Best Cam/WebCam for streaming?

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KyleGates

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Aug 12, 2011
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Another streaming question here.

I don't know why people would want to look at my face while I am playing a game but that seems to be the norm so.....what's a decent cam(corder.....if you follow the letters "cam" with "corder" do you automatically get sent back to the 80's?)....or webcam to use? I don't want to go nuts and have to buy a 4k cam but I also don't want to be blurry....laggy...blah blah. So, any suggestions?
 
Master_Pain said:
Here you go.
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Ah, the unhelpful forum poster, taking time out of their busy day of bothering other people, to bother me. I feel so important! I remember the days when they were a rare sight....sticking to a slashdot chat or a lil Reddit post. I think perhaps the ban on hunting them should be lifted. Maybe one day.

I am well aware of Google Mr. Pain (InMyAss). Anyhow, if you actually took a look at that Google search you would find an ocean of information, much of it useless, much of it outdated.

I posed the question here to see if a user had made a purchase, was streaming with a purchased cam, and could say "Well I grabbed this one and it worked pretty well" or say the opposite. I don't post much here but I frequent the forum and have found a lot of good advice that can't be found with a simple LMGTFY. Perhaps you just jump on "followtrain" or "sleepyincomniac" and just buy whatever is listed. Me I like a bit more insight.
 
For my desktop setup, I have a logitech Pro C920. Works great, does 1080p and never had any problems with it, going on a few years at least. Also have the same setup for my office computer for a few years and never had any problems there either. Still runs great. Costs a bit on the high side relative to others but I'd rather go all in once than have to buy and rebuy cheapo webcams when they break.
 
dvsman said:
For my desktop setup, I have a logitech Pro C920. Works great, does 1080p and never had any problems with it, going on a few years at least. Also have the same setup for my office computer for a few years and never had any problems there either. Still runs great. Costs a bit on the high side relative to others but I'd rather go all in once than have to buy and rebuy cheapo webcams when they break.
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+1 Pretty much the gold standard in quality video without breaking the bank.

Amazon.com: Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920, 1080p Widescreen Video Calling and Recording: Computers & Accessories
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Thanks guys/gals. I had read that was a good cam, just wanted a bit of real-world input.
 
I've read really good things about those new cameras that Intel helped design. Realsense? I can't remember off the top of my head.

I have read a lot on this and supposedly the hypetrain is legit.
 
KyleGates - It depends on how much you're willing to spend. The Logitech C920 (or the Pro Webcam) is pretty much the standard if you want 1080P and some decent features like x264 recording (side note: when is native x265/HEVC recording going to arrive...its so much more efficient), as HeavensCloud mentioned. If you're willing to spend $100+, then I would look into alxlwson mentioned - cams that include Intel RealSense technology. RIght now, I'm aware of the Razer Stargazer, which does 1080P 30fps and 720p 60fps, but also has RealSense elements, which are basically IR and other tracking functions so you can gesture, "Kinect" style, and have it do things, play games that use said positioning etc. The only thing I don't know about the Stargazer is if it can work without an ugly, clunky driver/utility package that Razer products often had in the past, but perhaps you can disable all of that and it will still show up properly, if you plan to use XSplit or my personal favorite - OBS Studio, which can easily handle all your cams/streams. Either way, I hear its a good cam. Anything higher mean breaking the bank with pro 4K gear unless I'm missing something, so those are probably your best options.

Oh, and realize you don't have to show yourself while streaming, if you don't wish to do so. Certainly some do, especially if their appearance is part of the experience, but there are many streamers that offer good content simply via voice over and the subject of play. If you want to broadcast your appearance by all means, but don't feel as though you couldn't make it without doing so.
 
Thanks Xaeos. I figure since I am just beginning to stream/record the c920 is plenty powerful for my needs. Don't need gestures, have no green-screen yet, just want decent clarity. The 920 seems to fit the bill just fine.

The only other question I might have is, doesn't have to be a webcam does it? I have so many GoPro's laying around the house I almost use them as doorstops. Could a dedicated camera/camcorder be set up to serve the same function?
 
