Sandberg Streamer USB Webcam Pro Elite – Hardware Review
Even though we discuss a lot of peripherals on the site, we tend to overlook one important piece of hardware for a streaming setup: the webcam. A proper webcam is a valuable tool when it comes to making a stream more pleasant and appealing. Viewers often love to see the reactions of their favorite streamer, and in general, it makes a stream a lot more personal as well. The last time we looked at a webcam was way back in 2020, so we feel like we’re long overdue to discuss another interesting streaming webcam. For the following review, we’ll be discussing Sandberg’s Streamer USB Webcam Pro Elite.
Design
The Streamer USB Webcam Pro Elite is a classy-looking webcam. The design isn’t overly bombastic, and the only thing that stands out is the white ring on the front of the device, which is also the built-in ring light. Other than that, the device has a matte black finish with the Sandberg brand name and logo on the base and a bit of text on the front of the webcam itself. The base is somewhat reminiscent of the 2020 Streamer USB Webcam Pro model.
There’s also a small remote that comes with the Streamer USB Webcam Pro Elite, which is used to adjust certain settings. With the remote, you can zoom in or out, and even change brightness settings or mute the microphone. The remote feels very plastic-y, but solid nonetheless.
Comfort
In terms of comfort, the Streamer USB Webcam Pro Elite has an adjustable base for flat surfaces, but you can also clip it to a monitor as well. There’s also a screw hole that allows you to use a tripod or an adjustable arm to ensure an even better setup. Even so, the base is decent and sturdy enough without needing additional tools or parts.
Just like its predecessor, there is a built-in ring light, which does wonders for your streaming setup. This time, instead of tapping the webcam’s front, you’ll have an actual ring dial that allows you to fine-tune the light settings even better. The further you turn the dial, the brighter the ring light will shine. This is an easy system, and it works great. We found this light a bit brighter than that of the Streamer USB Webcam Pro, but this might have to do with the Elite version being slightly bigger than the previous one.
As mentioned above, there is also a remote that comes with the Streamer USB Webcam Pro Elite. We didn’t have any issues with the overall comfort factor, but we mainly struggled with the overall responsiveness. Even when perfectly in range, the remote was often quite unresponsive, and when it responded it was with a fairly big delay or not really with what we asked it to do. We are unsure if this was just our device, but we felt as if the remote wasn’t a huge asset here.
Specs
- USB 2.0 interface
- Supports UVC
- Cable length: 2 metres
- Video resolution: 2560x1440P, 1920x1080P, 1280x720P, 640x480P
- Frame rate; 2560x1440P@30fps, 1920x1080P@60fps
- H.264, H265, JPEG, YUY2
- ePTZ-function: Digital pan, tilt and 5 X zoom
- 76° viewing angle
- Built in privacy shutter
- Autofocus on/off
- Built-in adjustable ring light
- Built-in Omni-directional stereo microphones
- Mic sensitivity: -35db+, SNR65d2
- Mic with noise reduction
- Remote control functions: pan, tilt, zoom, mute, autofocus on/off, light adjust, flip up/down, mirror.
Overview
Sandberg’s Streamer USB Webcam Pro Elite is a plug-and-play device, and it does not require any additional software. The moment you plug it in, you’re good to go, and you can use the device for every possible recording or broadcasting purpose. Of course, some programs may require you to still set up the device by selecting it as your main video (or audio) output source. We encountered no issues with this extremely easy setup, and the device was also immediately recognized by all the programs we use.
The image quality is superb, and your streaming or recording sessions will look amazing. There are a few auto-focus issues present here, but this happens to be the case with a lot of webcams, so you might need to tinker with additional settings to get things just right. This still occurred when auto-focus was turned off via the remote. Even so, the details during our streams or calls were perfect, and it’s certainly an upgrade from its predecessor. As stated above, we found the remote to be unresponsive at times, but it was more of an annoyance than an actual huge issue. When the remote decided to properly work, however, we had access to a lot of additional functions that elevated the overall experience.
If you’re a professional streamer, or you tend to use the device for YouTube videos, we still suggest using an external microphone. While the microphone embedded in the Streamer USB Webcam Pro Elite isn’t that bad, it does still sound a bit hollow and as if you’re far away at times. If you’re simply looking for a decent webcam to call your friends and family, while also casually broadcasting something from time to time, you’ll probably manage with the internal microphone.
Conclusion
Sandberg’s Streamer USB Webcam Pro Elite is a great webcam for streamers, but also for those who love calling friends or family and are looking for a premium-quality device for a budget-friendly price. We particularly liked the built-in ring light and the overall design of the device, and even though the remote was unresponsive at times, it still added a lot of premium functions to the mix. If you’re looking for a decent webcam with a great output, then we suggest looking into this one.
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