Streamplify Cam Pro

We've previously reviewed Streamplify's attempt to shake up the fairly established microphone market and they obviously want to do the same here, but is there really room for more webcam manufacturers in a post-COVID world where recognisable monoliths like Elgato, Blue and Shure run the show.

For a Streamplify Cam Pro, you're looking at around £84, which is slightly cheaper than an Elgato Facecam, a Yealink, a Dell UltraSharp - well, most things. That's half the price of a Logitech MX Brio, which can deliver the same resolution.

A Cam Pro can achieve 4K/30fps or 1080p/60fps from its 8.5 megapixel Sony CMOS sensor. It shoots at a relatively wide angle of 105-degrees, which doesn't quite qualify as fisheye style ultra-wide, but captures a lot more than the traditional outer frame. These CMOS sensors don't offer quite the same versatility in low light conditions as STARVIS, but other than that you can expect reasonably decent image quality, and I would say that colour chemistry, light intake and contrast are roughly equivalent to both Elgato and even Razer.

The build quality is really nothing to write home about. Yes, the rotating outer cylinder shell means you can physically cover the sensor and know for sure if it can 'see' you or not, but it all feels so 3D printed, so cheap, and since a webcam doesn't really benefit from a low weight, you almost doubt it when you remove it from the box the first time. No, webcams don't have to be constructed from cast iron, but playing around with different materials and colours that break that 3D printed feel should be on the top of Streamplify's to-do list.

Other than that, there aren't many, but there a few nice features here and there. A button on one side instantly activates 5x digital zoom. It works... fine, but I hope you haven't mounted your webcam so far away that you have to stretch to reach the button. There are omnidirectional microphones on the device itself, which can pick up your voice, but to be honest, the result is so muddy that pretty much anything else is better. The small mount, on the other hand, is magnetic, which means you can mount it on a screen in a variety of ways, which is always welcome.

There are no drivers at all and no software suite required, and in this day and age where you not only have to download software for other webcams, but where these suites take up half or even whole gigabytes, that's a bonus. Plus, there's actually an ecosystem of low-cost products from Streamplify that all rival the likes of Elgato in terms of price, so it's not a bad idea.

At the end of the day, the Cam Pro is a fine webcam at a pretty great price. That doesn't make it a marvel or result in an instant recommendation, and the slightly dodgy recording quality (especially in low light conditions) and poor build quality do drag it down. But cheap it is, and competitive it is.