KyleGates said:
Thanks Xaeos. I figure since I am just beginning to stream/record the c920 is plenty powerful for my needs. Don't need gestures, have no green-screen yet, just want decent clarity. The 920 seems to fit the bill just fine.

The only other question I might have is, doesn't have to be a webcam does it? I have so many GoPro's laying around the house I almost use them as doorstops. Could a dedicated camera/camcorder be set up to serve the same function?
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Ahh, all right then. I think you'll be happy with the c920 . There's also a C930 which is sometimes priced around the same, sometimes higher - if they're the same, its likely worth picking up as I think the lens is marginally better and has a wider field etc, but I wouldn't pay extra money compared to the c920. I believe you can find the C920 Pro on Amazon for around $65-70 new, which is a nice discount. You can always upgrade to the Stargazer when it arrives, or one of its competitors with RealSense when they finally debut.

With regards to camera style, it doesn't necessarily have to be a webcam, no. However, a cursory search for using GoPros as webcams reveals that it can be done, but because they offload a non-standard media format, you'll need to get a usb3.0 or better and HDMI video capture and encoding card card, which for a decent one would likely cost as much as the c920 or more. If this is still accurate, it will probably be less hassle to simply buy the webcam. Now, if you needed a good video capture card anyway, say..if you were capturing 1080p+ play from consoles (I suggest BlackMagicDesign, last I read about capture cards of quality) , then its very likely it would handle the GoPro, but if you were not buying one of these - and if you're streaming//recording PC gaming exclusively, it isn't necessary - then just stick with the webcam.


Edit: Apparently, assuming that your GoPro can connect via WiFi directly, you can use a utility like VLC Player to act as a middleman of sorts. Unsure of the quality or compression this may entail, if the GoPro is playing over wireless
 
I've been thinking of starting streaming as well. If I get this camera, what program would I use with it? I know the game I play will stream right to Twitch, but is there something else you need?
 
this camera may work, I am selling it since I don't use it anymore,
new toys 2.jpg
 
JeffBlair said:
I've been thinking of starting streaming as well. If I get this camera, what program would I use with it? I know the game I play will stream right to Twitch, but is there something else you need?
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If you wish to use a webcam or any sort of multi-source stream , you will need to use one of the broadcast capture/management software packages. Though many programs and games themselves offer streaming support built in, few of them allow you to have multiple sources in your stream the way you will need to include a webcam, thus one of the specialized broadcasters are warranted.

For those streaming live or making videos for Twitch-like or Youtube-style sites, there are quite a few programs out there, but I've always found OBS and the newly rewritten, OBS Studio, to be among the best.. You can find it at Open Broadcaster Software - Index . This open source project is cross platform, powerful, and easy to use. Twitch even offers a tutorial for how to set it up as it is very common and supported on their site, though I believe the tutorial is for the older "OBS" package, not the newer "OBS Studio" but many of the settings are the same. Thankfully OBS Studio has some built in config settings that say Twitch.tv or other sites, making it even easier. There are also good tutorials on the OBS Studio website/forums for all kinds of things, including having a two-source stream, which is what you'll need if you are going to overlay your webcam image atop your game. There are plenty of other features you can enable if you are interested (ie adding situational images to your stream, such as translucent avatar, or a full size "BRB, or Technical Difficulties" style item you can swap in when you wish).

OBS Studio is definitely powerful and is one of the more commonly used programs for streamers, but just in case you want an alternative another good option is XSplit. Live Streaming & Recording Software - XSplit . XSplit offers 2 programs under its branding, the XSplit Broadcaster - a powerful and full featured recording/broadcasting utility or XSplit Gamecaster - a version that lacks some of the more advanced features to make a streamlined easier to use application. Unlike OBS Studio, XSplit is proprietary, Windows only, and has premium paid subscriptions to unlock certain features. Thankfully an XSplit license grants use on both programs, and the free version (you simply need an account with XSplit) is reasonable for basic streaming. There's a detailed comparison on what a Personal or Professional license will enable in terms of features, so you can make your choice if it is worthwhile.

Either OBS Studio or XSplit will likely have you recording and streaming smoothly and can handle a webcam overlay. Enjoy!
 
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