Turns a camera’s HDMI feed into a USB webcam on your computer.
Typical price
£85 to £100
Why we pick it
- Typical price
- £85 to £100
- Works with
A USB stick with an HDMI port that makes a mirrorless camera or camcorder show up as a webcam in streaming software. It takes up to 4K at 30 frames or 1080p at 60, from a USB 3 port. You need it to stream a real camera through a computer; a phone or USB webcam plugs straight in without one.
Good for
- A mirrorless rip camera on a laptop
- One-camera computer streams
Not for
- Phone-only Whatnot shows
- USB webcam setups
The guide
Each step in the order you'll need it.
A real camera on a computer stream
You own a mirrorless camera, camcorder or action camera with a clean HDMI output and want it in your streaming software as a webcam. The stick sits between the camera's HDMI cable and a USB port on your computer.
It fits a two-camera desk: a phone or webcam on your face, a real camera on the mat. If you stream from a phone or a webcam alone, you can skip it.
Kit for this step
Clean HDMI and the 4K30 limit
It takes HDMI up to 4K at 30 frames or 1080p at 60, from a USB 3 port. Your camera must send a clean HDMI signal with no on-screen info; check the camera's display menu for the setting.
Protected HDMI from games consoles or streaming boxes will not pass through. Read the camera manual for clean HDMI and auto power-off settings before you buy.
Cable, port and camera menu
Plug the stick into a USB 3 port on the computer. Run the camera's HDMI output to it, with micro, mini or full-size HDMI on the camera end to match.
Set the camera to 1080p at 60 or 50 frames, turn off on-screen display on HDMI, disable auto power-off, and add the device in your streaming software. A dummy battery keeps the camera on mains power through the show.
A capture card or a webcam instead
A four-input internal capture card takes four HDMI cameras in one desktop, so choose it for three or more cameras. A 4K USB webcam needs no camera and no stick, so choose one if a webcam picture is good enough.
If you already own a mirrorless vlogging camera body, this stick puts it on a stream through one HDMI cable and one USB port.
Heat and freezes on long shows
The stick gets warm during long shows. Put it on a short USB extension cable so it sits clear of the computer.
If the picture freezes, unplug and replug the stick before restarting the software.
Common mistakes
Each one costs you money or reviews, and each has a fix.
- Use a USB 3 port. On USB 2 the stick won't carry the video.
- With the camera's on-screen info left on, viewers see battery icons; turn off HDMI display info.
- Disable auto power-off in the camera menu, or the picture ends mid-show.
- Cameras take micro, mini or full-size HDMI, so check yours before buying a cable.
- Plugged straight into a crowded port bank, the stick blocks the ports beside it. Use a short extension.
Ranked in
Where it places in our rankings, and the reason.
Setups that use it
Complete kits this product is part of.
Guides that use it
Step-by-step help where this product does a job.
Questions
Does the Cam Link 4K work with a phone?
No. It turns an HDMI camera into a webcam on a computer.
Does it need drivers?
It shows up as a standard webcam on Windows and macOS. Elgato's app adds settings and is optional.
Can I use it with a games console?
No. Consoles send protected HDMI, and the stick can't capture it.
Will it work with my old camcorder?
With a clean HDMI output, yes. A camera that only shows a picture with on-screen icons won't give a clean feed.
Alternatives
Other picks for the same job, cheaper and pricier.
Elgato Cam Link Pro
A card that fits inside a desktop computer and takes four HDMI cameras at once, so a rip camera, a face camera and a close-up all come in through one slot. It needs a free PCIe slot, so it won’t go in a laptop. Below three HDMI cameras, a USB capture stick per camera costs less.
Typical price£210 to £300
See on Amazon