Swiss tech brand Logitech, founded in 1981, has been in the business of designing mice, webcams, keyboards and other accessories for computing, music, gaming and video conferencing. They’re credited for inventing the infrared cordless mouse, thumb-operated trackball and laser mouse, amongst other firsts.
Since Streamlabs is one of Logitech’s key brands, it makes perfect sense to develop a line of streaming products to integrate with one another, and with that, we decided to take a look at a couple of their latest innovations, including the Streamcam, Litra Glow light and on the computing side, the Signature M650 Wireless Mouse.
StreamCam
Logitech’s StreamCam is a simple, sleek yet fully-functional webcam with a 78-degree diagonal image angle that records in full 1080p HD at 60 fps, ideal for streaming on YouTube, Twitch or for capturing content of any nature (78 degrees is wide enough to capture two people facing a camera mounted to a laptop or display monitor).
It comes with an attached five-foot USB cable and contains a dual mic in front, though the majority of content creators would likely use a separate mic for recording.
The smart auto-focus system takes the guesswork out of fiddling around with settings. You can also rotate the camera for vertical video captures. The StreamCam also allows for two output sources, ideal if you’re creating how-to content or are interviewing someone remotely using your desktop and want to include that as a screen capture source.
With the smart auto-framing feature, you’ll remain in the center of the shot, even as you move around. In addition, the intelligent exposure systems adjust both ISO speed and aperture in real-time, to accurately portray skin tones, even in varying light conditions.
System Requirements
– MacOS 10.14 or above, Windows 10 or above, 7th gen Intel Core i5 or later
– USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C direct connection to your computer
For older systems, you can also connect the StreamCam with a USB Type C Female to USB A Male adapter. The camera can also be removed from the mount and used with a tripod, via the cradle accessory included in the box.
The camera has four different mounting points, and it’s easy to click the camera into the appropriate slot depending on the orientation you’d like to capture content in.
As mentioned earlier, since Streamlabs falls under the Logitech umbrella of companies, this translates to seamless integration with Streamlabs Desktop as well as with other popular live-streaming software platforms.
The free, downloadable Logi Capture software lets you live stream to YouTube and Facebook, however Mac OS users will need to capture video content on their hard drives, then upload it to these platforms. Only the Windows version of Logi Capture allows true live streaming.
Since OBS is fully integrated for both Mac and Windows users, you’ll gain access to both Logi Capture and OBS’s own settings and then be able to live stream to Twitch. As well, Logi Capture supports chroma key so you can use a green screen when recording live.
Streamcam ships with a free three-month XSplit premium licence, for further enhancing your recording. Broadcaster (Windows only) is an all-in-one streaming and recording app that includes OBS Importer for streamers. And VCam makes cutting-edge background removal and blurring possible without the need for green screens and complex light setups.
The StreamCam comes in both white and graphite; CAD $199.99/USD $169.99
Litra Glow
The Litra Glow has a three-way monitor mount to easily attach to your display and can be adjusted for height, tilt and rotation. You can also remove it from its mount to use with a standard camera tripod. TrueSoft technology brings an edgeless diffuser to the light so you’ll get a professional-looking soft light in any setting.
The precision optics lens work with the diffuser so that the light is free of sharp edges, harsh shadows and hot spots, important to consider if your aim is to produce quality video content.
According to Logitech, TrueSoft achieves the best in class in the Color Rendering Index, in order to produce cinema-quality light that renders perfectly on camera. Another important factor to consider is safe lighting over time. Litra Glow has been tested to ensure that the light is safe for using throughout the day (UL verified to not produce a photo-biological LED hazard at 12 hours of exposure).
The back of the light controls on/off, brightness and colour temperature, from warm candlelight to cool blue. With G Hub, Logitech’s free software suite, you can control these settings from your desktop. Within the app is G Keys, which offers additional functionality for those settings if you own a Logitech G keyboard or mouse.
Its compact USB design also includes standard threading for tripod-mounting, making it super portable when you’re not using it to stream to YouTube, Twitch or in a Zoom meeting. We like the natural appearance that it gives our facial tones when using it. CAD $79.99/USD $59.99
Signature M650 Wireless Mouse
The Signature M650 Wireless Mouse is offered in a few variations: Regular, Large and Left-Handed. The smart wheel is designed for easy scrolling through documents and webpages.
The soft thumb area and contoured shape makes it a pleasure to use, and there’s rubber side grips to keep your hand in place as you work.
The M650 ships with a Logi Bolt USB attachment as an alternative to Bluetooth connectivity (offering up to a 10-meter range). Logitech also includes their SilentTouch technology to dramatically reduce the clicking sound often heard with other mice, making for a quieter work space, especially in a busy office.
The two side buttons are customizable using Logitech Options+ (an app currently in Beta mode for both MacOS 10.15 or later and Windows 10, 11 or later). Common shortcuts such as copy/paste, cursor speed and back/forward are easy to set up with the M650.
The app will also alert you when the battery runs low (the included AA battery promises up to two years of usage).
The mouse’s buttons include left/right click, back/forward and scroll wheel (with middle click). Southpaws will appreciate that Logitech’s created a left-handed version of this mouse. The Signature M650 comes in red, off-white, rose, graphite and blue; CAD $49.99/USD $39.99
Visit Logitech online for the entire range of products, including keyboards, headsets, mice, lighting and cameras.
