Pretty sure 4k 15 is for educators and presenters, or anyone really, who needs to share a large thing that has fine detail or text, but doesn't need to be moving. using it more like a projector.
I think the most important thing people need to consider too is latency. I got suckered into buying a cheap capture card because a lot of youtubers said it was a nice alternative to the cam link at a fraction of the price, but failed to mention how much latency it had.
@Mabi Nerd the hard part is a lot of these are wildly inconsistent. I got like 3 $9 1080p 60 usb 2.0 capture cards. 2 have sub 7 ms latency. Ones nearly 2 or 3 ms at times. While the last one, nearly 20 ms. Ultimately you can adjust your audio delay to match
@@kuroshine That's a fair point I suppose a little more work is required for the cheaper ones. I take these round up videos with a grain of salt these days now for that very reason.
I use the sony zv-E10. Still use a camlink to capture the image. The main reason is that using it as a webcam via USB-C, the possibility to control the camere with a smartphone is not possible. And in a room with the possibility of sunlite, you want to control the camera without taking it of the stand. And the benefit of charging it doesn't work if you are using it for long sessions. The camera still overheats. So camlink and dummy battery is a must for the zv-e10.
Another advantage of using camlink with the Sony EV-E10, which connects to the camera's hdmi port rather than usb c, is you can achieve 60fps at 1080 when webcam streaming, whereas if you omitted the camlink and used the usb c cable direct to the PC, you can only achieve 30fps at 720p. In addition, without a camlink, the following functions are disabled on the camera - recording the streaming video, menu-screen operations ,transition to the playback screen, capturing a custom white balance, PC Remote Function and Smartphone Connect.
24bit/30bit/36bit color is actually just a different notation of 8/10/12bit since RGB or YUV signals have 3 channels and sometimes they note the bits per channel and sometimes bits per pixel. Usually video cards use bpp notation and usually cameras use bpc. Not to be confused with video camera raw where each bayer pixel has only one color.
UVC is definitely a nice-to-have to reduce cable clutter and simplify setting up as a webcam. I've been holding off on a camera for a few years, but feels like this is a must-have convenience feature for me now.
I really like the fact that you take the time to explain things. I am always trying to learn when it comes to content creation. Not only are your videos informative but they're entertaining.
Thank Harris. Great re-cap. I livestream via Zoom for online corporate training. I use those $18 cards because Zoom only takes 1080p and it crushes the life out of the image. Honestly, with my 2 camera set-up, 1 card has lasted 3 years and the other died after 2 years. For $18, they are worth it if you do not need 4k.
I bought one of the eBay $18 cards and faithfully use it for my RUclips show. The colors are completely natural and handles 1080/30 with no problem at all. I think the real trick is which knockoff you go with (there's SO many!) - Some of them are crap...others are really well built. I also use an Elgato CamLink for remote streams but I gotta tell ya, given the choice between the two, for my video bucks that was the best $20 I ever spent.
My original CamLink died on me. While I was waiting for Elgato to ship me the replacement, I still had a stream to do. So for a 'backup', I went ahead and bought an $18 knock-off model from Amazon (not the same one Heller reviewed, but one that actually looked a lot more like an actual CamLink). Like the other cheap ones, this one specified that it only outputted at 1080p - since my little 'webcam-box' in my stream is tiny, (I stream gameplay which is most of the screen), I only stream my cam in 720p anyways - so it didn't matter to me that it couldn't output 4k. This device also had over 1300 reviews on Amazon with 4.5 stars - people seemed happy with it. Much to my surprise: IT WORKED PERFECTLY! After all the bad problems I had with the CamLink before it finally died, I didn't even want to mess with my setup again. So when the Elgato replacement arrived, it went straight into a drawer, and I have continued using the $18 cheap one with zero problems ever since (over a year now). If the cheap one ever dies, I'll actually have to debate whether I want to re-insert my 'replacement' CamLink back into the setup or if I should buy another $18 one again instead. I should probably buy one now just to have a backup on-hand, lol. Anyways - I know it's crazy, but sometimes the whole 'you get what you pay for' just doesn't hold true. This was one of those times.
Honestly, I was contemplating on getting the zv-e10 for a beginner photography hobby, as well as my RUclips and streams, paired with a Sigma lens. My dude, this video was a LOUD CONFIRMATION for my thoughts.
Bought a CamLink a few years ago, it proceeded to not work at all with my DSLR no matter what streaming program I used it with. Currently using my iPhone pro with *Continuity Camera* bypassing the need for the USB dongle entirely.
I'm using my Canon 80D as my "webcam". During the pandemic Canon released free software called "EOS Webcam Utility" and it works with most all Canon EOS cameras, I believe. After installing it's basically plug and play and looks great.
I feel like a lot of people's initial reaction is to get one of these "cam links" (with only an input), but often times you can get a good traditional capture card (with input and output) from a reliable company for cheaper than a real CamLink from elgato. Then you also have more functionality for game consoles, etc.
Great video! Came here for info about the Camlink but you’ve convinced me to try just going direct with my ZV-E10 and seeing what the 720p footage is like.
Biggest issue I have with the USB streaming from the ZV-e10 is not the resolution or color change, but the delay. Not major, but I want my reactions to content to be in the moment, not a moment after. If they can fix that, I am all over USB streaming. (Also not great for syncing audio)
I can pretty much never tell between 720p or 1080p because they're too close. Besides, doesn't matter if your output is 1080p or 720p if people watching can only do 720p or even 480p.
The electronics industry in China works like this: a factory develops a design and then scales up into mass production at a thin profit margin, acting as a B2B seller. Re-sellers then package the chip with various plastic casing and sell them under their brand, or not even bother to give it a brand. Therefore you can find numerous electronic products made in China using identical specs but under different brands.
