Upgrading to a Camera: A Guide for Streamers

As you're planning to stream with your camera and create YouTube videos and content for other platforms, it's essential to consider upgrading to a better camera. While simple webcams may be sufficient for streaming in the corner of a room, using them full screen can be a challenge.

Connecting an HDMI cable from your camera to an HDMI out works well as a webcam. However, turning this signal into a USB signal requires an Elgato Cam Link, which then connects to your PC via USB. This will make your webcam appear in OBS Studio or Streamlabs OBS as a video capture device.

Whether you should buy a more expensive webcam or save up for a full-blown camera depends on your situation. If the image quality of your current webcam is decent enough, it's recommended to start saving up for a new camera instead of buying an expensive webcam. The difference between your current webcam and a more expensive one may not be worth the price.

Additionally, having a real camera can make a significant advantage in creating YouTube videos. However, if your current webcam is extremely bad, buying a decent webcam might be a good option.

As for future upgrades, there are several options to consider:

* Investing in RPG lights can greatly improve the appearance of your stream's background. In my opinion, these lights do an amazing job at hiding a boring room, and I've used them myself. My new studio isn't finished yet, so I mostly have white blank walls, but using these lights completely changes how my room looks.

* One risk you may encounter is that using these lights in your background can be seen as a cheap solution to make your room look better. Instead of making a completely nice-looking, aesthetically pleasing studio, there's nothing wrong with it.

Another upgrade to consider is investing in a stream deck. While it may not add much value to the stream and viewer at first, managing actions like switching scenes can become easier with hotkeys on your keyboard in OBS or Streamlabs OBS settings. Advanced functionality can be added using an application on your phone, such as Touch Portal (free version) or the Stream Neck App from Elgato (premium version).

When investing in your stream, it's essential to consider what will bring the most value to both you and your viewers. If your video and audio quality are decent, and you're looking for motivation to keep streaming, a stream deck might be worth considering.

However, it's crucial to find the balance between the gear you really want and the gear that will be a good investment for your stream. It may take some time to realize this once you have the device.

