A USB stick that lets a mirrorless camera work as a webcam in your streaming software, and when you can skip it.
A capture card sends the HDMI picture from a camera to your computer, which sees it as a webcam. You need one only when a real camera feeds streaming software on a laptop or desktop.
Our first pick costs about £85 to £100 and the four-input desktop card at about £210 to £300. If you stream from the Whatnot app on a phone, or use a USB webcam, you don’t need a capture card at all.
The criteria that set the order. Commission plays no part.
The standard pick for a single camera. It turns the HDMI feed into a webcam your streaming software recognises, at up to 1080p60 or 4K30, from one USB 3 port.
Typical price
£85to £100
The multi-camera pick for a desktop studio. Four HDMI inputs on one internal card mean a rip camera, face camera and close-up each get their own feed.
Typical price
£210to £300
Each step in the order you'll need it.
Your camera needs an HDMI port that can send a clean picture, with no menus or battery icons on top. Look in its HDMI settings for an option to hide the on-screen info.
Some cameras also stream over USB with no capture card. That route is often lower quality or frame rate, so test it before you rule a card in or out.
The stick needs a USB 3 port. On a laptop with only USB-C, use a short, good adapter rather than a long hub shared with other kit.
Cameras with a micro-HDMI port need a micro-HDMI to full HDMI cable. Buy a short one so the weight doesn’t pull on the camera’s port.
There are cheaper unbranded HDMI sticks. We haven’t ranked them here, so read recent reviews before you trust one with a paid show.
If you only want a sharper picture, a 4K webcam plugs straight in and skips the camera, card and cables.
Kit for this step
Only to send a camera’s HDMI picture into streaming software on a computer. Phone and webcam streams don’t need one.
It needs an HDMI output that can hide the on-screen display. Check the camera’s HDMI settings or manual.
Check your platform's current maximum stream resolution. If it is 1080p, capture at 1080p and 60 frames. 4K input helps if you crop in during the show.
Not for long shows. They drain the battery, so use a mains dummy battery made for your camera.
Yes, by a small amount. Keep your audio on the same path or nudge the audio delay in your streaming software until lips match.
A USB stick takes one camera. The four-input desktop card takes up to four HDMI cameras through one slot.