So the Atomos Connect is rebadged super cheap capture card that can be found all over Amazon for $15ish (and are UVC compatible too). With a little color correction and sharpness adjustment applied to them, they are unbeatable values for 1080p camera capture. Atomos rebadging that and marking it up so much is blatantly bad. I've used a few different ones, all ordered at different points in time, and none have let me down yet. Comparing them to brand name capture cards from Avermedia and NZXT I did notice that the brand name ones do get better quality but the $15 ones punch way above their price class by getting maybe 90% of the way there compared to the brand name ones. It's kinda nuts. That said...UVC in new cameras nowadays is insane. It's about time.
Any Canon in the EOS series (from like 2014 onwards) can be converted to UVC via update! Don’t shy away from a cheap rebel or M6,50,etc., on marketplace if you need a cam.
A big problem with some cheap capture cards is that they don’t have dual channel audio.. just mono. And if you’re trying to capture gameplay, that is awful
Also, good to know that Canon added the software to use DSLR cameras to plug in usb into the pc directly (software called canon webcam utility), it's not 720p but I'm currently using my canon 60D as a webcam without a capture card so that's a good use for my old dslr camera
From all the footage I've seen it looks horrible though, low fps and poor image. My phone using iriun webcam app looks so much better not even a contest.
The issue with using just USB cross through is its lower than 720p video and its not even pass-through video just wants on the LCD screen, also USB 2.0 can only due speeds up to 480Mbps which is terrible.
I have one of those $20 capture sticks and the colors look alright. It is so low budget, that it straight up ignores HDCP, so I can actually connect a BluRay Player; when I connect that to my Elgato device, I'm just getting a black screen.
For my a7iv I've actually moved back to using the camlink instead of uvc so I can get the 4k 30 out of it. The resolution doesn't matter for the stream, but it does when I crop recordings for vertical videos. Also doesn't charge fast enough when connected to my PC. A problem if you're going to stream for more than 3 hours.
@@MoreBDBDAN Yes it overheats if I'm in 4k 30. No error it just turns off. I bought a little fan with a flexible neck to point at the camera and that's enough to fix it.
I hope you can help me! Ive been using my Canon M50 as a webcam without a capture card, just plug and play into OBS and it works amazing! The only downside is when im doing that “windows camera frame server” shoots my CPU usage up by like 25%. Im not experienced with camera to computer issues so im wondering will a capture card reduce the CPU usage im facing? Hope to hear from ya, could really use the advice!
Even without "UVC" - all camera manufacfturers (Fuji,Sony,Nikon,Canon) have some basic software drivers to let you use most of their cameras as a webcam. Sure it's not "out of the box" with just the cable and no separate driver install like UVC camera's - but still, the extra step to download the driver isn't that big of a hurdle.
13:30 Just FYI, you get a higher resolution output from the ZV-E10 using HDMI + cam link, so yeah it does work over USB and that’s great, but for the people saying “omg only 720p???”, it can go higher than that if you buy a cam link device
Yes, in the software and files you can use bit per channel but normally in the hardware side you put the full width to declare the full possible colors since there are even 18 and 16 bit displays. On cameras you will find the 8 or 10 bit because is the depth on the sensor without the bayer filter and all the points are the same but you get actually x4 by each pixel.
I must chime in saying my cam link never worked and always freezes constantly. I feel like I wasted money. I tried and tried and tried to do a shit ton and watc watch watch a ton of videos nothing worked to make it not freeze
Bought one of those cheap $10 video capture cards for my Sony A6000 as a webcam, will admit the default color looks like I spent all day in the sun, but with some color adjustments in OBS camera settings it fixed it right up and it works great.
I bought an HD60 Pro for about $90 on Mercari 6 years ago when I first upgrade my Capture card for my PS4 from a Hauppauge HD, I am now Dual PC, and recently upgraded to 4K60 Pro MK2, and use my HD60 Pro as my A7III Capture Card
I have a canon rebel t100 that I use to stream with on streamlabs but only get 1280x720 because the EOS Utility only supports 720. is there a specific lens that will make the quality clearer. Im using the 18mm-55mm stock lens. Please any thoughts.
I've never had good luck with my Cam Link 4k capturing 4K from my Sony ZV-E10... Its so choppy in OSB. If I switch my camera to 1080p 60 it works buttery smooth. Kind of a bummer.
I bought a $25 "Scam Link" in 2020 and have been using with my Sony A6300 for years with zero issues. Cam Link's are like the TI-85 calculators of the streaming world that you are forced to buy and never go down in price.
I do IRL streaming with a custom shoulder bag that I built from scratch. My 6 pound shoulder bag runs Windows 11 and OBS. I use a Nikon Z6 with a 35mm f1.8 lens and I send the output through one of those $18 capture cards. It works great and people have said I have the best IRL cam footage they've seen.
Reason i bought my Elgato camlink to capture a PTZ camera (via RCA cable to HDMI converter) to capture to my laptop. Yes, It's complex but my work office is giving me very little budget to buy equipment can only purchase within the country using corporate card. My way of slightly saving cost (with elgato) and it works.
I always think the video quality comparisons are similar to the arguments between CD & Vinyl when they first came onto the scene. For casual watches (listeners), I don't know that there's a difference. If I see a comparison video between the 2, I'll always say, "Yes, the higher looks better". But, I watch TONS of RUclips and many other streaming services. Most of them are not in 4K, and I am completely satisfied with my experience. Some of my older DVD - digital conversion were in 720p and they also look great and I don't ever notice. It's fun to check out the latest hardware and use the most recommended, but my day to day is mostly unaffected by these.
Instead of buying a CamLink or a HDMI to USB, because I knew I was going to need multiple camera inputs into my machine, I bought a PCIe card that had four HDMI 1080 60 inputs. I currently have my camera, GoPro, and console plugged in to it. It’s Acasis branded. If you knew you were going to have more than one HDMI input would you agree this is the better way to go?
This was so helpful! I use the Canon M50 for doing videos and tutorials, and I like the quality of the Canon software for webcam, BUT it doesn't work with OBS or QuickTime. I've been looking at getting a capture card for this reason. I don't like getting super cheap electronics because they usually break down quicker, so I'm leaning towards the ezcap. Plus I don't want to look green or orange lol.
