it would be nice if you added a mic comparison to the macbook built in mic!

I grow tired of companies releasing half baked products for the users to beta test. If it's not ready on release day they should hold off or its a bad look, especially at the asking price.

I was on the “waiting list” and then they started bugging me to buy it and the site shows that the software comes with it for “free” now and then will be a monthly subscription to use eventually when its more widely available… that’s completely ridiculous, no way I’m buying anything that even slightly hints at ever doing that. Weird that reviewers (and mkbhd) never mention that at all. Basic (already overpriced) hardware locked behind subscription software for basic functions? No way on earth.

I feel like it's a little too late for this ... if it was released during peak pandemic, like it was announced. Then it would be a hit product but I don't really see the market for a $300 webcam anymore. Especially since Logitech has 4k webcams for $150.

What worries me is MKBHD loves 30fps and I’m concerned that’s what they’ll ship this locked to!

Looks very Teenage Engineering-y. I really like the matte, speckled paint job and coiled cable. However that's where the positives end. The framerate looks awfully choppy and the autofocus is a joke. For $300, you'd be better off just using an old point-and-shoot or phone.

I think the software features are cool but they should really fix the bugs. Love the design

The audio on it sounded far better even in this beta state than the insta360 but that's a given when considering the array on the front of it. It can be tweaked and improved. I like my insta360 more for its other features anyways.

Fantastic review man, great work!

your videos too are really clean and well designed

the clarity of the webcam is great, tho one thing ive noticed is how choppy it seems to look, is this like a usb bandwidth limitation? bc ive seen the exact same problem with other high end webcams, im only a quarter way through the video so you may have already brushed up on this lol but

I'm new to your content, and I enjoyed it a lot. Fun enough, yet going deep enough comparing and reviewing the Opal to alternatives. What iPhone phone case (that you have on testing the Belkin thing) do you use by the way?

I have been using it... SO many bugs so far. but they are fast to update especially when you reach out to them.

Great video! The only issue is both of the other cameras you showed off to compare or better than the one you featured but it’s still a great video. Good work.

Great review! Wish they had Windows drivers by now

Can you please do a comparison between the Airpods Pro 2 vs. the new Beats Studio Buds + ? Especially the ANC quality. The new Beats Studio Buds+ seems to be a great upgrade, but ANC is a huge factor for working/focusing. Love Airpods Pro 2 that but ran it through the washer 2-3 times and wouldn't mind repurchasing. But not sure whether to try out the new Beats Studio Buds as a backup.

May I know what the iPhone case is when you are introducing the Belkin mount? 😅

Great video. Underrated channel

Considering MKBHD literally has a channel called autofocus you would think his webcam would be able to do that! Especially for the price.

the fact your stubble is clearly detailed is quite impressive

It's an interesting concept but that auto-focus is a deal-breaker. Once that's fixed, it's definitely a contender.

Great Video, subscribed !!

Interesting! I wonder how it compares to iPhone + the Camo app

dude your thumbnails are fantastic

Actually a cool new tech-youtuber. God job! Personally I would have butchered the product because of all the manual stuff you have to adjust. And just recommend the insta360 which looks better.

After you compared it with gopro.. i was thinking about the webcam feature of gopro. That really works. 😂

Do settings changed in the software save to the device? I ask because I have a work computer that I cannot load outside software on to…

I agree the camera specs are great, but I updated the software to v1.1.1 which has rendered the camera not usable on my Mac Studio, which is a real bummer because i was initially very excited for this. I've contacted support, will wait to see what they say. Keep getting an error message in Composer saying "Connection Lost. Your camera doesn't seem to be connected."

The audio sounds better than the insta360 - much cleaner. Possibly the lack of Noise Reduction helps (it squashes any high-end of the voice).

It does look pretty nice, although am I the only one that thought the on-board M1 cam looked pretty good in the 4K comparison? The opal was better absolutely, but it should be considering it's an external camera. The M1 cam for being integrated into the screen still looks pretty darn good IMHO.

I got one of those industrial machine vision cameras as my webcam. It's got manual focus but it's 1080P/60 and it was cheap. Regarding looping, I have a 15 minute loop of myself and I run it through OBS as a virtual camera.

Whats the case you’re using? Looks very clean.

canon m200, m6mkii, m50mkii, Sony a5100? I used M6mkii and it's simple awesome + nvidia broadcast, best audio and image possible + some good enough light in my case Godox light.

yeah is it actually multiple mics or just 1 mic with a bunch of holes?

Upcoming Obsbot tiny 2 is also $300 range. Maybe it'll have more inherent Bokeh from bigger sensor

Looping feature got me.🤣🤣🤣😂

0:36 liking that GarageBand loop

8:51 missed opportunity to fade to black with the peace sign! 😆

The M1 MacBook Pro still came with a 720p webcam, the M2 has the new 1080p :) Cool webcam though, wouldn't shift to the Opal though. $300 for a webcam as a casual (!) user is too much for me, even though a 4K sensor in such a small webcam is impressive. Sound qualitz is pretty good too.

What camera do you use to film yourself? Not talking about the webcams

What camera do you use for these videos?

I actually liked sound in Opal more, Insta sound sounds to me more compressed

I own one. It a good webcam with plenty of tweaking. It just isn't $300 nice.

How does it stack against the Logitech BRIO?

What iphone case was that? Is it magsafe?

Does it work with PCs?

