What just happened? Elgato, the German brand best known for its video streaming and game capture devices, is launching a new webcam in its Facecam line. While it's not exactly budget-friendly, the device introduces a novel feature with potentially exciting applications for video creators and YouTubers.
The Facecam 4K is a premium webcam with Ultra HD recording capabilities and exclusive features you won't easily find elsewhere. According to Elgato, the new camera can capture 4K video at up to 60 frames per second – double the frame rate offered by most competing webcams.
At the core of the Facecam 4K is a Sony Starvis 2 CMOS sensor paired with an f/4.0 aperture. The Prime Lens optical system offers a 90-degree field of view and a fixed 21mm focal length. A state-of-the-art image processor handles video encoding, noise reduction, and other enhancements to deliver crisp, high-quality recordings right from your computer.
Elgato also claims the webcam can deliver a "zero compression" video signal when connected via USB 3.0, enabling lower latency and more detailed captures. Beyond its sensor and lens specs, the Corsair-owned brand highlights another first: the Facecam 4K is the only webcam on the market to support interchangeable 49mm lens filters.
Lens filters can add professional, cinematic-style effects to video recordings, but typically require expensive cameras or DSLR-based setups. With the Facecam 4K, users can attach any standard 49mm filter they already own, or purchase new filters directly from Elgato. Available options include diffusion, anti-reflective, macro, black mist, starfield, and more.
The webcam also offers manual ISO and shutter speed settings, digital zoom, and access to a curated marketplace of presets through the Elgato Marketplace. If you own an Nvidia RTX GPU, the Facecam 4K can deliver a realistic background blur effect that mimics a DSLR's depth-of-field. HDR video and photo capture are supported as well.
On the software side, everything is managed via Camera Hub, Elgato's control panel for adjusting webcam settings. A standout feature is the ability to save custom presets directly to the webcam's onboard memory – a convenient touch, especially considering how bulky and clunky Corsair's traditional configuration tools can be.
The Facecam 4K is available now for $200 in the US. Elgato also includes a privacy lens cap as a free add-on to prevent unwanted snooping when the webcam isn't in use, something that arguably should be standard. The device is even compatible with the Nintendo Switch 2 console, though it requires firmware version 2.32 or later.
Elgato's Facecam 4K is the first to support interchangeable lens filters
