This is a review of the EMEET SmartCam S800 webcam.
With 4K HDR video and a range of settings, the SmartCam S800 is one of EMEET’s most advanced webcams.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
EMEET SmartCam S800
Easy-to-operate webcam with impressive focus options, crisp audio, and excellent video performance in various lighting conditions.
Designed primarily for streaming, it’s a versatile webcam capable of impressive audio and video for content creators.
Let’s dive into the details and explore everything the EMEET SmartCam S800 has to offer.
EMEET SmartCam S800 Webcam Specs
Pros
Excellent durable build quality
Easy to install
Impressive selection of video settings
On-camera privacy cover
Crisp audio quality
Cons
No option to reset individual image settings
Max Resolution: 4K Ultra HD 2160P@30FPS
Max frame rate: Full HD 1080P@60FPS
Pixel: 8-Megapixel
Image Sensor: 1/2″ Large Sony Sensor
Focus Type: AI Face Autofocus, Central Area Focus, PDAF+TOF
Digital Zoom: 4X
Field of View (FoV): 40° ~ 73°
Video Pickup Radius: 10-300cm
HDR: YES
Exposure Mode: Automatic
White Balance: Automatic
BLC (Black Light Compensation): Automatic
Video Codec: YUY2 / MJPEG
Microphone: 2 Omni-Directional Microphones
Optimal Pickup Range: 10ft
Privacy Cover: Gear-Driven Privacy Cover
Tripod Thread: YES
Dimensions (W*H*D): 71.5mm * 52mm * 71mm
Weight: 180g ± 10g
Compatibility: Compatible with main operating systems and popular software including OBS, Xsplit, Youtube, Twitch, Zoom, etc.
Operating System: Windows 7, 8, 10, 11 or later, Mac OS 10.10 or later
EMEET has produced robust webcams catering to casual office use and content creators committed to high-quality live streaming.
The EMEET SmartCam S800 webcam falls into the latter category, with 4K UHD capabilities and a great selection of modes for various streaming conditions.
It’s a smart-looking webcam with responsive settings ranging from metering modes to autofocus and zoom, lending it more versatility than cheaper alternatives.
Thanks to the Sony ½” 8 MP sensor, it can also deliver excellent video footage, with sharp details and vibrant colors that pop off the screen.
Build & Appearance
The EMEET S800 is an impressively designed webcam with streaming-ready video quality.
The EMEET SmartCam S800 webcam is well-packaged, with minimal plastic and foam inserts protecting the camera during shipping.
The build quality is immediately evident out of the box, with the webcam delivering a robust feel without being excessively heavy.
It comes with a barrel-shaped design with a mount featured on a bracket that can be opened up to fit over screens or screwed onto a tripod using the thread.
The camera is also easy to position to the user’s requirements, with a pivoting head that allows for horizontal and vertical adjustments.
It functions with a pleasingly smooth operation, remaining firmly in place to ensure consistent compositions when shooting live-streamed videos.
The EMEET SmartCam S800 webcam also has a heat sink on the rear that helps to keep the camera operation cool and reduce potential overheating.
Overall, build quality impresses, while the barrel design looks excellent whether mounted on a monitor screen or combined with a smaller tripod for versatile positioning.
Set Up and Handling
In addition to monitor mounting, the EMEET S800 webcam has a thread for tripods.
The EMEET SmartCam S800 webcam is effortless to set up and install, and its Z-shaped mount allows it to remain in place on computer monitors or laptops.
It’s fitted with an internal privacy cover directly in the device, with a front ring that smoothly slides the cover over the camera.
Installing the EMEET software takes a few minutes and requires heading to the brand’s website to download the installation file.
Once installed, the software is good to go, with an easy-to-navigate user interface that delivers an impressive selection of customization options.
New firmware updates are also announced via the software’s notification system, and there’s a handy FAQ and other resources to help optimize the setup process.
Switching over to a different streaming platform, such as MS Teams, Slack, or Zoom, is easy – the camera is ready to go without any need to play around with settings.
This makes the EMEET SmartCam S800 webcam a pleasure to use, with no obstacles to getting up and running on YouTube or other mainstream streaming platforms.