I bought the ezcap and I have a Canon m200. It looks great, but my only issue is that my gpu started to work a bit harder because the time to render frames went from 1.0 or less ms to 2.5 to 3.0 ms
hi, i just got chromebook and its frustrating to get to use my m50 mark II as webcam... no help from canon or internet.. so pls help me because the webcam in this is crap...
I might have to pick up the $18 Cheapo to test out, but 100% once you mentioned UVC I was immediately off the train of looking for an alternative cam link rather than having UVC as a trigger feature for my next camera. Excellent video Harris, as usual my friend!
The oldest peice of tech I still own (Dont use) is a Pinnacle GMBH 710. Old school RCA capture card from. Came out in the early 2000's (02ish I think) Used it to make machinima way back in the day before youtube was really a thing. Released them on a site called putfile. Those were simpiler times.
@@DejayClayton Lol true. But it just worked. (Most of the time) LOL The good old days when it would take you 3hrs to upload a video in 240P LMFAO. A simpler time when things were litterly simplier. Not nescsariily better. LOL
Thank you for breaking down the barriers of transmitting high definition, I'm curious about why it takes alot for ''computer tech'' to just transmit the camera's full potential just plug and play, that's why I'm a fan of webcams...and yet even with all the spec differences the image can be drastically different with 1080p 60fps compared to another 4k 30 webcam, speaking of just recording with obs not streaming, even then a 2mp webcam will look better than a 8mp 4k one just because of the streaming bandwidth limitations.
Before buying a CamLink 4K, I had a cheap Chinese USB capture dongle that worked great for about 15 minutes into a session, and then crashed consistently. I spent much more money on the CamLink 4K, and was then disappointed when that crashed as well, albeit far less frequently.
Some Nikon cameras work as a webcam without capture-card as well via their software. I have a D3500 that does. The only issue is that being a cheaper camera, Nikon capped it at a 30 minute record time. Some more expensive ones do not have this issue though.
I upgraded from a HD60S to a 4K60 Pro MK.2 and then used my HD60S as my cam link for my DSLR because my Canon Rebel T5i isn't capable of video over usb as it is usb 2.0. Works great!
The 24/30/36-bit color depth is just another way of saying 8/10/12-bit. 8-bit per channel, with three channels (R, G and B) can also be described as 24-bit.
I have the ZV-e10 which I'm using most for Instagram photos and also for webcam , I bought this cheapo capture card because to go inside of the menu and remove the cable to connect into streaming mode on zv-e10 every time that you want to use it is pain in the ass, with capture card you just need to turn on the camera and you are golden
As a heads up for anyone with a ZV-1 camera, it will not give a clean feed with this Cam Link alternative. I’m not sure if the Cam Link will give a clean signal either, looking to find a used one to test myself.
This may be a silly question, but why is your examples different to your video in look/quality. Would you not be using the best for your video (elgato), so it would then look the same? Thank you and great video :))
Tried the ezcap. Couldn’t capture 4k into Quicktime. Could capture 4k with OBS but my workflow is easier capturing into QuickTime. dunno, maybe I was doing something wrong. sent it back and bought the Elgato, 4k into QuickTime works fine.
Could you give me some info on how the iphone can interact with all of these things? I want to use my upcoming iphone 15 as webcam, but I want to do it in high quality. Cinema P3 and Filmic Pro allow Clean HDMI out from iPhones, but the resolution that has is still way above what these cards here even capture... Also, When I use an USB to HDMI adapter to record, I can't use my my mic anymore and also cannot charge the phone :(( There has to be some better solution for this, right? I mean can't I use USB-C as an HDMI-like output by now? Or isnt' there are USB hub that allows for high quality HDMI out while also providing power passthrough?
Just bought a Sony zv-1m2, using the usb-c going straight to the PC, no camera control. Whereas, I connected it with the hdmi to my Vivitar capture, near full control
so you go straight from your camera into your computer when you stream, but what making youtube videos? Do you record to your camera sd card then move it to your computer after? or do you record directly to your computer somehow?!
I wish there was an easy way to know if a camera has UVC or not, or a list of them somewhere. I've googled a lot, and when you look for "UVC camera," nothing really comes up.
The color on all of the captures kinda wierded me out a little. I personally use the ZV-E10 and I love it. I do use it for much more than it's webcam ability, but that ability is awesome. Also! The kit lens (16-50mm) works really great for a ton of shooting scenarios (aka, you probably don't need to buy another lens to make your footage look top notch👌just start with the kit lens).
Part of that is also just Sony's unusual color science with green/yellow skin tone fringing. That's been in existence in pretty much all their mirrorless cameras. But the conversion to Rec.709 that capture cards usually do is also very odd at times, and feels very artificial. Like they're trying to auto-compensate for camera's profiles with a universal LUT (and "universal LUT" is also an oxymoron, there is no such thing) due to the fact that it has to down-convert from 4:2:2 in most cases to 4:2:0, so they're trying to save time? I don't know. It's a very weird spec that capture cards include. It could also just be the difficulty of converting different signal protocols.
I bought the ZV e-10 based on your first video, I really like it but it does run out of battery after about 6 hours of streaming. Are you sure we don't need a dummy battery? I'm confused, it won't charge while it's on. Is there a setting I'm missing?
I spent 400- on a cam link pro, Vanguard anti cheat comes around the corner and disables it because it uses direct show and it can be used for cheat injections.. im furious.
I looked around the web software for my Nikon Z9 which I superior video only works in 1080p so you still need a cam link if you want 4K. I connect my second camera a Nikon Z6 which has 4K capability to the can link but I only do it because I want 4K video.