I hope this helps you with upgrading to a better camera for your streaming needs.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enand there are people who buy a stream neck for more than 200 dollars and they're still using their headset mic a big thanks to the sponsor which is owned to make this video possible if you want to make your stream look better than this is the place to be to give a whole new look to your stream you can get one of their complete graphic packs all of the elements inside can be tested with their preview tool and they are completely animated and really high quality you can also improve the sense of community in your stream by creating personalized emotes and badges with their tools this is a great way to incentivize viewers to subscribe and to start using the emotes in your chat the link to their website will be in my description and if you use my code tvn you will get 50 of the price again the link will be in the description there is a pretty widely accepted order when it comes to upgrading your stream however not many people follow it for one specific reason it's just much more fun to buy a stream deck than it is to buy a new microphone it also seems much more important to buy an expensive new camera compared to buying new 50 dollar lights well i hate to break it to you but adding new lights to your setup will do much more than buying a more expensive camera but we'll get into that later now since this video is about upgrading your streaming setup i'm going to assume you already have a basic microphone and a basic webcam if you don't have a webcam you can always use your phone using the elgato epocam application as this will turn your phone into a wireless webcam one of the biggest debates when it comes to upgrading your streaming setup is whether you should prioritize your video quality meaning your webcam and your lights or your audio quality meaning your microphone and i'm gonna make a test scene so you can be the judge yourself this is an example of bad video quality meaning i'm using the selfie camera of my iphone and there are no lights directly pointed at me but i am using a good microphone since this is the elgato wave this is an example of good video quality i'm using a dslr and there's a softbox pointed at me but i'm using a scuffed microphone now your job is to find out which of these two examples would be the most frustrating to watch or listen to on a long stream or a long youtube video i think most people will find the bad microphone to be more annoying than the low quality video so in my opinion if you're using a scuffed microphone like a headset mic or something worse then upgrading your mic should be your number one priority in one of my next videos i'm going to be buying 10 microphones ranging from 20 dollars to 300 and i'm gonna compare them all to see which one sounds best the first one already arrived but i'm still waiting on the other ones if you don't want to miss that video then don't forget to subscribe but until then here's my current personal microphone tier list if you want the cheapest professional sounding microphone i'd go with the razer siren mini which comes in at around 49 since the quality you'll get out of this mic is more than enough to stream and record youtube videos if your budget is higher then i wouldn't buy anything else than the elgato wave which is just under 150 dollars this mic doesn't only sound good it also comes with the elgato wavelength software which gives you complete control over your stream audio you'll be able to control the volume of your game your music your alerts and everything else separately plus you will also be able to for example set the audio of your game at 100 percent in your headset but then at 20 for the stream or make music loud for the stream but then quiet for yourself so you can concentrate on the game the elgato wave is my overall favorite mic for streamers and i will add the link to the description so you can check it out yourself now once you go past microphones like the elgato wave you're looking at professional audio setups and i wouldn't recommend buying those before upgrading other things like your camera your lights your stream graphics maybe the background of your stream your studio you could add a bunch of stuff there to make your stream better and more entertaining now i know this sounds very much down the road but the fact is that the difference between these decent usb microphones on the left and then a professional xlr microphone setup on the right is not going to be that big on stream buying an expensive setup like that is just not going to be worth it when there's so much other stuff you need to upgrade first i will add links to the microphones i discussed and some other options in the description and again if you don't want to miss my video where i test 10 other microphones then don't forget to subscribe and i will link it on top when the video is finished by the way complete side note if you're enjoying this video liking it helps me a lot in the youtube algorithm so after upgrading your microphone it's finally time for a shiny stream nick right well not exactly because right now it's time to upgrade our video quality and with upgrading your video quality i don't mean buying a new expensive camera the biggest upgrade to your overall video quality will be adding lights and i get it saving it for a shiny new camera is infinitely more exciting than buying freaking lights but you should be happy look at it from the bright side lights are way cheaper than a new camera previously we talked about video quality versus audio quality right and we prioritized the microphone which we've got right now so the next thing is upgrading your video quality from what you see right now to what you see right now and the only thing i changed is adding a 30 dollar softbox you can find these soft boxes all over amazon but you can also go for other types of lights and one that fits your setup if that's something you care about an example could be this little led panel that i bought a few years ago these are really cheap but there are other solutions i will link a bunch of different lights in the description so you can find one for your budget just make sure you keep in mind how you're going to install them i will add a bunch of options to the description so you can find lights that fit your budget but also keep in mind how you're going to install them if your desk is fixed against the wall then placing lights with a big stand behind it won't really be an option in that case you're better off going for lights that are attachable to your desk since they don't take up extra space behind it the ones i use are elgato key lights but i don't think they are worth buying as your first lights it's a premium product that you buy for the looks and for the ease of use with their application that allows you to change the color temperature and the brightness but you don't buy these lights as your first upgrade with the sole purpose of making your stream look better there are way more cheaper options out there and the difference will be very minimal so now that we've got a decent microphone and decent lights what's the next step well if your webcam is decent already then this could be the time to go to fiverr and let someone design a few emotes or a logo or a stream overlay or go to onto tv which is a sponsor of this video to get a complete streaming pack let's not forget about them but just know that this step is not necessary growing as a streamer will not depend on your graphics or how your stream looks aesthetically it's about you and how you entertain your viewers now if your webcam needs an upgrade then now is the time to buy one in my opinion most people start out streaming by using a simple webcam or by using their phone as a webcam but eventually upgrading to a camera should be your final goal especially since you're not only gonna use your camera to stream with but also