Full Breakdown: Razer’s HD Webcam Experience

Razer Kiyo Webcam Review in 2024

Max Wales

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

People find it quite difficult to adjust light while streaming on Mixer or Twitch. The professional streamers generally make use of studios like setups with bright light, high-quality microphones, and green screens. But not everyone can do such costly installations at home. If you are looking for a shortcut to achieve best results for your streaming sessions, we advise you investing on Razer Kiyo. By paying only $99.99, you can enjoy perfect streaming like studios.

Razer Kiyo is designed to make things little easier for dedicated gamers who want to gain more audience on YouTube, Twitch and other popular streaming platforms. It can help you to achieve desired quality without spending more.

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Why you may use Razer Kiyo Webcam?

Pros of Razer Kiyo Webcam:

• Equipped with bright ring light that is easier to adjust.
• Can capture videos with 1080p resolution level and supports 60fps frame rate at 720p.
• Razer Kiyo can produce punchy images with attractive contrast adjustment.
• Built-in type tripod mount.

Everything has its cons, and the disadvantages of using Razer Kiyo webcam is listed below:

Cons:

• Large size design.
• Does not come with companion software.
• Autofocus gets triggered by small movements.
• Come with a non-detachable cable.

Part 1: Razer Kiyo Hardware Glance

Section 1. Razer Kiyo Specification

• Desktop streaming camera unit with an advanced multi-step bright ring light.
• Supports HD Video quality with higher frame rate: 720p at 60fps and 1080p at 30fps.
• Offers full compatibility with XSplit and Open Broadcaster software.
• Image resolution is 4Mp with customization quality settings.
• Omni-directional microphone with the 16bit 48KH audio codec.
• 264 or MJPEG/YUY2 video encoding.
• Ring light illumination is adjusted with 12 white LEDs.
• Color temperature range for ring light: 5600K with milky white LED diffuser.
• 12-step easy to handle ring dial buttons.
• Can be mounted on Tripod and L-shape joint.
• Braided cable length 1.5 meters.

Section 2. Razer Kiyo Design

At a glance, you will find its basic design same as most webcams in the market, but Razer Kiyo has actually added something new to this unit with its amazing craftsmanship. Looking at the closed camera, you will find three discs lying on one another; they are a light ring, the camera unit and two hinges for adjusting the device on laptop or desktop monitor. It looks sturdy enough in hands, and the end finish appears durable enough.

The LED ring light is accompanied by an adjustable dial that allows users to capture high-quality videos with perfect light arrangements. On the bottom side of the camera, you will find a mount for tripods and brackets. Most people find its USB cord short and sadly, it is not detachable. But rest all design features are quite impressive along with the company’s logo that is attractively engraved on the backside of the camera.

Part 2: Razer Kiyo Performance

Section 1. Image Quality and Sound Quality

With the awesome design; Razer Kiyo also offers satisfactory image quality. It can capture stills at 4 Megapixels with the perfect mixture of colors and brightness levels. Note that, Razer Kiyo performs very well in variable light conditions. Moreover, you can improve the illumination by switching the ring light. It leads to crisp and sharp details with better focus. You can achieve pretty cool results without any external lighting arrangement.

As we all know, this webcam is actually designed for the crazy streamers, so you might be curious to know how well it performs for that application. Well! It can meet your needs with 1080p resolution level that supports 30fps frame rate, and on the other side, 720p resolution level can be achieved with 60fps frame rate.

One more impressive thing to know about this streamer specific camera is its awesome sound quality. although its microphone is not much loud, that won’t make a big issue because most of the streamers prefer to use gaming headphones for their streaming needs. With all such features, we can say that Razer Kiyo is high-performance camera unit that can easily satisfy needs of most streamers. It can definitely drive more audience to your YouTube channel.

Section 2. Razer Kiyo Software

You might have observed that most of Razer devices generally come with Synapse connectivity; this software assist users to adjust settings and color variations but this is not the case with Razer Kiyo. Manufacturers have designed this device to work as a plug and play unit. There is no software piece that can be used to zoom, tilt, pan and adjust the exposure settings from a distance. You have to handle everything manually during your recording process.

Although for many setups, users may need Synapse, it is compatible with many other streaming software, so gamers will easily find several choices. You will be happy to know that it also works perfectly with world’s most popular streaming software: Open Broadcaster and Xsplit. It means you will never face any trouble related to your streaming needs. These 3rd party software tools can help users to adjust tint, contrast and brightness levels but it cannot work for tilt and pan settings.

What we like

• Image quality is quite satisfactory with crisp and stable color distribution.
• The light ring can meet your illumination needs in most conditions.
• The design is thoughtful and handy enough.
• Budget-friendly unit as compared to several high-end competitors in the market.
• Easy to use with basic control features.

What we don’t like

• Razer Kiyo does not come with Synapse software support. Users need to make manual adjustments for most features.
• If you are looking for 4K quality; it may not serve your needs.
• USB cord is too short and undetachable.

Summary:

There is no doubt to say that Razer Kiyo is a camera with one of the most thoughtful design in the market. Although it lacks in some professional features; still, it has so many things to offer you with a budget-friendly price range. The missing Synapse support is trouble for professional streamers, but most users are satisfied with its extended support to Open Broadcaster and Xsplit platform.

This camera unit is available with a price tag of $99.99 only that is somewhere around Logitech’s C922. But Kiyo is rated high due to its additional light ring that assists in finest recording in all light conditions. The short and non-detachable USB cable is another drawback of Kiyo. Still, the well-illuminated videos make this camera unit suitable for most beginners. If you are just starting out your new streaming channel online and are not able to invest more, Kiyo can definitely serve you better. Your audience will never complain about low light in your videos. You can buy Razor Kiyo now by visiting trustworthy online websites; the sellers ensure fast delivery at the doorstep. You will be satisfied with its performance and looks as well.

Max Wales

Max Wales is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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