Not particularly as I’m using a black magic quad link for my capture card for cameras buttttt I’m having issues with them so ima have to look into why my obs isn’t registering it if I downloaded the wrong software or if my hdmi to sdi converter is broken
Different merits of streaming from the USB port aside, to make this to work in Linux takes a while, and to get that to work in MS Teams, I have not yet managed to do, except possibly once with wrong pixel format resulting in completely wrong colors. So, I am getting a capture card. Not sure yet if it is a PCIE or USB3, but one of these is definitely a must for me.
Quick note on the editing: i personally found that skew and zoom on the images of the amazon listings pretty ugly and distracting, either tone it down a lot or completly remove it
Doesn't Nikon have UVC protocols in their Z-series cameras? Also, how important is 4k vs 720p when it's going to be 640p in the bottom corner of your display on a 1080 stream?
What a disappointment from Atomos as a generally great brand. I actually bought that same exact shaped card for $15 years ago without Atomos’ branding and I also found the hue and saturation to be way off. I ALSO bought a version of that silver $18 one in the video and found it was the same internally as you found. Side note: both of those cheap cards skipped frames, and pretty often, on my system. There was a maddening jerkiness that would come and go, but slight enough that most people would never notice. I do not have that problem with real Camlinks, even when running 2 at the same time, with one at 4K.
I got a couple of the cheap ones a few months ago. They worked fine, but within the past couple weeks I’ve been having trouble with them showing up on my computer. My guess is the quality of the plating.
Are you shooting your RUclips videos on a high end camera and then updating your video? I have a Nikon Z6 and a Nikon Z9 and I want to use vmix or obs studio to do a live podcast so I assume that no matter how good the camera is a need a capture card right ?
Can the webcam utility work with multiple cameras on OBS? Or would it be better just to get a ATEM mini to switch scenes? Haven’t tried it since I don’t have the cameras on hand. I know it does work with one. Working with 3 Nikon Z6ii
UVC for Sony's Imaging Edge app does NOT currently work with Mac's newest iOS update (Sonoma iOS 14), which is why I'm over here looking for a damn camera link to use with my Sony a7riii.
I really appreciate you making this video, I've been trying to use an ATEM mini pro iso to live stream for about a week straight now and it's completely useless. For my single live streams I use the elgato 4K camera link and probably about 80% of the time really like it. But I want to bring in 4x a7siii feeds on the screen at the same time. I had no idea about the UVC and knowing that there is an option to have a slightly cheaper cam link is a huge bonus. Thank you so much for this man.
I actually got the Atamos Connect for 33 bucks on sale a few weeks ago and I'm really happy with what I got for 33 bucks. Mine does do 1080p60 and the colors are not as yellow/wonky for me as they appeared in this video. It does add A LOT of saturation so I do have to crank my ring light all the way up. But if you can get it on sale for around the 30 bucks mark I would definitely say it's worth it.
Harris, love the video and showing us the results before we buy, however, why don't you show everyone the real competition to Elgato, AverMedia? When I went to get a capture card for a dual pc system, I found the gamer duo, which is perfect for those wanting to pass-through a new gen console and maybe use a DSLR in the future, which I did. I looked it up and they have a competitor to each version of the camlink along with comparable products in most of the Elgato space. I think people put so much stock in whatever anybody else is using and I've only seen a few mentions of webcams from AverMedia from you. Also, another mention is the Shure MV7 over the SM7B, people can use this as an upgrade path, it's a fantastic mic, and yet everyone spends $1,000 because streamer "A" has it. Same with settings, but I digress, I would just like to see more actual competitors products when comparing like this.
Signed up for Sizzle, only downside is it's largely meant for FPS games, but it's ACTUALLY something i might look into more when i learn to play Apex :3
Neither option is any good. I use my phone and irium webcam app, either over wifi or plugged straight into usb. Zero reason to buy a professional grade camera for a webcam when we all carry something just as good in our pocket. Use an old phone or 3 for more cameras as well. Also I have 2 of those cheap $18 capture cards and they work. Latency is an issue hence why I use the irium webcam app instead though.
Streeeeeaam highlights! Get your free stream highlights right here, folks! bit.ly/SenpaiSizzlegg
Pretty sure 4k 15 is for educators and presenters, or anyone really, who needs to share a large thing that has fine detail or text, but doesn't need to be moving. using it more like a projector.
NICE! How much do they cost? 🤣
So like Athena Back in the day? neat!
how are you SLEEPING on the $20 capture card at walmart by Vivitar?
Hello, I often follow your videos，I have a video capture card can I cooperate with you?
I think the most important thing people need to consider too is latency. I got suckered into buying a cheap capture card because a lot of youtubers said it was a nice alternative to the cam link at a fraction of the price, but failed to mention how much latency it had.
Due diligence sir. No adult should say they got suckered!😂
Wrong
@@marv8686 I agree I should have dug deeper but its also kinda lame that nearly every big youtuber said the card was good.
@Mabi Nerd the hard part is a lot of these are wildly inconsistent. I got like 3 $9 1080p 60 usb 2.0 capture cards. 2 have sub 7 ms latency. Ones nearly 2 or 3 ms at times. While the last one, nearly 20 ms. Ultimately you can adjust your audio delay to match
@@kuroshine That's a fair point I suppose a little more work is required for the cheaper ones. I take these round up videos with a grain of salt these days now for that very reason.
I use the sony zv-E10. Still use a camlink to capture the image. The main reason is that using it as a webcam via USB-C, the possibility to control the camere with a smartphone is not possible. And in a room with the possibility of sunlite, you want to control the camera without taking it of the stand. And the benefit of charging it doesn't work if you are using it for long sessions. The camera still overheats. So camlink and dummy battery is a must for the zv-e10.
I use a Ulanzi fan that just snaps onto the front or he ZV-E10. Works SUPER good for podcasts, livestreams, and recordings of 2hrs+
Another advantage of using camlink with the Sony EV-E10, which connects to the camera's hdmi port rather than usb c, is you can achieve 60fps at 1080 when webcam streaming, whereas if you omitted the camlink and used the usb c cable direct to the PC, you can only achieve 30fps at 720p. In addition, without a camlink, the following functions are disabled on the camera - recording the streaming video, menu-screen operations ,transition to the playback screen, capturing a custom white balance, PC Remote Function and Smartphone Connect.