Watched a whole review, only to figure out at the end that I should just use my new iphone 😂

i wish the camera was centered between the microphones

So it is pretty much in Alpha status. Note even Beta! There are several cams that can be powered by USB and have a HDMI/Webcam function. In 1080p these will also not overheat. And they work! If one wants a step up from a Webcam

Besides the technical aspect of the camera and mic, the magnetic camera cover is a godsend with people being worried of privacy issue when not in use and also it will be good for transporting.

that magnetic lens cover cloth though

Despite the odd auto gain issue, it sounded WAY better than the Insta

my laptop costweb cam around 400usd i think ill just pas and use my built in web can or use my android phone as a

And on windows?

I hope I can snag one more affordably in the future! I'd definitely pay $100 maybe even $150 for webcam and software integration feature set that stands head and shoulders above the rest of the market.......just not GPU amounts of moolah 😏👍

I have used the loop feature in class. OP as fuck

Who is the demographic for this? Streamers? Feel like they just jump straight to DSLRs usually. I feel like most people who use webcams aren't that fussed about super high quality either... It feels like it's made for a very niche market.

Looping was the funniest one

2:45 the built in webcam looks SO much better when you go to call/Zoom. $300? Pass for me. And pass on Marques' shoes too. xD

MacBook pro webcam is pretty great when you consider it is literally 1/50th of the size of the Opal

I've been using my iPhone 12 Mini with that continuity camera feature for almost a year now and it's by far the best experience. No software issues, always crispy clear video feed. Downside is that you can't use your phone while on a call (duh..) but who needs to anyways. If you got an iPhone, it's a no brainer, just get one of those magsafe mounts and you're set.

That Disney part was funny

f1.8 how?

This vs Kiyo Pro Ultra?

Looks like the Software is not quite there yet. for a 300 usd camera, I think there are a looot of better alternatives.

Jesus i thought a ticket was coming into my freshworks when I heard that ding

FIY, not that it matters but you cannot anodize in white. So that's most probably just powder coated.

Unless you have $500 dollars in lighting none of these small sensor webcams will ever beat a full camera with a large sensor. I don't understand why these webcam companies keep trying to compete with them. I have the Razer Kiyo Pro which is about the best you get image quality wise but in medium to low lighting (indoors) but it doesn't compare to even a moderate size sensor dslr or mirrorless.

It has better dynamic range and the color science is way better. You looked better in all the comparisons on the MBP.

In the first 3 minutes of the video, when you turned your head to one side, seems like the Opal C1 did some kind of blur to your lips !!!😅😅

The audio sounds better than insta360

Kinda cool, but not much talk about the framerate, were you able to make it not stutter or fluctuate? that is a really bad flaw in even many high end webcams imo.

An awesome device. Just a bit too pricey

I love the term "mkbhd-esque"

What is the webcam at 0:32 ?

It has a lot of gimmicky features that I will never use in business, which is the main reason I need a webcam.

The bokeh function doesn't work for me on an older Mac. I bought a T3 dock with appropriate connections, and it still doesn't work. Their customer support could be better. Might have to do a chargeback on this product. I think you'd be better off with the Insta 360 link or something that has all functions built for more compatibility.

Cool

🤔 me nodding along as i watch in 144p 😂

How many times can you say we do get in one review?

Boss we f-ed up the paintjob on today's units. Boss: Make it a feature, add 100$ more.

Literally, the second you showed continuity camera with the iPhone, I was like.. "yeah, that's a no go on the Opal." It just doesn't look that good in comparison.

They just need to work on their software and they're solid.

The software needs TLC but the Opal C1 looks and sounds great. But it's 30FPS. Looks pretty choppy too like a few frame drops. Really? I appreciate it's 4K but really needs to be 60FPS for it to be suitable for content creators.

You can officially use iPhone as webcam + microphone in macs though so idk the extra 300 for everyday person is a bit unnecessary

I’ve never wanted people in my meetings to see my face in 4K.

4k tiny sensor, needs a lot of light... not at all suitable for indoor normal room light use.

I have a knock off GoPro (couldn't afford the real one) as my webcam. It looks great at 4k, and self record myself with OBS. 300$ for this is daylight robbery for me compared to what you can achieve with way less money (I only got 4 compliments for my setup so no one really cares)

Some of the feature look quite nice, but the framerate looks terrible, at least in the video.

300-dollar WEB CAM?? man it is easy to make money.

This doesn't look that great. More established brands do software better. Thank you for the honest review

looks like ikea's product!

At the end of the day its an webcam; except for the striking design it has almost nothing going for the hefty price tag!

Is that the book of Psalms I see??

The microphone sounded better than anything else tested in the video - something thats actually incredibly important....just as important if not more important than the video for the use cases a webcam is good for. More in depth coverage of that would have been interesting

Worst part is that they still have not shipped a Windows version of the software. Without it, the image quality is way worse.

The MacBook image looks fine to me.

Webcam quality is something that still baffles me, I know it's impossible to get phenomenal quality out of them, but the choppy video, the horrible quality in the form of oversharpening, or those clumps (atleast the built in ones), even in 2023, when we have phone cameras that make use of AI, and other software trickery to make it all work. But this one baffles me even more so, it gives me the same vibes as juicero, fantastic looking hardware, branding, and marketing, but if I pay $300 and get something that struggles to auto focus, and looks like a smartphone camera from 2015 (I may be expecting too much here, but regardless), then I'd be livid. Am I really just expecting too much?

It's basically a copy of a BRAUN Design from the 60s... like a few apple products... watch -> Braun T3 pocket radio

I really like the design, but the pain splatter looks horrible