on my channel, before all because, well, there aren’t that many of them compared to other hardware that I check out, I did enjoy taking a closer look since there’s that video quality aspect of it which I’m familiar with. The 1080p 60FPS video clips were captured using OBS software, while you’ll get a 3-month free Xsplit Premium license within the bundle. Of course, you can choose to use Logitech’s own software called Logitech Capture, it will also give you different level of control, capture and streaming possibilities, especially in with this new updated version of it, where we now have dark mode and other added features, and it comes off as a bit more user-friendly for those who don’t need to have that much control or don’t plan to do any post-production with it afterward.
StreamCam doesn’t support 4K, but it brings something else
All in all, the video recording quality is good, there’s decent amount of range in the video, the saturation and color balance is pretty good out of the box for what it’s worth, it’s a web camera after all, although all of this can be manually controlled to your personal preference and which is why a strongly advise you to use it. The video wasn’t too grainy when the low light compensation started to kick in, while there were some expected differences in noise levels bumping it down to 30 FPS instead of 60 FPS, since the shutter speed is slower, making more light finding its way to the sensor. Of course, having more lighting always helps, but if you can not get around this problem, you can count on the cameras pretty good low light performance. Once again, I recommend that you play with manual settings cause this way you will get optimal results for your scenario, before all if you know that you won’t change the scene that often or at all.
Logitech’s smart video feature for the StreamCam has facial tracking AI algorithm which automatically adjusts the focus and exposure, and it’s doing it pretty good out of the box, with what I saw it doesn’t seem to move about too much, it’s pretty stable, although I would personally use it on manual mode, especially if you have a fixed frame and you don’t plan to put something in between you and camera, although it tracks pretty good. In terms of the video call quality, it all depends on the application which you’re using, what kind of settings have set, what kind of compression algorithm does the app itself uses, and of course quality of your internet connection.
The built-in stereo microphone delivers decent enough audio quality considering it’s a part of a webcam, it’s not like it will blow you off your feet, but it will do more than a good job for making a conference call, and I would say that it sort of comparatively goes along with the video quality that the Streamcam brings in. Generally speaking, it’s a little bit better than what you’re probably used to hearing from a webcam, maybe some users who are making their first streaming steps will find this to be an ideal combo, two birds with one stone, although I would prefer something like a Blue Yeti or Audio-Technica AT2020 as a good sound foundation, possibly even long term. I know you’ve heard me at the beginning talking over it, but here’s another audio sample together with the video sample from the camera, unedited.
StreamCam price hitting the right spot?
Logitech definitely has a good product in their hands, before all they’re going in a right direction with it, as they should since they have a lot of user feedback on their disposal, which is always a great starting point when it comes to product developing. Web, or to be more precise streaming camera, doesn’t have to be ultra-small, it can be a bit bulky to a reasonable degree, just like this one, as long as it can bring decent picture quality, I don’t see why that couldn’t be a more common practice on a count of bringing in better performance, that’s completely fine in my book. Sometimes I feel like they don’t want to do it, they’re sort of holding themselves back because technology is out there, that’s not in question, but they’re stuck in this for them comfortable wedge.
It could be due to the fact that doing so the camera would be too expensive for what it is in the eyes of the end consumer, StreamCam is sort of living on the edge, but I’m hoping we will see a shift in this segment soon, something that can bring in best from both worlds. Hopefully, the rising streaming community will Fastrack that process to a certain degree, once the manufacturers pick-up that trend, as Logitech in a way did. They could just outright go out and buy a capture device and a cheaper video camera.
That’s it for this time, thanks for checking out my Logitech StreamCam review and if you have any question feel free to hit me in the comments section of my YouTube video listed above, you can contact me via my social media channels!