24bit/30bit/36bit color is actually just a different notation of 8/10/12bit since RGB or YUV signals have 3 channels and sometimes they note the bits per channel and sometimes bits per pixel. Usually video cards use bpp notation and usually cameras use bpc. Not to be confused with video camera raw where each bayer pixel has only one color.
I have been using that exact super cheapo (even only 12€) for 2 years with my A7II. Just slapped on a custom LUT and have been happy ever since :D
UVC is definitely a nice-to-have to reduce cable clutter and simplify setting up as a webcam. I've been holding off on a camera for a few years, but feels like this is a must-have convenience feature for me now.
I really like the fact that you take the time to explain things. I am always trying to learn when it comes to content creation. Not only are your videos informative but they're entertaining.
Thank Harris. Great re-cap. I livestream via Zoom for online corporate training. I use those $18 cards because Zoom only takes 1080p and it crushes the life out of the image. Honestly, with my 2 camera set-up, 1 card has lasted 3 years and the other died after 2 years. For $18, they are worth it if you do not need 4k.
Hey man great video, can I ask what lense you’re using on your Sony A IV? Much love 👍🏻
I bought one of the eBay $18 cards and faithfully use it for my RUclips show. The colors are completely natural and handles 1080/30 with no problem at all. I think the real trick is which knockoff you go with (there's SO many!) - Some of them are crap...others are really well built. I also use an Elgato CamLink for remote streams but I gotta tell ya, given the choice between the two, for my video bucks that was the best $20 I ever spent.
Please see this and send link!
My original CamLink died on me. While I was waiting for Elgato to ship me the replacement, I still had a stream to do. So for a 'backup', I went ahead and bought an $18 knock-off model from Amazon (not the same one Heller reviewed, but one that actually looked a lot more like an actual CamLink). Like the other cheap ones, this one specified that it only outputted at 1080p - since my little 'webcam-box' in my stream is tiny, (I stream gameplay which is most of the screen), I only stream my cam in 720p anyways - so it didn't matter to me that it couldn't output 4k. This device also had over 1300 reviews on Amazon with 4.5 stars - people seemed happy with it. Much to my surprise: IT WORKED PERFECTLY! After all the bad problems I had with the CamLink before it finally died, I didn't even want to mess with my setup again. So when the Elgato replacement arrived, it went straight into a drawer, and I have continued using the $18 cheap one with zero problems ever since (over a year now). If the cheap one ever dies, I'll actually have to debate whether I want to re-insert my 'replacement' CamLink back into the setup or if I should buy another $18 one again instead. I should probably buy one now just to have a backup on-hand, lol. Anyways - I know it's crazy, but sometimes the whole 'you get what you pay for' just doesn't hold true. This was one of those times.
Honestly, I was contemplating on getting the zv-e10 for a beginner photography hobby, as well as my RUclips and streams, paired with a Sigma lens.
My dude, this video was a LOUD CONFIRMATION for my thoughts.
Bought a CamLink a few years ago, it proceeded to not work at all with my DSLR no matter what streaming program I used it with. Currently using my iPhone pro with *Continuity Camera* bypassing the need for the USB dongle entirely.
I'm using my Canon 80D as my "webcam". During the pandemic Canon released free software called "EOS Webcam Utility" and it works with most all Canon EOS cameras, I believe. After installing it's basically plug and play and looks great.
I feel like a lot of people's initial reaction is to get one of these "cam links" (with only an input), but often times you can get a good traditional capture card (with input and output) from a reliable company for cheaper than a real CamLink from elgato. Then you also have more functionality for game consoles, etc.
Great video! Came here for info about the Camlink but you’ve convinced me to try just going direct with my ZV-E10 and seeing what the 720p footage is like.
How is it?
@@MrSmitty231enough but camlink is better for sure. So it’s depend on what do you need? 720p or 1080p or even 4K.
Biggest issue I have with the USB streaming from the ZV-e10 is not the resolution or color change, but the delay. Not major, but I want my reactions to content to be in the moment, not a moment after. If they can fix that, I am all over USB streaming. (Also not great for syncing audio)
I'm more or less a beginner but apparently if the camera is in a cage in portrait mode, might cancel out the delay.
@@jimshannononsounds Oh? I’ll have to give that a try.
I can pretty much never tell between 720p or 1080p because they're too close. Besides, doesn't matter if your output is 1080p or 720p if people watching can only do 720p or even 480p.
The electronics industry in China works like this: a factory develops a design and then scales up into mass production at a thin profit margin, acting as a B2B seller. Re-sellers then package the chip with various plastic casing and sell them under their brand, or not even bother to give it a brand. Therefore you can find numerous electronic products made in China using identical specs but under different brands.
So the Atomos Connect is rebadged super cheap capture card that can be found all over Amazon for $15ish (and are UVC compatible too). With a little color correction and sharpness adjustment applied to them, they are unbeatable values for 1080p camera capture. Atomos rebadging that and marking it up so much is blatantly bad. I've used a few different ones, all ordered at different points in time, and none have let me down yet. Comparing them to brand name capture cards from Avermedia and NZXT I did notice that the brand name ones do get better quality but the $15 ones punch way above their price class by getting maybe 90% of the way there compared to the brand name ones. It's kinda nuts.
That said...UVC in new cameras nowadays is insane. It's about time.
Any Canon in the EOS series (from like 2014 onwards) can be converted to UVC via update! Don’t shy away from a cheap rebel or M6,50,etc., on marketplace if you need a cam.
Love it when Harris calls out Elgato, cuz then they release a new product a couple months later. Good stuff.
A big problem with some cheap capture cards is that they don’t have dual channel audio.. just mono. And if you’re trying to capture gameplay, that is awful
Also, good to know that Canon added the software to use DSLR cameras to plug in usb into the pc directly (software called canon webcam utility), it's not 720p but I'm currently using my canon 60D as a webcam without a capture card so that's a good use for my old dslr camera
From all the footage I've seen it looks horrible though, low fps and poor image. My phone using iriun webcam app looks so much better not even a contest.