to create youtube videos and stuff for other platforms and while simple webcams look decent enough to stream when they are small in a corner using them full screen is a whole honor story the way you use your camera as a webcam is by connecting an hdmi cable to the hdmi out of the camera then connecting that hdmi to an elgato cam link which will turn it into a usb signal and then connecting that cam link to your pc after that you will find your webcam in obs studio or streamlabs obs as a video capture device now whether you just buy a more expensive webcam or you save up for a full-blown new camera completely depends on your situation if the image quality of your current webcam is decent enough then i would advise you to just start saving up for a new camera instead of buying a more expensive webcam because the difference between your current webcam which is decent already and on an expensive webcam won't be worth the price on top of that you'll probably also want to make youtube videos and for that having a real camera is a big advantage however if your current webcam is extremely bad then buying a decent webcam might definitely be a good option i will add links to different webcams and cameras to the description so you can check them out but i also advise you to look up specific footage from that webcam or that camera on youtube so you know what you're buying now the next upgrades are kind of up to you but let me give you a few examples of things you could be saving up for that will make your stream look better or make it more easy to manage your stream etc i have two of these rpg lights and in my opinion they do an amazing job at hiding a boring room my new studio isn't finished yet so i mostly have white blank walls and using these lights completely changes how my room looks now one risk you are running into is that using these lights in your background is obviously a cheap solution to make your room look better instead of making a completely nice looking aesthetically pleasing studio right and there's nothing wrong with it i'm doing it myself but i'm thinking about bringing in some practical eyes into my studio something like this light bulb from ikea would be perfect you can add an rgb light bulb in it and i think this would look good in the background and could give him more professional and also cozy feeling to the videos rather than making my whole wall blue with a simple light now another thing you could upgrade maybe you can guess it already but right now might be the time to buy a stream the reason i pushed this so far away is that it doesn't add much value to the stream and to the viewer it just makes managing the stream easier for you and basic actions like switching your scenes can be added as a hotkey on your keyboard in the obs or streamlabs obs settings and for advanced functionality you can always start using an application on your phone like touch portal there is a free version and then also an affordable premium version another option is the stream neck app from elgato now this isn't free but it gives you the same options you would have when using a real stream deck now keep in mind that this is your own stream and you should buy the things that will bring the most value to your viewers and to yourself if your video and your audio quality are decent and you really want the stream deck and you think that it's gonna motivate you to keep going and by all means buy a stream deck just know that in that case it's probably not gonna be the optimal way to invest in your stream and the strong feelings you have towards buying a stream deck will probably diminish once you have it and you start using it but that's the same with a lot of things it's about finding the balance between the gear you really want and the gear that will be a good investment for your stream if this video helped you a lot i would really appreciate you giving it a like because that helps a lot in the youtube algorithm subscribe if you want more content for streamers and i will see you in the next video have a nice dayand there are people who buy a stream neck for more than 200 dollars and they're still using their headset mic a big thanks to the sponsor which is owned to make this video possible if you want to make your stream look better than this is the place to be to give a whole new look to your stream you can get one of their complete graphic packs all of the elements inside can be tested with their preview tool and they are completely animated and really high quality you can also improve the sense of community in your stream by creating personalized emotes and badges with their tools this is a great way to incentivize viewers to subscribe and to start using the emotes in your chat the link to their website will be in my description and if you use my code tvn you will get 50 of the price again the link will be in the description there is a pretty widely accepted order when it comes to upgrading your stream however not many people follow it for one specific reason it's just much more fun to buy a stream deck than it is to buy a new microphone it also seems much more important to buy an expensive new camera compared to buying new 50 dollar lights well i hate to break it to you but adding new lights to your setup will do much more than buying a more expensive camera but we'll get into that later now since this video is about upgrading your streaming setup i'm going to assume you already have a basic microphone and a basic webcam if you don't have a webcam you can always use your phone using the elgato epocam application as this will turn your phone into a wireless webcam one of the biggest debates when it comes to upgrading your streaming setup is whether you should prioritize your video quality meaning your webcam and your lights or your audio quality meaning your microphone and i'm gonna make a test scene so you can be the judge yourself this is an example of bad video quality meaning i'm using the selfie camera of my iphone and there are no lights directly pointed at me but i am using a good microphone since this is the elgato wave this is an example of good video quality i'm using a dslr and there's a softbox pointed at me but i'm using a scuffed microphone now your job is to find out which of these two examples would be the most frustrating to watch or listen to on a long stream or a long youtube video i think most people will find the bad microphone to be more annoying than the low quality video so in my opinion if you're using a scuffed microphone like a headset mic or something worse then upgrading your mic should be your number one priority in one of my next videos i'm going to be buying 10 microphones ranging from 20 dollars to 300 and i'm gonna compare them all to see which one sounds best the first one already arrived but i'm still waiting on the other ones if you don't want to miss that video then don't forget to subscribe but until then here's my current personal microphone tier list if you want the cheapest professional sounding microphone i'd go with the razer siren mini which comes in at around 49 since the quality you'll get out of this mic is more than enough to stream and record youtube videos if your budget is higher then i wouldn't buy anything else than the elgato wave which is just under 150 dollars this mic doesn't only sound good it also comes with the elgato wavelength software which gives you complete control over your stream audio you'll be able to control the volume of your game your music your alerts and everything else separately plus you will also be able to for example set the audio of your game at 100 percent in your headset but then at 20 for the stream or make music loud for the stream but then quiet for yourself so you can concentrate on the game the elgato wave is my overall favorite mic for streamers and i will add the link to the description so you can check it out yourself now once you go past microphones like the elgato wave you're