Streaming on platforms such as Twitch, Discord, and YouTube has become increasingly popular among those of us eager to socialize from the comfort of our homes. Although most gaming laptops come with built-in cameras, most don’t meet expectations in terms of image quality.
Image quality is perhaps one of the most important aspects of any webcam because viewers expect to see a clear image when streaming or recording videos. You also need to have adequate lighting for your viewers to make out your facial features. The Razer Kiyo Pro addresses both problems by incorporating an adjustable ring light and a 4K camera that captures high-quality videos.
The Razer Kiyo Pro is an upgrade of the original Kiyo webcam, which only featured 1080p Full HD resolution. While that model still offers great image quality, the Kiyo Pro makes it even better. Both models come with an adjustable ring light that helps brighten up your face without causing glare or overexposure. However, the brightness levels are quite different; at its highest level, the Kiyo Pro reaches 1000 lumens compared to 400 on the other model.
Price and Availability
The Razer Kiyo Pro is a high-end webcam that was released on February 23, 2021. It’s available for $199.99 and is immune to the shortages that have affected more affordable models such as the $80 Logitech C920. The Kiyo Pro also offers some significant performance improvements compared to the original Razer Kiyo, which is still available at Razer for $99.99.
The only other webcam on the market that offers similar features and performance to the Razer Kiyo Pro is the Logitech Brio 4K Pro, but it’s no longer in stock at most retailers.
Design
The Razer Kiyo Pro is a professional-grade webcam that boasts 4K video recording and an adaptive sensor. The Razer Kiyo Pro features a hefty, spherical shape that is equal to the previous Kiyo. It measures 8.5 x 7 x 4.5 inches, which is much larger than the Logitech C920. The Kiyo Pro lacks a built-in ring light, which is instantly evident when compared to the Kiyo webcam. The Kiyo Pro’s adaptable sensor, on the other hand, lets you snap photographs in low-light situations, therefore you won’t be missing it more.
Like its predecessor, the Razer Kiyo Pro is designed to be as versatile as possible. It’s also built like a tank (well, okay–like a tank that you can put on your desk). The device comes with a silicone clipping system that allows you to place it on your setup in a variety of ways, including holding it up on the desk, positioning it on top of a computer display, or connecting it to a normal camera stand. A confidentiality mask is also included with the webcam.
The Razer Kiyo Pro webcam is designed to be incredibly long-lasting as well. Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protects the lenses from both damage and scratches. I wouldn’t, however, hurl the controllers at it.
Perfomance Video and Sound
The Razer Kiyo Pro camera is a simple, elegant solution for your video streaming requirements. It may appear to be a little, flat circle, yet it has a lot of power.
The ability to broadcast 1080p videos at 60 fps without losing visual quality is its key selling point. This is a big increase over the standard Kiyo, which would only record 720p film at 60 frames per second or 1080p film at 30 frames per second. The Razer Kiyo Pro also has HDR video, however at a lower frame rate of 30 fps.
The Razer Kiyo Pro is a significant improvement over built-in cameras on most of the best gaming laptops. It handles image exposure extremely well, preserving details that other webcams can’t. This is achieved using the Kiyo Pro’s STARVIS technology, which is driven by a Type 1/2.8 sensor and a larger f2.0 aperture, allowing the webcam to ensure consistent light coverage.
When compared to the images produced by the Logitech C920, the Razer Kiyo Pro produces images with dramatically reduced noise and improved overall clarity, thanks to its STARVIS technology. At 1080p at 60fps, the Razer Kiyo Pro provides smooth video capture with razor-sharp detail when compared with many of the best gaming laptops’ built-in cameras.
The Razer Kiyo Pro camera is a simple, elegant solution for your video streaming requirements. It may appear to be a little, flat circle, yet it has a lot of power.
The Razer Kiyo Pro is an excellent webcam for individuals who need high-quality video feeds for professional or personal use. It has a 4K resolution and a customizable field of view with three presets “Narrow” (80°), “Medium” (90°), and “Wide” (103°). The Razer Synapse software allows users to adjust this, giving them a lot of freedom for when they want to change things up. Its simple setup makes it a formidable competitor in the congested webcam industry.
I was particularly impressed by the “Wide” option, which allowed the camera to catch substantially more space than would have been lost with a tighter visual field.
- HDR features
- Superior shot quality.
- Three settings for the field of view to choose
- Sometimes have to switch to manual focus
Perfomance Software
The Razer Synapse software is extremely user-friendly. It has a number of features, including the ability to modify basic camera settings like brightness, contrast, saturation, and white balance. Accuracy, gain, Power – line Rhythm, Shutter, Angle, and other adjustments may be found inside the “Advanced tab.”
The highlight of this camera is its built-in ring light that produces consistent lighting. You can adjust the brightness by tapping the power button on top of the camera (it has three levels), or turn it off entirely if you need to save power. The ring light also features Razer’s Chroma RGB lighting system so you can customize its color to match the rest of your setup.
The mic on the Kiyo Pro is likewise a significant upgrade over most built-in laptop mics. It’s certainly decent enough to use on a stream and in Chat calls, however, it does pick up on background noises as input devices click.