Okay, so, new backdrop, new filming space, and another webcam for me to take a look at. And this time, no punches are being held. This is the Yolocam S3 and although it says the dreaded AI buzzword on the box, something that’s somewhat trending right now in the webcam market, it stands out not because of that, but because of the size of its sensor, which YoloLiv are claiming is as good as DSLR quality. Well, let’s put it to the test shall we?
On the left-hand side, you can see footage that is currently being shot on my Sony A7R2, and on the right is the YoloLiv. Now, do they compare? Of course, I’m not exactly in studio conditions, and the lighting is far from perfect, but yeah, let us know in the comments what you think. It’s a sharp image for sure, and definitely rivals DSLR cameras. But between the two, I think I know what I’m sticking with.
The reason why the image is so sharp on the S3 though, is because of its larger 1/1.3-inch sensor when compared to other webcams, which is on screen now. I mean take that with a grain of salt as this image was provided by Yololiv themselves, and you know, there are other webcams with large sensors in them. But I will say that comparing this S3 to both my OBSBot Tiny SE, which I currently use for my content, and my older Elgato Facecam, the S3 definitely wins here when it comes to how pin-sharp it looks. I must say though I would have liked to have had a wider field of view on the S3, similar to the 73-inch FOV of my OBSBOT Tiny SE and unfortunately, I think that the 82-inch FOV of the Yolocam S3 really lets it down, especially at times where you might have limited space to really capture a scene. It has got a focal length of 24mm with an f1.85 aperture, so it’s great in lower lighting conditions, and it’ll also give you a bit of bokeh a well as that aperture can achieve some shallow depth of field, without the need for any kind of processing in software. The only thing I would suggest though is to get yourself some decent lighting, unlike mine here right now, because I’m only being lit by a couple of lamps.
The Yolocam S3 shoots at 4K 30FPS, though can increase to 60FPS if you are going to be shooting at 1080p. I for one during my testing kept it at 1080p for the majority, as I did find issues with the camera feed freezing when using the camera with OBS Studio at 4K resolutions. I had to quit OBS and restart it to get my camera feed back. 1080p resolutions though, were more than enough for gaming content where you have a small webcam window in the bottom left or right corners. 4K is a nice-to-have, and not a real necessity, as bandwidth increases may not be possible to sustain a clean, lag-free 4K stream. Though if you can, then the ability is there with the S3. It also has something called AI-Enhanced image tech, which is basically marketing speak for HDR. Though between this and more traditional webcams, it does have a sharper, and really a less webcam-like look.
Let’s talk software because this, for me anyway, feels a little underwhelming. And while there are some decent settings to really deep dive into the quality and colour grading of your live feed, it’s really missing important settings such as a Virtual Camera, which is useful for using with programs such as OBS or Teams and Zoom, while maintaining your settings across different programs, and your live feed to the YoloLiv software. It uses something called YoloLiv Compose, and it’s pretty simply laid out with all of your camera options down the left-hand side, and a preview window on the right.
Inside the box you do get a monitor stand, which does an effective job of keeping the S3 in place. Overall, the camera is a heavy piece of kit, coming in at 187 grams so the stand has to be substantial. It’s also magnetic too so it’s nice and easy to attach in a horizontal or vertical position. The mount also has a 1/4″ thread for tripod mounting, and I think YoloLiv do sell a separate tripod, as it says they do on their website, but I couldn’t find a link to one. Any third-party tripod would be fine though like I’m using here. You also do get a pretty hefty USB C cable to plug into your laptop or PC and the nice thing is I haven’t been told so far that I need to use a specific USB port due to data transfer needs like I have with other webcams I’ve used in the past.
YoloLiv have done a great job with the Yolocam S3. It’s a fantastic bit of kit and really has the ability to improve your streams, or podcasts, or gaming content on YouTube. It’s not cheap unfortunately, coming in at around £200 online, though I must say it’s not the most expensive solution out there when it comes to camera equipment for content. Those features within the software are a must though YoloLiv, for me anyway, so please get them added in an update. For me, field of view is important, so it does lose points here for me, but I must say the image quaity of the S3 is unmatched with what I’ve seen so far. But there’s a need right? And if you’re wanting to really upgrade your image quality without having to invest into some kind of DSLR style camera for your conetint, this might be a great middle ground to go to first.
