Do NOT Stream WITHOUT THIS! Rocware RC20 Webcam
22In this episode, we unbox, configure, test out, and show you why you should not stream or video chat without the Rocware RC20 Webcam.
If you want to get into creating videos online, you need a few things. Something to say, of course, a decent microphone, and some kind of a camera. While it is really easy to use your cell phone if you're doing videos where you're talking or presenting things if you want to stream content that's a little bit more difficult. A good quality webcam can make all the difference over the included, frankly kind of garbage, webcams integrated into most computers or laptops. We've been impressed with Rocware webcams in the past, such as their RC08, and they just sent us their big dog RC20 to test out.
Designed with broadcasting in mind, this thing is really something. It outputs 1080p video quality for full HD, comes with a remote control so you can pan, tilt, and zoom into scenes, and overall it promises to do quite a bit. Now one thing that is conspicuous by its absence is the lack of an integrated microphone. To capture the audio you will need some sort of external microphone or capture device. For these tests, I used a Neewer 700 series of microphones, however, I have just upgraded to a FiFine unit.
Out of the box, the RC20 includes the camera itself with a mechanized control base, a remote control, dual USB-A to USB B cable, a power supply, and various region adapters. USB-B is an odd choice, besides printers, I don't know many other devices that still utilize this connector, I would have liked to have seen them utilize USB-C instead, but USB-B is a strong and durable connector.
There are a number of features in the menu system that you can navigate and tweak to optimize the performance of the camera. There is no on-device display, so all of your video configurations are done while connected to some sort of capture software. It'll work with Skype, zoom, OBS studio, YouTube, and pretty much any standard video platform. My recommendation would be that before you broadcast, go in and make your settings changes, that way your audience does not see your menu on the screen.
One of the really unique things about the RC20 is the fact that it can connect to two computers or devices simultaneously so you can broadcast to two different sources. Say for example you want to broadcast to twitch and YouTube at the same time. The RC20 will allow you to do that.
I connected the RC20 to my ROG laptop and configured it for OBS studio. I've actually recorded several pieces of content with it in previous videos prior to this review. My footage from the Brook Gaming Wingman V2, How I scored an Xbox Series S for only $50, and my review of the DigitNow 4K capture card all utilized this camera to record my footage.
One of the things I will say is that you really need to dive into the settings to get the most out of this camera. The auto settings work okay, but for someone like me who has a lot of shine off the top of his head, tweaking and tailoring the settings really made a huge difference to me. I will also say I prefer to use the manual focus versus the autofocus as the autofocus tends to have a deeper depth of field and focus more on background items than myself if I'm sitting off to the side. I was extremely impressed with the quality of zoom, it really does a great job, and overall once I got it dialed in I've been very happy with this.
Why it RoX:
- Great quality
- Pan, tilt, zoom via remote control
- Remote control provided
- Very good quality
- Zoom quality is phenomenal
- Easy to set up
- Customizable to a number of different lighting conditions
What could be improved:
- Quality costs, this is not cheap
- USB B connector
- No batteries included with the remote
- No on-screen display for menu settings
Should you buy one?
I will tell you at this point the RC20 is going to be my go-to camera for shooting from my desk. It saves me the aggravation of having to unmount and remount and position my DSLR, and the quality is quite good. I wish there was a follow-me option where if I move side to side in my chair the pan and tilt would follow me. I'm sure that's a feature that would be possible but would also cost more money. At nearly $300 this is not an inexpensive investment, but it's also not a cheap camera either. This is an investment and it's something that if you're serious about streaming content you should definitely consider.
#Webcam #Rocware #RC20 #streaming
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