My very-much-overkill video call setup

Elliot Smith -

I often get comments on my very much overkill home webcam setup. It stems back to a time where I was experimenting with making YouTube videos and podcasts. Despite not doing much of that any more I’ve kept the setup at my desk for days when I work from home. I wouldn’t necessarily suggest you buy this exact set of gear but I figured I would write up a post covering all the pieces and my thoughts on them after many, many video calls.

Typical setup for a video call. Microphone is present but out of frame.

I'm not trying to sell you anything so nothing in here is a link, affiliate or otherwise. It should all be very easy to find with a Google search though.

The Camera + Lens

The camera I am using is a FujiFilm X-T4. I bought it originally as a camera to use for photos and video recording but it works well as a web cam the rest of the time. When I bought the camera it was the latest in the X-T series, there is now and X-T5 but I don’t feel the need to upgrade.

The camera itself can happily output 4k video, I have never once been on a video call that supported 4k so I typically run it at 1080p to save on some processing power.

It’s permanently plugged into charge so I don’t worry about running out of battery. It’s also setup to be plugged into the capture card which I’ll talk about shortly.

In terms of a lens, I typically have the FujiIon XF35mm attached. It’s gives a nice depth of field. I’ve used the included kit lens a few times as well but I prefer this one visually.

Settings on the camera for ISO and shutter speed can differ a little depending on lightning conditions. I try keep shutter speed at around 60 and adjust the ISO through the cog wheel on the front of the camera.

While the camera does have an inbuilt microphone, I find the audio quality isn’t great for calls so I don’t use it.

Capture Card

In terms of video capture, I have the camera stream out video over the HDMI port which I feed into an Elgato Cam Link 4k. Again it can capture up to 4k but I never need resolutions that high. It plugs directly into my PC and shows up as a camera source on Google Meet, Teams and Zoom without any additional configuration.

Lighting

Where my desk sits in my room I get a good level of diffused ambient light from the windows and ceiling lights. I compliment this with a single Elgato Key Light placed behind my camera and off to the right. This helps improve the lighting on my face and makes for a nicer overall image.

It also limits the amount of messing around I need to do with the ISO to get a consistently lit image. I can adjust the color temperature, brightness and power state from an app on my computer. It stays off when I am not on a call.

I have previously experimented with additional lights for a more traditional 3 light setup but I found the difference in quality to be negligible.

Microphone, Headphones, Mixer

My microphone is a Rode Podmic with an XLR output. There is a USB version which is probably what I would recommend for most people because the setup is a lot simpler.

My microphone plugs into a Rode Caster Pro 2. For a long time I was using the Rode AI-1 with great results. I picked up the Rode Caster when I was doing multi-microphone in person recording and continue to use it because I already own it. I probably wouldn’t get one again unless the need for multiple microphone recording came up.

For headphones I use a pair of Sennheiser HD560S open back headphones. They work well and the audio quality is decent. At the time I purchased them based of a reddit recommendation that open backed headphones were superior. I couldn’t honestly tell you if I think they are or not but these headphones do a good job.

Software (or lack there of)

One of the things I like best about this setup is there isn’t any complicated software involved. The devices plug into my PC and show up as cameras, microphones and audio outputs. I’ve used this setup on Windows, Mac and Linux without any messing around.

I have tried the FujiFilm X-Webcam software but I found it a little bit annoying to use and it would occasionally disconnect mid call.

Camera Position and Room Layout

One last topic which I find important but very hard to research is positioning of thing. There are very few firm opinions about ideal positioning of cameras and lighting for a setup like this. There are plenty if you want to just make videos but if you also need to be looking at a screen it’s a little harder to optimise. I have experimented with a cheap teleprompter box and a usb monitor but I found the setup to be very big for not much gain.

Currently my camera sits just above my monitor which has me mostly looking directly at it during calls. If you are very observant you can probably tell my eyes are looking slightly down but most of the time its hard to notice.

I’ve also made sure to position my desk so that the background behind me is somewhat interesting. Due to the depth of field on the camera it’s not in focus but I found that having a bookshelf with things on it is more appealing that just having a plain wall.

There’s also a couple of chairs in my background that my two dogs use to nap on during the day. They’re often very welcome guests in my calls.

What should you get if you are starting from zero?

Of all the things above, here’s a list of them and whether I’d recommend them or something else. You'll likely notice I have a lot of Rode and Elgato gear. I pick Rode because its quality and I like supporting Australian companies. I picked Elgato because there were enough reviews to ease any worry about buying something that would break.

  • The FujiFilm X-T4 - I like it, generally speaking though any decent mirrorless camera will do as well. You can get good results with a pricier webcam but there is a noticeable jump in quality with a ‘real’ camera and lens.
  • Elgato Key Light - Yeah its fine. There are probably cheaper options these days that are just as good.
  • Rode Pod Mic - Great audio quality, a big upgrade from the Yeti Blue I had before. I’d suggest trying the USB version though.
  • Rode Caster Pro 2 - Likely overkill for almost everyone. There are smaller versions including the Rode Streamer X which might be worth a look.
  • Elgato Cam Link 4k - Yes, its good and is very much plug-and-play.
  • Sennheiser HD560S - Yeah they’re fine. You probably already own headphones though and I don’t know if I’d recommend these over just whatever you already have.

Overall, would I recommend such an elaborate setup? Yes if you enjoy it. No otherwise. I get comments that my setup looks cool but that’s about it. For most people who just do a lot of video calls it probably isn’t adding that much to things. You can do better than your built in camera and microphone for a much smaller budget. If you’re looking to stream, record video or sit more on the ‘creation’ side of things then the setup works pretty well.