My experience with live streaming is watching others on YouTube, Facebook Live, and Twitch. For me, webcams are just a way to video chat with friends and family, along with the occasional Zoom or Skype meeting. My trepidation about live streaming as a complete beginner disappeared, thanks to the EMEET SmartCam S800-4K Webcam.

This is a sponsored article and was made possible by EMEET. The actual contents and opinions are the sole views of the author who maintains editorial independence even when a post is sponsored.

Headache-Free Software Makes Customization a Breeze

While the EMEET SmartCam S800-4K Webcam is great, I immediately fell in love with the EMEETLINK software. Unlike many webcam apps that either don’t do much, or the settings are so complicated that I feel like I need a degree from MIT, EMEET has the most beginner-friendly software.

Let me reiterate here: I’ve never tried live streaming and was a bit nervous on what I may need to do to successfully test this webcam.

Whether you’re a newbie like me or an experienced streamer, you’ll absolutely love this software. I only needed to download it from EMEET (the link’s in the user manual, too), do a quick install, and connect the webcam. I was ready to customize the settings in just a few minutes.

I had a noticeable banner asking me to update the firmware. For some reason, I had to click the box twice before it started to update, but otherwise, I didn’t have any issues.

Admittedly, I don’t know much about video settings, but the large preview window lets me immediately see how changes will look. If I screw something up, it’s not a problem, as I can just click the handy Restore defaults button and start over. It’s like having a safety net, no matter how many settings you play around with.

All it takes is a few seconds to make changes to:

Framing grid – includes close, rule of thirds, crosshairs, square, and golden ratio

Auto focus, including choosing whether to focus on the face or an object
Zoom (finally, a setting I fully understand!)
Turn HDR on/off – Surprisingly, I actually thought the video looked better without it in certain lighting
Anti-flicker – Supports 50Hz and 60Hz
Image settings, such as brightness, contrast, sharpness, white balance, etc.

By being able to see how settings affected my video in real time, I went from feeling like a clueless beginner to somewhat confident pretty quickly.

Installing the Webcam With Ease

The EMEET SmartCam S800-4K Webcam doesn’t just have great software – it’s also easy to install. A clip let me set the webcam on top of my laptop screen, and the silicone, rubber grip helped me adjust it to hold it securely in place.

To me, the webcam feels a bit heavy, and it took several tries to get the right angle to keep my laptop screen from angling backward. But, I get it. Live streaming takes a lot of resources, making the webcam hot, so it needs a good internal cooling system – hence, all the extra junk in the trunk, so to speak. I do love the USB-C port is tucked into the bottom, preventing the cable end from getting bent or pulling out easily.

The webcam itself does adjust, but I highly recommend holding on to your screen while adjusting it, or it may fall off. Mine fell off three times when adjusting the webcam angle.

I’m nitpicking here, but I’d love to see a more flexible USB cable. Yet, it’s long enough (almost 60 inches) to easily reach an available USB port or hub. As long as the port is USB 2.0 or 3.0 (works best with 3.0), you’re all set.

The webcam doesn’t come with a tripod, but it does have a place to attach to one. If your laptop screen or monitor doesn’t like a hefty webcam on it, you have another option.

No Peeking Until I’m Ready to Stream

Any time I try out a webcam, my first thought is, how will I block the lens when I’m not using it? My built-in laptop webcam has a sliding cover, but many webcams don’t think about this security flaw. Thank you, EMEET, for adding a built-in lens cover to the SmartCam S800-4K Webcam. It’s built inside the lens, so I don’t have to worry about it getting damaged. I just twist the top of the webcam, and it opens/closes.

Great Picture Quality and Sound Without Any Fuss

I’m a beginner who just wants to plug, play, and stream. If it takes me hours, fiddling with settings to get started, I’m not happy. Like I said earlier, the software makes changing the essential settings simple.

Of course, whichever platform you use to stream has its own settings, but I tried StreamYard and Facebook Live during my review and was ready to start streaming within a few minutes. Both platforms recognized the EMEET SmartCam immediately, including the dual noise-cancelling microphones. I tested using Zoom and Skype for meetings. The webcam’s compatible with numerous platforms.

Below is my attempt at looking nonchalant while streaming on Facebook Live.

One thing I was looking forward to was the autofocus. I’ve seen some live streams where the person moves around a lot, and they tend to appear blurry until they stop. I set the webcam to autofocus on the person, aka me. I walked around, bobbed my head, waved, and enjoyed smooth video throughout.

Honestly, the 0.3 second superfast autofocus feature means you may see a fraction of a second blur at most. What’s nice is that I could hold up an object near the camera, and it autofocused on the object without any issues. I promise in the image below, I was much more excited to test the webcam than I looked.

Speaking of quality, I tested the camera in high, normal, and low light. It still brought out details with ease. Though, HDR did work much better in brighter lights. In medium light, as you can tell below, the colors seemed more true without HDR.

It was nice to quickly adjust the zoom in the software. I could switch from 40-degree to 73-degree FOV in just a few clicks. I didn’t personally use a green screen, as zooming in blocked out distracting background details. AI image noise reduction is available to make you and your virtual background look more natural together.

As far as sound, the mics picked up my voice clearly without background clutter. I had to turn up my TV full blast before my stream was invaded with soft chatter from the next room. Even if you have family or a roommate who just can’t be quiet while you’re streaming, the mics ignore most of their interruptions.

Juicy Tech Specs That Give This Beginner an Extra Edge

Learning a new skill isn’t always easy, but I believe the right tech does make things easier. The EMEET SmartCam S800-4K Webcam isn’t your average webcam that promises the world and delivers nothing but disappointment and frustration. Instead, it’s chock-full of specs that ensure this webcam has your back while streaming or makes you look even better while video chatting.

I know if you’re a beginner like me, these may not mean much, but trust me, they do make a difference:

3 focus types: AI face, central area, and PDAF + TOF
4X zoom
Excellent mic pickup within 10 ft.
8 MP
1080P HD at 60fps or 2160P 4K Ultra HD at 30fps
1/2-inch Sony sensor
Compatible with Windows and Mac

I Don’t Feel Like A Beginner Anymore

A week with the EMEET SmartCam S800-4K Webcam, and I feel like I can take my live-streaming training wheels off. The tech side that I was nervous about wasn’t that scary at all, and I owe that completely to EMEET’s easy-to-use webcam and software.

Sure, I had a few minor quibbles, but overall, I’m happy to have this webcam perched on my laptop screen.

Pick up the EMEET SmartCam S800-4K Webcam for just $149.99.