Review
A 1080p webcam with a fixed-focus prime lens and manual software control, recorded for reference because the manufacturer has discontinued it.
A 1080p webcam with a fixed-focus prime lens and software control over exposure and field of view.
Full product researchThe Elgato Facecam is a 1080p webcam with a fixed-focus prime lens and software control over exposure and field of view. Its appeal is control rather than automation: the recorded feature list leads with manual exposure control, and the field of view is adjustable in software.
This review is built from the specifications recorded against the product, each with its source and a verification state that is currently partial. We have not handled this camera, so nothing here claims image quality, a focus range in millimetres or a low light result. The recorded resolution, lens type, field of view and mounting options are what this page works through.
The recorded resolution is 1080p at 60 fps. Sixty frames per second at 1080p is the working configuration for streaming and calls, where the picture has to hold up to movement rather than sit still in a screenshot.
There is no 4K mode recorded for this camera. That is the single boundary of the product, and it is the point at which the Logitech Brio 4K becomes the relevant comparison.
The recorded lens is a Fixed focus prime. A prime lens is one with a fixed focal length, and a fixed-focus lens has no autofocus mechanism recorded behind it. The consequence is practical: if the camera stays where it was set up and you stay in the same seat, focus is a solved problem. If either moves, there is no recorded mechanism that follows.
That is the deliberate trade in the design. A camera that holds a fixed focus does not hunt for focus in the middle of a stream, and the price of that certainty is that it cannot adapt on the fly.
Manual exposure control is in the recorded feature list, and the recorded field of view is adjustable in software. Together they give you a fixed, repeatable frame: you set the exposure once and the field of view to match the space you are in, and the picture does not drift between takes.
The Logitech Brio 4K records an adjustable field of view too, but it does not record manual exposure control, so this is where the two products genuinely part company.
Mounting is recorded as Monitor mount and tripod thread. Two mounting routes means the camera can sit on a monitor or on a tripod, and it avoids the single clipped bracket that limits where a webcam can go.
The Facecam suits someone who wants manual control over a 1080p camera for streaming and calls, and who is willing to keep the camera and themselves in a fixed arrangement. It is a poor fit for a buyer who needs 4K capture, a camera that follows a moving subject, or infrared support for platform authentication.
The Logitech Brio 4K is the alternative. It records up to 4K at 30 fps, 1080p at 60 fps, autofocus, an adjustable field of view and infrared support, which is what you get when the priority is resolution range and automation rather than a fixed, manually set frame.
Elgato's own product page states that the Facecam has been discontinued. Nothing here claims the camera is still sold or still supported. The recorded specifications are kept because they remain the honest reference for what a fixed focus 1080p camera with manual software control looks like, and because a reader searching for a Facecam needs to know where it sits today.
If you are buying now, the Logitech Brio 4K is the camera we currently cover that is still sold. It adds autofocus, 4K capture and infrared authentication, and it has a built-in microphone where the Facecam has none.
Methodology
How the products below were evaluated and chosen.
What we checked
The recorded resolution, the lens type and whether anything refocuses it, whether the frame can be adjusted and whether exposure is manual, and the mounting options. Each value comes from the recorded specification and carries its source and verification state.
Products
Why it is here: Records up to 4K at 30 fps, autofocus, an adjustable field of view and infrared support. It trades the Facecam fixed focus and manual exposure for a wider resolution range and a camera that follows a subject.
Resolution: Up to 4K at 30 fps, 1080p at 60 fps
Why it is here: The subject of this review. Its recorded 1080p at 60 fps output, fixed-focus prime lens and manual exposure control make it the camera to consider when a repeatable frame matters more than resolution range.
Resolution: 1080p at 60 fps
Trade-offs
Published per product so you can see which side of the comparison each point belongs to.
Advantages
Limitations
Fit
Each product is matched to the reader who should pick it, and to the reader who should not.
Choose it if
Look elsewhere if
Notes
Why this page is still here
The Elgato Facecam product page states that the camera has been discontinued. It stays on the site because the recorded specifications are still the honest reference for a fixed focus 1080p camera, but it is not a current recommendation and it should not be bought new.FAQ
The recorded resolution is 1080p at 60 fps. No 4K mode is recorded for this camera, and 60 fps at 1080p is the working configuration for streaming and calls.
Source:Elgato official site
No. The recorded lens is a fixed focus prime, and no autofocus mechanism is recorded behind it, so focus is fixed at the position the camera was set up in.
Source:Elgato official site
Yes. The recorded field of view is adjustable in software, so the framing can be matched to the desk without moving the camera or turning a lens ring.
Source:Elgato official site
Mounting is recorded as monitor mount and tripod thread, so the camera can sit on a monitor or on a tripod rather than relying on a single clipped bracket.
Source:Elgato official site
Yes. Manual exposure control appears in the recorded feature list, which is the difference between setting the picture once and letting the camera adjust it.
Source:Elgato official site
Keep researching
The recorded alternative to the Elgato Facecam is the Logitech Brio 4K, which records up to 4K at 30 fps with autofocus and infrared support for.
The Elgato Facecam records 1080p at 60 fps with a fixed focus lens, and Elgato's product page states it has been discontinued. The Logitech Brio 4K records up to 4K at 30 fps with autofocus and infrared support. How the recorded specifications differ.
Partly, and the recorded specifications show where the software sits.