The issue with using just USB cross through is its lower than 720p video and its not even pass-through video just wants on the LCD screen, also USB 2.0 can only due speeds up to 480Mbps which is terrible.
I thought using the ZV-E10 in webcam mode reduces it down to 720p30fps. Wouldn't using the Cam Link allow you to not limit the ZV-E10?
Yes via hdmi
I have one of those $20 capture sticks and the colors look alright. It is so low budget, that it straight up ignores HDCP, so I can actually connect a BluRay Player; when I connect that to my Elgato device, I'm just getting a black screen.
For my a7iv I've actually moved back to using the camlink instead of uvc so I can get the 4k 30 out of it. The resolution doesn't matter for the stream, but it does when I crop recordings for vertical videos. Also doesn't charge fast enough when connected to my PC. A problem if you're going to stream for more than 3 hours.
does your camera ever overheat, same setup as you but keep getting an error?
@@MoreBDBDAN Yes it overheats if I'm in 4k 30. No error it just turns off. I bought a little fan with a flexible neck to point at the camera and that's enough to fix it.
I hope you can help me! Ive been using my Canon M50 as a webcam without a capture card, just plug and play into OBS and it works amazing! The only downside is when im doing that “windows camera frame server” shoots my CPU usage up by like 25%. Im not experienced with camera to computer issues so im wondering will a capture card reduce the CPU usage im facing? Hope to hear from ya, could really use the advice!
Even without "UVC" - all camera manufacfturers (Fuji,Sony,Nikon,Canon) have some basic software drivers to let you use most of their cameras as a webcam. Sure it's not "out of the box" with just the cable and no separate driver install like UVC camera's - but still, the extra step to download the driver isn't that big of a hurdle.
13:30 Just FYI, you get a higher resolution output from the ZV-E10 using HDMI + cam link, so yeah it does work over USB and that’s great, but for the people saying “omg only 720p???”, it can go higher than that if you buy a cam link device
I think as a backup or on a tight budget the Cheapo option definitely seems like a decent choice. The color correction looked great.
I don’t get why there isn’t a USB-C 4k60 version of the Elgato, especially at like $120.
I’m using a EZCAP 4K 60 - 1080p 120 capture card and the quality is amazing. I really think they are underrated.
I think the 36bit color depth is referring to 12 bit color depth but instead of per RGB channel it is per pixel. So 3*12 = 36.
Yes, in the software and files you can use bit per channel but normally in the hardware side you put the full width to declare the full possible colors since there are even 18 and 16 bit displays. On cameras you will find the 8 or 10 bit because is the depth on the sensor without the bayer filter and all the points are the same but you get actually x4 by each pixel.
"Wanna feel old?" (pauses the video) No! My knees creaked as I heard this question. (unpauses)
I must chime in saying my cam link never worked and always freezes constantly. I feel like I wasted money. I tried and tried and tried to do a shit ton and watc watch watch a ton of videos nothing worked to make it not freeze
The 24-bit, 30-bit, and 36-bit color depth are all real. They are options given in the Xbox video fidelity settings
Bought one of those cheap $10 video capture cards for my Sony A6000 as a webcam, will admit the default color looks like I spent all day in the sun, but with some color adjustments in OBS camera settings it fixed it right up and it works great.
I bought an HD60 Pro for about $90 on Mercari 6 years ago when I first upgrade my Capture card for my PS4 from a Hauppauge HD, I am now Dual PC, and recently upgraded to 4K60 Pro MK2, and use my HD60 Pro as my A7III Capture Card
I have a canon rebel t100 that I use to stream with on streamlabs but only get 1280x720 because the EOS Utility only supports 720. is there a specific lens that will make the quality clearer. Im using the 18mm-55mm stock lens. Please any thoughts.
I've never had good luck with my Cam Link 4k capturing 4K from my Sony ZV-E10... Its so choppy in OSB. If I switch my camera to 1080p 60 it works buttery smooth. Kind of a bummer.
The 24, 30, and 36 bit are for consoles, Xbox has color ranges up to 36 bit when changing the settings
I bought a $25 "Scam Link" in 2020 and have been using with my Sony A6300 for years with zero issues. Cam Link's are like the TI-85 calculators of the streaming world that you are forced to buy and never go down in price.
Sounds like you don't know how to basketball on the TI-83 😂😂😂
I do IRL streaming with a custom shoulder bag that I built from scratch. My 6 pound shoulder bag runs Windows 11 and OBS. I use a Nikon Z6 with a 35mm f1.8 lens and I send the output through one of those $18 capture cards. It works great and people have said I have the best IRL cam footage they've seen.
This was super useful, thanks! But also your voice for audio books would be incredible ahaha 😅❤
Reason i bought my Elgato camlink to capture a PTZ camera (via RCA cable to HDMI converter) to capture to my laptop. Yes, It's complex but my work office is giving me very little budget to buy equipment can only purchase within the country using corporate card. My way of slightly saving cost (with elgato) and it works.
I always think the video quality comparisons are similar to the arguments between CD & Vinyl when they first came onto the scene. For casual watches (listeners), I don't know that there's a difference. If I see a comparison video between the 2, I'll always say, "Yes, the higher looks better". But, I watch TONS of RUclips and many other streaming services. Most of them are not in 4K, and I am completely satisfied with my experience. Some of my older DVD - digital conversion were in 720p and they also look great and I don't ever notice. It's fun to check out the latest hardware and use the most recommended, but my day to day is mostly unaffected by these.
Instead of buying a CamLink or a HDMI to USB, because I knew I was going to need multiple camera inputs into my machine, I bought a PCIe card that had four HDMI 1080 60 inputs. I currently have my camera, GoPro, and console plugged in to it. It’s Acasis branded. If you knew you were going to have more than one HDMI input would you agree this is the better way to go?
