Its 1080p lens is capable of a sharp, detailed image, and its built-in ring light means it works very well in bright and dark environments alike. The Kiyo is roughly the size and shape of a hockey puck, a circular black disc measuring 2.7 by 0.6 inches (HW) for the camera itself.
A small lens sits in the middle, framed by a ridged, glossy black plastic surface with a status LED above and a Razer logo barely visible below. The bottom of the base folds back to reveal grippy rubber surfaces that, with a wide front tooth, can secure the camera to the top of your monitor or laptop.
Razer’s Synapse software can adjust the Kiyo’s exposure settings, with multiple image presets including white balance. This isn’t capture software, however; Razer recommends OBS or XSplit for streaming or recording with the Kiyo, and of course any standard video conferencing service will work with it. It can actually get a bit too bright and harshly directed, but fortunately you can dim the light to your preferences by twisting the ring around the camera. It’ll add another $50 minimum to your video chat and recording setup, but it will drastically improve your audio quality.
But if you value a good picture over audio quality, or don’t mind spending a bit more and using another USB port for a separate microphone, the Razer Kiyo is worth a look.
Razer Kiyo Review
Its 1080p lens is capable of a sharp, detailed image, and its built-in ring light means it works very well in bright and dark environments alike. The Kiyo is roughly the size and shape of a hockey puck, a circular black disc measuring 2.7 by 0.6 inches (HW) for the camera itself. A small lens sits in the middle, framed by a ridged, glossy black plastic surface with a status LED above and a Razer logo barely visible below. The bottom of the base folds back to reveal grippy rubber surfaces that, with a wide front tooth, can secure the camera to the top of your monitor or laptop.
Razer’s Synapse software can adjust the Kiyo’s exposure settings, with multiple image presets including white balance. This isn’t capture software, however; Razer recommends OBS or XSplit for streaming or recording with the Kiyo, and of course any standard video conferencing service will work with it.
It can actually get a bit too bright and harshly directed, but fortunately you can dim the light to your preferences by twisting the ring around the camera. It’ll add another $50 minimum to your video chat and recording setup, but it will drastically improve your audio quality. But if you value a good picture over audio quality, or don’t mind spending a bit more and using another USB port for a separate microphone, the Razer Kiyo is worth a look.
The Razer Kiyo webcam is perfect for gaming and streaming, with a bright ring light and sharp image quality
The Razer Kiyo is billed as the perfect broadcasting camera for budding streamers and offers everything you need to get started at a reasonable $99.99 price. It takes a lot of work to look your best on video, whether you’re streaming on Twitch or producing for YouTube, so the top streamers have professional setups with expensive cameras, lighting rigs, and microphones. For anyone with a more limited budget, just starting out streaming, or looking to upgrade from a basic webcam, the Razer Kiyo could be the ideal choice. While the Razer Kiyo can stream high quality footage, if you just need a decent webcam for video calls there’s no need to spend this much.
Webcams tend to have unobtrusive designs so they can clamp onto the top of screens unnoticed, but the Razer Kiyo has a very distinctive look that makes it stand out. The camera lens is in the middle of a ring, surrounded by subtle concentric circles and an etched Razer logo in black.
The parts that have contact with your screen or frame are finished in grippy, soft-touch, matte black, rubbery plastic to ensure the webcam doesn’t scratch or damage your display. While the braided cable feels durable and offers enough length to accommodate my standing desk when extended, it may prove frustrating for some people at just shy of 5 feet long.
Install Razer’s Synapse 3 software, and you get access to camera controls with sliders for brightness, contrast, saturation, and white balance. There’s also an advanced settings menu that lets you dig deeper with extra options like sharpness and gain, as well as controls for zoom level, pan, tilt, and exposure. I found the Razer Kiyo offered impressive color accuracy in natural light and a pleasingly detailed image. I fired up OBS, which instantly detected the camera, and had a game of Borderlands 3, and the resulting footage looked decent.
My son, who has more experience producing gaming videos and streaming, tested out the Razer Kiyo with Fortnite and is impressed by the results. The light ring is really only enough to illuminate your face, but that’s the most important thing when you’re streaming, and any noise you see in the background on full screen is far less noticeable when you’re in a small window in the corner. The Razer Kiyo is tailor-made for budding streamers looking to put out better quality video and ensure that they’re lit in a flattering way. If you can live without the higher frame rate, the Logitech C920S is a lot cheaper, offers 1080p or 720p at 30 fps, has a handy privacy shutter, and boasts better audio with two integrated microphones.