looking at professional audio setups and i wouldn't recommend buying those before upgrading other things like your camera your lights your stream graphics maybe the background of your stream your studio you could add a bunch of stuff there to make your stream better and more entertaining now i know this sounds very much down the road but the fact is that the difference between these decent usb microphones on the left and then a professional xlr microphone setup on the right is not going to be that big on stream buying an expensive setup like that is just not going to be worth it when there's so much other stuff you need to upgrade first i will add links to the microphones i discussed and some other options in the description and again if you don't want to miss my video where i test 10 other microphones then don't forget to subscribe and i will link it on top when the video is finished by the way complete side note if you're enjoying this video liking it helps me a lot in the youtube algorithm so after upgrading your microphone it's finally time for a shiny stream nick right well not exactly because right now it's time to upgrade our video quality and with upgrading your video quality i don't mean buying a new expensive camera the biggest upgrade to your overall video quality will be adding lights and i get it saving it for a shiny new camera is infinitely more exciting than buying freaking lights but you should be happy look at it from the bright side lights are way cheaper than a new camera previously we talked about video quality versus audio quality right and we prioritized the microphone which we've got right now so the next thing is upgrading your video quality from what you see right now to what you see right now and the only thing i changed is adding a 30 dollar softbox you can find these soft boxes all over amazon but you can also go for other types of lights and one that fits your setup if that's something you care about an example could be this little led panel that i bought a few years ago these are really cheap but there are other solutions i will link a bunch of different lights in the description so you can find one for your budget just make sure you keep in mind how you're going to install them i will add a bunch of options to the description so you can find lights that fit your budget but also keep in mind how you're going to install them if your desk is fixed against the wall then placing lights with a big stand behind it won't really be an option in that case you're better off going for lights that are attachable to your desk since they don't take up extra space behind it the ones i use are elgato key lights but i don't think they are worth buying as your first lights it's a premium product that you buy for the looks and for the ease of use with their application that allows you to change the color temperature and the brightness but you don't buy these lights as your first upgrade with the sole purpose of making your stream look better there are way more cheaper options out there and the difference will be very minimal so now that we've got a decent microphone and decent lights what's the next step well if your webcam is decent already then this could be the time to go to fiverr and let someone design a few emotes or a logo or a stream overlay or go to onto tv which is a sponsor of this video to get a complete streaming pack let's not forget about them but just know that this step is not necessary growing as a streamer will not depend on your graphics or how your stream looks aesthetically it's about you and how you entertain your viewers now if your webcam needs an upgrade then now is the time to buy one in my opinion most people start out streaming by using a simple webcam or by using their phone as a webcam but eventually upgrading to a camera should be your final goal especially since you're not only gonna use your camera to stream with but also to create youtube videos and stuff for other platforms and while simple webcams look decent enough to stream when they are small in a corner using them full screen is a whole honor story the way you use your camera as a webcam is by connecting an hdmi cable to the hdmi out of the camera then connecting that hdmi to an elgato cam link which will turn it into a usb signal and then connecting that cam link to your pc after that you will find your webcam in obs studio or streamlabs obs as a video capture device now whether you just buy a more expensive webcam or you save up for a full-blown new camera completely depends on your situation if the image quality of your current webcam is decent enough then i would advise you to just start saving up for a new camera instead of buying a more expensive webcam because the difference between your current webcam which is decent already and on an expensive webcam won't be worth the price on top of that you'll probably also want to make youtube videos and for that having a real camera is a big advantage however if your current webcam is extremely bad then buying a decent webcam might definitely be a good option i will add links to different webcams and cameras to the description so you can check them out but i also advise you to look up specific footage from that webcam or that camera on youtube so you know what you're buying now the next upgrades are kind of up to you but let me give you a few examples of things you could be saving up for that will make your stream look better or make it more easy to manage your stream etc i have two of these rpg lights and in my opinion they do an amazing job at hiding a boring room my new studio isn't finished yet so i mostly have white blank walls and using these lights completely changes how my room looks now one risk you are running into is that using these lights in your background is obviously a cheap solution to make your room look better instead of making a completely nice looking aesthetically pleasing studio right and there's nothing wrong with it i'm doing it myself but i'm thinking about bringing in some practical eyes into my studio something like this light bulb from ikea would be perfect you can add an rgb light bulb in it and i think this would look good in the background and could give him more professional and also cozy feeling to the videos rather than making my whole wall blue with a simple light now another thing you could upgrade maybe you can guess it already but right now might be the time to buy a stream the reason i pushed this so far away is that it doesn't add much value to the stream and to the viewer it just makes managing the stream easier for you and basic actions like switching your scenes can be added as a hotkey on your keyboard in the obs or streamlabs obs settings and for advanced functionality you can always start using an application on your phone like touch portal there is a free version and then also an affordable premium version another option is the stream neck app from elgato now this isn't free but it gives you the same options you would have when using a real stream deck now keep in mind that this is your own stream and you should buy the things that will bring the most value to your viewers and to yourself if your video and your audio quality are decent and you really want the stream deck and you think that it's gonna motivate you to keep going and by all means buy a stream deck just know that in that case it's probably not gonna be the optimal way to invest in your stream and the strong feelings you have towards buying a stream deck will probably diminish once you have it and you start using it but that's the same with a lot of things it's about finding the balance between the gear you really want and the gear that will be a good investment for your stream if this video helped you a lot i would really appreciate you giving it a like because that helps a lot in the youtube algorithm subscribe if you want more content for streamers and i will see you in the next video have a nice day