Over recent years, it's become increasingly easier to capture content, whether you're making Lets Plays or creating Vlogs, there's never been so much choice when it comes to capture cards. The FeizLink HDMI capture card is one such device, that offers HDMI capture, for the incredibly low price of £27.99.
**The Feizlink HDMI Capture Card were reviewed using hardware provided and sent to us by Feizlink, but in no way influenced the review.
Yes, £27.99 for a HDMI capture card. Let's put something into perspective, I use an Elgato HD60S which retails for £159.99 - that's £132 difference!
But the big question is - does the Feizlink HDMI capture card work? And the answer to that is - yes, yes it does.
Now, I'll get this out of the way quickly, the Feizlink only captures content at 1080p 30FPS (or 720p 60FPS) whereas the Elgato HD60S can capture at 1080p 60FPS, so there is a noticeable difference. However, as with all Elgato products, the HD60S is geared at gamers wanting to record their gameplay. The Feizlink is less about gaming, and as such, with it being a UVC device, it lends itself better as a way to connect a DSLR to your computer in order to use it as a webcam.
The Feizlink looks very similar to the Elgato Camlink, a small USB device that resembles a teeny-tiny Amazon Fire stick. The USB 2.0 (yes, 2.0) plugs into your computer, and then your camera connects to the Feizlink via HDMI. There is also an included USB extension, if your HDMI lead isn't quite long enough to reach your computer.
All of the review was done with my Sony A5100 with 15-50mm Lens and aperture of f/5.6-3.5. As this was all done with my usual set up, there are multiple studio lights etc so you may not get the same results if you're just recording in a typical ceiling light room - but the quality is still pretty good even in those circumstances.
Once plugged in, Windows picked it up immediately, and then it was simply a matter of selecting the device in the recording software, I tested the device with Action, it is an absolute breeze to set up, and easy enough for anyone to do.
The HDMI Input accepts 3840×2160@30Hz resolution, with a maximum output resolution of 1920×1080@30Hz - so you won't be capturing the best that money can buy, but that's not really an issue for a capture card that costs just £27.99.
The price-to-quality ratio is fantastic, and it offers itself up well to many different people in lots of different ways. Streamers can set this up and use it for picture in picture, use it as a means to grab a secondary camera view, or if they're happy enough to do so, use it to grab their game footage (most streamers will be streaming at 720p anyway, so it would make sense).
The same goes with camera capture for YouTube, although I wouldn't recommend using it to capture game footage, at least the options there.
The Feizlink HDMI capture card hit the market at the right time, as due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with more and more people working from home, and Zoom/Skype conference calls and meetings being a more popular and necessary way to conduct business than ever before - and this thing is absolutely perfect for it.
The quality of the capture is superb for the price, and the latency is so low, it makes it an extremely versatile, and most of all, very usable device. YouTube/Streamer EposVox actually did a test with 27 different capture cards, and against all the odds in the world, it actually ties for second place.
I'm genuinely surprised at how well the Feizlink Capture Card performs, and no, this isn't the greatest capture card to hit the market, but it is absolutely the best capture card in it's price point,
Overall
The Feizlink Capture Card isn't the best capture card on the market, but it is by far the best capture card for under £30, and I'd even say it's the best capture card for under £50. With good performance, and ultra low latency, it makes for a very handy accessory to add to your set up.
Check out the Feizlink Capture Card at the following links: Feizlink Website, Amazon
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