I feel like you forgot to check the latency and how the connection is. The colors are great, but i miss the latency comparison in it,
This was so helpful! I use the Canon M50 for doing videos and tutorials, and I like the quality of the Canon software for webcam, BUT it doesn't work with OBS or QuickTime. I've been looking at getting a capture card for this reason. I don't like getting super cheap electronics because they usually break down quicker, so I'm leaning towards the ezcap. Plus I don't want to look green or orange lol.
I bought the ezcap and I have a Canon m200. It looks great, but my only issue is that my gpu started to work a bit harder because the time to render frames went from 1.0 or less ms to 2.5 to 3.0 ms
hi, i just got chromebook and its frustrating to get to use my m50 mark II as webcam... no help from canon or internet.. so pls help me because the webcam in this is crap...
I might have to pick up the $18 Cheapo to test out, but 100% once you mentioned UVC I was immediately off the train of looking for an alternative cam link rather than having UVC as a trigger feature for my next camera. Excellent video Harris, as usual my friend!
The oldest peice of tech I still own (Dont use) is a Pinnacle GMBH 710. Old school RCA capture card from. Came out in the early 2000's (02ish I think) Used it to make machinima way back in the day before youtube was really a thing. Released them on a site called putfile. Those were simpiler times.
Simple except for the fact that Pinnacle had like a thousand models 🤣
@@DejayClayton Lol true. But it just worked. (Most of the time) LOL The good old days when it would take you 3hrs to upload a video in 240P LMFAO. A simpler time when things were litterly simplier. Not nescsariily better. LOL
Thank you for breaking down the barriers of transmitting high definition, I'm curious about why it takes alot for ''computer tech'' to just transmit the camera's full potential just plug and play, that's why I'm a fan of webcams...and yet even with all the spec differences the image can be drastically different with 1080p 60fps compared to another 4k 30 webcam, speaking of just recording with obs not streaming, even then a 2mp webcam will look better than a 8mp 4k one just because of the streaming bandwidth limitations.
I've been using a $18 one for 3 years. Best thing I've ever done. Doesn't matter to have 4K anyway since streams don't output it.
Before buying a CamLink 4K, I had a cheap Chinese USB capture dongle that worked great for about 15 minutes into a session, and then crashed consistently. I spent much more money on the CamLink 4K, and was then disappointed when that crashed as well, albeit far less frequently.
wow 3 minutes intro? So vintage. I'm feeling old right now, so retro.
Why all of his tests look so orange? I have a sony a7iii and a ZV-E10, use both as webcams and they image looks natural, not orange.
Some Nikon cameras work as a webcam without capture-card as well via their software. I have a D3500 that does. The only issue is that being a cheaper camera, Nikon capped it at a 30 minute record time. Some more expensive ones do not have this issue though.
wow it's really been 6 years....i've had it when it was first launched so i could connect my Canon easier...and still use it
I upgraded from a HD60S to a 4K60 Pro MK.2 and then used my HD60S as my cam link for my DSLR because my Canon Rebel T5i isn't capable of video over usb as it is usb 2.0. Works great!
EZCap was my first ever capture card, they were a cheaper alternative to the Dazzle back in the day
Just bought it and like it for the most part but man since I connected it, well it made a jump in my time to render frames.
I wouldn't mind an update to this video idea. I'm sure since we're around Christmas time there are some new products and new deals.
The 24/30/36-bit color depth is just another way of saying 8/10/12-bit. 8-bit per channel, with three channels (R, G and B) can also be described as 24-bit.
I have the ZV-e10 which I'm using most for Instagram photos and also for webcam , I bought this cheapo capture card because to go inside of the menu and remove the cable to connect into streaming mode on zv-e10 every time that you want to use it is pain in the ass, with capture card you just need to turn on the camera and you are golden
As a heads up for anyone with a ZV-1 camera, it will not give a clean feed with this Cam Link alternative. I’m not sure if the Cam Link will give a clean signal either, looking to find a used one to test myself.
This may be a silly question, but why is your examples different to your video in look/quality. Would you not be using the best for your video (elgato), so it would then look the same? Thank you and great video :))
Tried the ezcap. Couldn’t capture 4k into Quicktime. Could capture 4k with OBS but my workflow is easier capturing into QuickTime. dunno, maybe I was doing something wrong. sent it back and bought the Elgato, 4k into QuickTime works fine.
you miss to add in the video that the zv.e1 new from sony from usb c come to stream mode up to 30p 4k... Maybe killer feature for new gen cameras
Could you give me some info on how the iphone can interact with all of these things? I want to use my upcoming iphone 15 as webcam, but I want to do it in high quality. Cinema P3 and Filmic Pro allow Clean HDMI out from iPhones, but the resolution that has is still way above what these cards here even capture... Also, When I use an USB to HDMI adapter to record, I can't use my my mic anymore and also cannot charge the phone :((
There has to be some better solution for this, right? I mean can't I use USB-C as an HDMI-like output by now? Or isnt' there are USB hub that allows for high quality HDMI out while also providing power passthrough?
Just bought a Sony zv-1m2, using the usb-c going straight to the PC, no camera control. Whereas, I connected it with the hdmi to my Vivitar capture, near full control
so you go straight from your camera into your computer when you stream, but what making youtube videos? Do you record to your camera sd card then move it to your computer after? or do you record directly to your computer somehow?!
I wish there was an easy way to know if a camera has UVC or not, or a list of them somewhere. I've googled a lot, and when you look for "UVC camera," nothing really comes up.
If I use a Nikon D7000, is it compatible with the 4K HDMI to USB Video Capture Card? Thank
The color on all of the captures kinda wierded me out a little. I personally use the ZV-E10 and I love it. I do use it for much more than it's webcam ability, but that ability is awesome. Also! The kit lens (16-50mm) works really great for a ton of shooting scenarios (aka, you probably don't need to buy another lens to make your footage look top notch👌just start with the kit lens).
