Razer Kiyo: A Worth Buying Affordable Webcam
Why do you need an external webcam?
Razer Kiyo became my choice of webcam when I got tired of the webcams that are built-in with laptops. I have been using the webcam of this Dell XPS 13 that I have for years now for teleconferences, online meetings, and sometime video calls, and it was tolerable because I did not have to turn the webcam on that often. Recently, though, online meetings, online classes, streaming, and teleconferences became an integral part of our work, so I felt the need to improve the video feed of my webcam.
Built-in webcams may come in handy, however, the images or videos from them are usually grainy, dark, or have poor quality in general specially if you are in a dark room. To have better ouputs, I decided to search for an external webcam and I came across this Razer Kiyo RZ19.
Check it on Amazon: Razer Kiyo RZ19
Technical Specifications
Looking at the technical specifications of Razer Kiyo at Razer’s website and online stores like Amazon, I thought it fit my preference but I did not really expect much from it. When I first got it, I only used it for online meetings and I was satisfied. The time that I got to start utilizing this webcam, was when I had a gig that requires streaming. I was set on using my Canon M50 but after some thought, I decided to give the Razer Kiyo a try, mainly because it is smaller, lighter and easier to move from one place to another. Moreover, the set up is plug and play and is USB powered so I don’t have to charge any batteries or change if one battery runs out. Lastly, it comes with a 5600K adjustable built-in lighting which is certainly useful particularly in areas/rooms that are not well lit.
Razer Kiyo became my go-to when streaming, doing online meetings and presentations because I was pleased with it’s performance.
| VIDEO RESOLUTION | 1080p @ 30FPS / 720p @ 60FPS / 480p @ 30FPS / 360p @ 30FPS |
|---|---|
| FIELD OF VIEW | 81.6 ° |
| IMAGE RESOLUTION | 4 Megapixels |
| STILL IMAGE RESOLUTION | 1920 x 1080 |
| CONNECTION TYPE | USB2.0 |
|---|---|
| FOCUS TYPE | Auto |
| VIDEO ENCODING | YUY2/MJPEG or H.264 |
| MOUNTING OPTIONS | L-shape joint and Tripod |
| IMAGE QUALITY SETTINGS CUSTOMIZATION | Yes |
| CABLE LENGTH | 1.5 meters braided cable |
| AUDIO CODEC | 16 bit 48 kHz |
| POLAR PATTERNS | Omnidirectional |
| SENSITIVITY | -38 dB |
| COMPATIBILITY | PC with a free USB portWindows® 7 (or higher)Internet connection500 MB of free hard disk space increased system requirements and additional software may be required for certain applications. |
Razer Kiyo webcam key features
- With 1080p at 30 FPS, you will have crisp, detailed video recording and in 720p at 60 FPS this will give you options to slow down some footage in post-production if needed.
- The adjustable built-in ring light could be the biggest takeaway with this webcam since most webcams do not have this feature. Without the ring light, you will be limited to well-lit places should you decide to use a webcam for an online video. With Razer Kiyo, you don’t have to worry about that and you also don’t have to carry around an additional lighting equipment with you.
- It has a compact folding design. It can be clipped on top of a computer screen or mounted on a tripod.
That’s it, folks. If you like or hate this webcam drop a comment down below.
