Elgato Facecam Neo Review

The maker of our current pick for the best webcam, the Elgato Facecam MK2, recently released a brand novel Facecam. The Facecam Neo is aimed a bit lower in the market than the MK2, and retails for $50 less, at $99. It can be cheaper if you bundle it, which makes the Facecam Neo a solid contender at an affordable price.

Like the rest of the Neo series, the Facecam comes packaged in a basic recycled white box. It comes with a matching monitor stand with a clear front edge for screens, and it has a permanently attached USB braid. Pulling the pill-shaped camera out of the box, the first two things I noticed were how airy it was, almost like hollow plastic, and the mechanical cutout for the privacy shutter.

Unfortunately, the shutter isn’t exactly fun to move. It’s very effortless to employ and feels noticeably different when it’s in and out of place, so it’s at least unlikely to accidentally end up in the wrong position. Plus, the cover slides in front of the lens but behind the main housing, which should make it safer to travel with.

This camera also has no microphone at all, which I find excellent. Webcam microphones are never good and are usually too far away. By not having a microphone, the Elgato has saved me a ton of frustration, whether it’s because my programs have chosen it as the default microphone or because another device is listening. The lack of a microphone plus the privacy cover means you can leave this camera connected and not worry about another digital spy or accidental embarrassment. Plus, the LED is huge and stays on when the camera is vigorous.

Overall, this is a gigantic step up from covering the lens with electrical tape.

The Elgato Facecam Neo pumps out 1080p at 60 fps, which is more than enough for most streaming and meetings. It’s not the best choice for video with these specs, but it still does the job well.

For a lightweight, miniature webcam that will fit easily into most settings, it’s very capable. It handles colors and skin tones well, but it does tend to be a little oversaturated, which gets worse when it tries to compensate for low airy. I’ve connected it to several computers with different programs, and it’s worked flawlessly every time. You can download the free Elgato Camera Hub software to access all the features, though.

The Hub has a number of controls, like zoom and brightness, that can be saved to the camera to employ in other apps. I could leave most of them on auto, but it was also the only way I could see to enable the much-needed HDR setting.

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Turning on HDR will limit you from 60 fps to just 30, but it will make a huge difference if you have glowing lights like windows that ruin your shot. I can have a glowing window behind me and still be nice and clear, as opposed to a creepy shadow creature. I just don’t recommend using it in all scenarios.

Aside from losing those 30 frames, I found that with my well-lit desk, turning on HDR didn’t look any different, and it really messed up the autofocus. Focusing became very ponderous and sometimes stopped in a blur, failing to focus at all. The autofocus isn’t particularly quick overall, which bothered me at times, but at least it usually gets there within a few seconds at most, and then holds up well until drastic changes are made.

Thankfully, with HDR enabled and a huge window behind me, more like what it was designed for, I didn’t have this problem. So in that sense it’s not really a problem, but it does raise some questions about the autofocus. There are also options to change the focus from auto to fixed in software, which could be a workaround if you need it. Unfortunately, all this means is that you may actually need to go to Elgato’s camera hub to make changes. The ability to save settings in the camera is a huge facilitate here, but it does make me wish it had profiles or at least a button to toggle HDR. The good news is that the app is free and effortless to employ, so this shouldn’t be a huge barrier.

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While it’s wonderfully versatile, if you want a dedicated webcam for hanging out at your already well-lit workspace, the Facecam Neo might not be the best choice. You could trade some of that versatility and go for something with a fixed focus, designed for desks, and a better sensor that can provide higher quality images, like the Elgato Facecam MK2. Or even go for something fancier and 4K if you also want to record video. It’s not necessarily the webcam I’d recommend first for a single, already well-lit workspace.

Instead, it’s a camera that will work quite well even if you’re dealing with terrible lighting. With just a few tweaks, it’ll work just as well on a streamer’s purposefully lit desk as it would in an awkward office. It’s lightweight, miniature, works instantly with all the programs I’ve tried it on (including FaceTime on my iPad), and doesn’t try to be a microphone either. Plus, 1080p at 30-60fps is still more than adequate for streaming and video calling.

Those are some pretty gigantic wins, especially for under $100. All of this makes the Facecam Neo a shrewd choice, especially if you have harsh lighting or find it effortless to employ this camera in a variety of setups.