Part of that is also just Sony's unusual color science with green/yellow skin tone fringing. That's been in existence in pretty much all their mirrorless cameras. But the conversion to Rec.709 that capture cards usually do is also very odd at times, and feels very artificial. Like they're trying to auto-compensate for camera's profiles with a universal LUT (and "universal LUT" is also an oxymoron, there is no such thing) due to the fact that it has to down-convert from 4:2:2 in most cases to 4:2:0, so they're trying to save time? I don't know. It's a very weird spec that capture cards include. It could also just be the difficulty of converting different signal protocols.
Yep, the colour is totally different to the corrected image used in A footage. Makes them all look bad.
I bought the ZV e-10 based on your first video, I really like it but it does run out of battery after about 6 hours of streaming. Are you sure we don't need a dummy battery? I'm confused, it won't charge while it's on. Is there a setting I'm missing?
I spent 400- on a cam link pro, Vanguard anti cheat comes around the corner and disables it because it uses direct show and it can be used for cheat injections.. im furious.
I looked around the web software for my Nikon Z9 which I superior video only works in 1080p so you still need a cam link if you want 4K. I connect my second camera a Nikon Z6 which has 4K capability to the can link but I only do it because I want 4K video.
Not particularly as I’m using a black magic quad link for my capture card for cameras buttttt I’m having issues with them so ima have to look into why my obs isn’t registering it if I downloaded the wrong software or if my hdmi to sdi converter is broken
You recorded all that footage IN OBS? Curious what bitrate do you set in OBS when recording? Great video as usual.
Different merits of streaming from the USB port aside, to make this to work in Linux takes a while, and to get that to work in MS Teams, I have not yet managed to do, except possibly once with wrong pixel format resulting in completely wrong colors. So, I am getting a capture card. Not sure yet if it is a PCIE or USB3, but one of these is definitely a must for me.
I wana sell my GoXLR and share mv7, what’s the best non xlr mic just for sounding good and 250 and under?
Quick note on the editing: i personally found that skew and zoom on the images of the amazon listings pretty ugly and distracting, either tone it down a lot or completly remove it
Doesn't Nikon have UVC protocols in their Z-series cameras?
Also, how important is 4k vs 720p when it's going to be 640p in the bottom corner of your display on a 1080 stream?
What a disappointment from Atomos as a generally great brand. I actually bought that same exact shaped card for $15 years ago without Atomos’ branding and I also found the hue and saturation to be way off. I ALSO bought a version of that silver $18 one in the video and found it was the same internally as you found. Side note: both of those cheap cards skipped frames, and pretty often, on my system. There was a maddening jerkiness that would come and go, but slight enough that most people would never notice. I do not have that problem with real Camlinks, even when running 2 at the same time, with one at 4K.
I got a couple of the cheap ones a few months ago. They worked fine, but within the past couple weeks I’ve been having trouble with them showing up on my computer. My guess is the quality of the plating.
wait...how old is it and how long ago did they release it?
i hate this guy
But doesn't it cap it at 720p, why would I do that when I've purchased a 4k camera?
Fantastic Video. gives valuable information, has personality but not too much. intro introduces the premise very well
Are you shooting your RUclips videos on a high end camera and then updating your video? I have a Nikon Z6 and a Nikon Z9 and I want to use vmix or obs studio to do a live podcast so I assume that no matter how good the camera is a need a capture card right ?
Would the atem mini be in the running since it dropped in price to like $159
Can the webcam utility work with multiple cameras on OBS? Or would it be better just to get a ATEM mini to switch scenes? Haven’t tried it since I don’t have the cameras on hand. I know it does work with one. Working with 3 Nikon Z6ii
UVC for Sony's Imaging Edge app does NOT currently work with Mac's newest iOS update (Sonoma iOS 14), which is why I'm over here looking for a damn camera link to use with my Sony a7riii.
I really appreciate you making this video, I've been trying to use an ATEM mini pro iso to live stream for about a week straight now and it's completely useless. For my single live streams I use the elgato 4K camera link and probably about 80% of the time really like it. But I want to bring in 4x a7siii feeds on the screen at the same time. I had no idea about the UVC and knowing that there is an option to have a slightly cheaper cam link is a huge bonus. Thank you so much for this man.
I actually got the Atamos Connect for 33 bucks on sale a few weeks ago and I'm really happy with what I got for 33 bucks. Mine does do 1080p60 and the colors are not as yellow/wonky for me as they appeared in this video. It does add A LOT of saturation so I do have to crank my ring light all the way up.
But if you can get it on sale for around the 30 bucks mark I would definitely say it's worth it.
Harris, love the video and showing us the results before we buy, however, why don't you show everyone the real competition to Elgato, AverMedia? When I went to get a capture card for a dual pc system, I found the gamer duo, which is perfect for those wanting to pass-through a new gen console and maybe use a DSLR in the future, which I did. I looked it up and they have a competitor to each version of the camlink along with comparable products in most of the Elgato space. I think people put so much stock in whatever anybody else is using and I've only seen a few mentions of webcams from AverMedia from you. Also, another mention is the Shure MV7 over the SM7B, people can use this as an upgrade path, it's a fantastic mic, and yet everyone spends $1,000 because streamer "A" has it. Same with settings, but I digress, I would just like to see more actual competitors products when comparing like this.
So do you recommend the goxlr mini for and upgrade from the USB audio box 96
Signed up for Sizzle, only downside is it's largely meant for FPS games, but it's ACTUALLY something i might look into more when i learn to play Apex :3
I got the camlink and ended up going back to my razer ripsaw x. Camlink doesn’t even support chrome
Neither option is any good. I use my phone and irium webcam app, either over wifi or plugged straight into usb. Zero reason to buy a professional grade camera for a webcam when we all carry something just as good in our pocket. Use an old phone or 3 for more cameras as well.
Also I have 2 of those cheap $18 capture cards and they work. Latency is an issue hence why I use the irium webcam app instead though.