Virtual meetings, online workshops, and live streaming are becoming the norm these days, so a good webcam is no longer a luxury. Since I started working remotely, I used the built-in camera on my LG monitor and its quality is just disappointing. I had looked for an upgrade for a while and fortunately, now I have the chance to test the EMEET SmartCam S800.
Key Features and First Impressions
The first thing that strikes you about the EMEET SmartCam S800 is its premium build quality. It has a sleek, barrel-shaped design with a sturdy bracket that allows it to sit securely atop monitors or tripods. Unlike spring-loaded clamps that risk damaging screens, the hinge-style mount feels secure without being forceful. The camera itself feels robust but remains lightweight, making it portable and easy to position.
One great feature that I appreciate is the built-in privacy cover, which can be activated by simply rotating a ring on the camera. While it doesn’t turn off the device completely, it blocks the lens and offers peace of mind in terms of privacy. Inside the box, the webcam comes with an 1.5-meter USB-C cable, which is both durable and long enough for versatile setups.
The dual built-in microphones deliver clear, natural audio with effective noise reduction. This ensures your voice remains the focus, even in rooms with minor background noise. For casual video calls or virtual meetings, the S800’s audio performance is more than sufficient. However, streamers and content creators aiming for broadcast-level audio will still benefit from an external microphone.
EMEETLINK Software
The free EMEETLINK software is a vital addition to the S800. The app lets you:
- Adjust brightness, contrast, exposure, white balance, and sharpness.
- Enable HDR for improved dynamic range.
- Toggle noise reduction and autofocus.
- Apply framing grids and flip the image orientation.
- Use digital zoom to fine-tune framing.
The software is user-friendly and adds significant versatility to the webcam. Firmware updates are easily applied through the app, ensuring the webcam remains optimized over time.
Video Quality: Sharp, Bright, and HDR-Ready
The EMEET S800 supports resolutions up to 4K at 30 fps and 1080p at a smoother 60 fps. Whether you’re joining a Zoom meeting or creating professional content, the webcam’s image quality is a huge leap over built-in cameras of laptops or monitors. The Sony 1/2-inch sensor delivers sharp, clean footage with excellent color reproduction. You can take a look at the picture quality comparison between the S800 and my built-in camera below. The difference is obvious and I really enjoy the sharpness and details of the S800.
Out of the box, the S800’s default settings already provide bright and vibrant video. You can tweak exposure, white balance, and saturation; This is important for professionals who want to optimize their on-screen presence. For those in dim or uneven lighting, HDR mode steps in to balance shadows and highlights, producing a much more polished image.
That said, it’s worth noting that while the Sony sensor is excellent, it’s not as large as those found in premium compact cameras like the Sony RX100 or ZV-1. This means you won’t achieve a super shallow depth of field, though the f/1.8 lens does deliver pleasant background blur compared to most webcams.
The S800’s AI-based autofocus is another impressive feature. It quickly identifies faces and locks focus, even as you move around your workspace. The autofocus system feels reliable, ensuring you stay sharp whether you’re leaning forward to engage the audience or reclining in your chair. TOF (Time-of-Flight) technology measures the time it takes for light to travel to a surface and return to the sensor, creating a detailed depth map of the scene. This advanced depth information allows for precise background segmentation, enhancing effects like background blur to make the main subject stand out sharply. Its ability to dynamically adjust depth settings makes it particularly effective for video conferencing and live streaming, ensuring that distractions in the background are minimized while keeping the focus on the subject.
PDAF (Phase Detection Autofocus) works by dividing incoming light into separate paths to detect phase differences, allowing the system to determine focus points quickly and precisely. This mechanism ensures fast and accurate focusing, making it ideal for dynamic shooting scenarios such as live streaming, where the camera frequently shifts focus between the presenter’s face and nearby objects with ease and reliability.
The digital zoom, controlled via the EMEETLINK app, allows you to adjust the field of view from 73° to 40°. While the zoom is digital (meaning it crops into the sensor), it still produces acceptable results for tighter framing without sacrificing too much quality. This feature is particularly useful for presenters or content creators who want to highlight specific details.
Conclusion
Pros
- Excellent image quality
- Reliable autofocus
- Dual noise-canceling microphones
- Built-in privacy lens cover
- Sturdy design
Cons
- No microphone mute button
- Digital zoom reduces sharpness slightly
The EMEET SmartCam S800 is a standout performer in the mid-range webcam market. With its 4K resolution, HDR capabilities, and reliable autofocus, it delivers excellent video quality for virtual meetings, live streaming, and casual calls. At around $100, the S800 is really a good choice for professionals, streamers, and anyone looking to upgrade their virtual presence without breaking the bank.
Buy EMEET SmartCam S800 on Amazon
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