Does Razer Kiyo work with Zoom?
From groundbreaking technological advancements to quirky gifts and gizmos, we’re here to tell you all about the clash between man and machine.
Razer Kiyo Review: A Webcam Game Changer
The best streamers have studio setups with professional microphones, bright lighting and, sometimes, even green screens. The webcam is in the center of that top disc, surrounded by a thick, white, LED light ring and a dial to adjust how bright it gets. On the bottom of the lowest disc is a mount for brackets and tripods, for folks who’d rather not clamp it to a monitor.
The Razer brand name is right under the camera lens, but the three-headed snake is tucked away on the back of the first disc.
Razer’s camera looks just as good as our favorite webcam, the Logitech C920, and its gaming version, the C922. My forest-green shirt was very close to the right shade, and my blue eyes looked better than on any other camera I’ve tested.
When I did an exact comparison shot with the C920, I found that while my shirt was slightly truer with Logitech’s lens, my skin and eyes looked better on Razer’s webcam, and both offered great detail. However, when I recorded some footage from Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017’s biggest disappointment) with OBS, that noise was far less noticeable because I was in a smaller box in the corner.
However, most gamers and streamers will use a headset or microphone (Razer would love for you to try its new Seiren X) on services like Twitch or Mixer, so it’s not the end of the world.
But cheaper cameras, like Logitech’s, have better mics built in, so I wish Razer didn’t skimp on it here. Most of Razer’s PC peripherals connect with Synapse, its software to adjust settings and change colors. It fulfills a need, but takes it to the next level by adding professional features without tacking on a higher price tag.
A single light ring (albeit a very good one) isn’t the same as a full setup, but it brings something more like a studio to a lot of people.
The Razer Kiyo webcam is perfect for gaming and streaming, with a bright ring light and sharp image quality
The Razer Kiyo is billed as the perfect broadcasting camera for budding streamers and offers everything you need to get started at a reasonable $99.99 price. It takes a lot of work to look your best on video, whether you’re streaming on Twitch or producing for YouTube, so the top streamers have professional setups with expensive cameras, lighting rigs, and microphones.
For anyone with a more limited budget, just starting out streaming, or looking to upgrade from a basic webcam, the Razer Kiyo could be the ideal choice. While the Razer Kiyo can stream high quality footage, if you just need a decent webcam for video calls there’s no need to spend this much.
Webcams tend to have unobtrusive designs so they can clamp onto the top of screens unnoticed, but the Razer Kiyo has a very distinctive look that makes it stand out. The camera lens is in the middle of a ring, surrounded by subtle concentric circles and an etched Razer logo in black. The parts that have contact with your screen or frame are finished in grippy, soft-touch, matte black, rubbery plastic to ensure the webcam doesn’t scratch or damage your display. While the braided cable feels durable and offers enough length to accommodate my standing desk when extended, it may prove frustrating for some people at just shy of 5 feet long. Install Razer’s Synapse 3 software, and you get access to camera controls with sliders for brightness, contrast, saturation, and white balance. There’s also an advanced settings menu that lets you dig deeper with extra options like sharpness and gain, as well as controls for zoom level, pan, tilt, and exposure. I found the Razer Kiyo offered impressive color accuracy in natural light and a pleasingly detailed image. I fired up OBS, which instantly detected the camera, and had a game of Borderlands 3, and the resulting footage looked decent.
My son, who has more experience producing gaming videos and streaming, tested out the Razer Kiyo with Fortnite and is impressed by the results. The light ring is really only enough to illuminate your face, but that’s the most important thing when you’re streaming, and any noise you see in the background on full screen is far less noticeable when you’re in a small window in the corner. The Razer Kiyo is tailor-made for budding streamers looking to put out better quality video and ensure that they’re lit in a flattering way. If you can live without the higher frame rate, the Logitech C920S is a lot cheaper, offers 1080p or 720p at 30 fps, has a handy privacy shutter, and boasts better audio with two integrated microphones.
Gaming Camera for Streaming
Enjoy greater flexibility with auto low-light correction on your video in a dim room. We’ve enhanced our built-in autofocus function so footage is even more precise, seamless and sharp.
Customer Reviews: Razer Kiyo Webcam with Adjustable Ring Light Black RZ19-02320100-R3U1
It looks great and there are a couple of ways to mount it on top of a monitor as long as its not too thick, it also has a 1/4 screw whole for a tripod stand if you want to use that instead.
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