Webcams have become all more important in the last 12-18 months with working from home becoming the only viable option for so many. Last year, I took a look at the Logitech Streamcam, which saw me through a lot of the year, but after testing the Razer Kiyo Pro over the last few weeks, it has certain qualities that I really like.
Just like the Streamcam, the webcam is super easy to setup, working as soon as you plugging it in. It instantly provides a 1080P/60FPS image at 2.1 megapixels that looks great out of the box, but the magic quickly becomes apparent when you download Razer Synapse.
From here, you’re able to activate HDR at 30FPS which will instantly provide more realistic colours and better backlighting, so you won’t be overexposed if near a window or out of focus (my work space has a massive window behind me that often completely blows out my image). It won’t be for everyone as it is a little bit more dull than having HDR off (just like playing a game) but for the average professional, this webcam when utilising HDR will provide one of the most realistic, good looking images.
Another really great thing about the Kiyo Pro is that it has an adjustable FOV that can be changed between three settings. Narrow will be fairly zoomed in on your immediate space, medium will zoom out a tad and wide will provide a good look at your office/gaming setup which is great if you’ve got a lot of gaming memorabilia behind you. It’s super easy to change between these on the fly to find out which suits you best.
The webcam connects via USB A which won’t be to everyone’s delight (Anything with USB-C gets a huge tick in my books) and it does come with a manual privacy cover which you can place over your webcam just to triple ensure that nobody can see you. The stand is super versatile and can be placed either over your monitor or hot shoed onto a tripod, or just plain-old used as a stand on a desk. The webcam is really steady and swivels nicely too.
Whilst I really like Razer Synapse and it has most of the options I needed, I’d love to see it incorporate more broadcasting options to be in-line with Logitech Capture. The fact that you can use Logitech Capture to add text over your webcam, split screen with open apps and a host of other features means that it’s an OBS-like software for newcomers to use.
All-in-all though, if you’re happy to drop the $300+ for the Razer Kiyo Pro, you won’t be disappointed with the quality that you get. It really is a full-proof way to get high quality visuals from your home office/studio.
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