Performance and Features
There’s a wealth of customization features to tailor video footage to the user’s environment, including a range of framing grid modes.
The SmartCam S800 delivers crisp, sharp footage with highly responsive focus and metering modes.
There are two focus modes to choose from—face and central area—and you can switch off autofocus and set it manually using the software’s slider.
The metering modes are comprehensive, with four settings: center, global, spot, and face metering.
Switching between these modes during testing made the applications for each clear, noticeably improving image balance in various lighting conditions.
Focusing with the EMEET S800 is rapid, with an impressive minimal focus distance for documents.
This webcam also comes with a selection of framing grid options, allowing users to switch between Rule of Thirds, Golden Ratio, Crosshairs, and Square.
It’s an impressive selection of unique video modes with various practical applications, complemented by dedicated video settings, including portrait, object, vivid, and bright.
The webcam’s image settings also include standard video editing options for brightness, contrast, sharpness, saturation, tone, and white balance.
Audio settings are more restricted, although the inclusion of microphone noise reduction is a welcome addition to the EMEET SmartCam S800 webcam, which is not found on budget-friendly alternatives.
The software also has a dedicated section for support, allowing users to provide feedback, access the FAQ and user manual, or contact EMEET directly with technical issues.
With all these features combined, the SmartCam S800 matches its closest rivals with a feature-rich user experience that covers all the bases expected from live streamers.
User Experience
The EMEET S800 includes a heat sink on the rear to address potential overheating.
Using the EMEET SmartCam S800 is intuitive and versatile, delivering impressive results for both video recording and video chats.
Tests in low light conditions and brighter environments delivered consistently clear footage with minimal noise and good depth of field for close-up tests.
The brand claims that the autofocus response is around 0.3 seconds, and tests reflected this benchmark, with a close minimal focus distance for sharing physical documents with call recipients.
Face tracking is also highly responsive, with faces remaining clearly focused when moving around the room and passing through different lighting conditions.
Center-weighted focusing is also accurate, and the manual focus options are useful when using the webcam for overhead document shots.
Likewise, the anti-flicker performance, which can be set to 50Hz or 60Hz, works well, with no noticeable flickers throughout all tests performed.
The audio quality of the EMEET SmartCam S800 is also impressive, with the option to turn on microphone noise reduction in the software’s settings.
Tests performed with heavy rain in the background alternating between the setting on and off demonstrated a clear reduction in background noise without compromising voice recording.
While dedicated streamers may find the audio lacks resonance across the frequency spectrum, most will likely use separate microphones for their streaming purposes.
With that said, the microphone here is more than adequate, particularly if the webcam is being used for routine conference calls and other work-related purposes.
Connectivity
The SmartCam S800 can be connected to computers via the included USB-3 cable and functions with Windows and Mac operating systems.
The included USB-3 cable’s decent length helps connect to a computer, allowing for installation in spacious setups with distance between PC towers and monitors.
For optimal performance, the webcam should be connected correctly to a USB 3.0 port, as the manufacturer recommends in the installation manual.
Physical connectivity options are also of a high standard, with the webcam easy to mount on monitors or attach to a tripod.
Alternatives to EMEET SmartCam S800 Webcam
EMEET manufactures a selection of webcams that cater to various user scenarios and budget ranges, with the S800 at the higher end of the price spectrum.
The EMEET NOVA 4 K is a budget-friendly alternative for those looking for a webcam for remote working and casual online conversations. It offers robust tools and sharp video quality.
For streamers looking to save money, the EMEET SmartCam C970L delivers standard HD video quality. It also includes a handy ring light to assist with low-light environments.
Other manufacturers offer alternatives to the EMEET SmartCam S800 webcam, including the Fanvil CM60 and the Anker PowerConf C200 webcams.
Value for Money
The EMEET SmartCam S800 presents a significant leap in quality over the brand’s standard webcams, with image and sound quality that ably caters to dedicated streamers.
It’s a competitively priced webcam that matches its closest rivals in terms of performance quality and the range of optimization options.
The precise and rapid autofocus performs beyond expectations, with no errors and applications for group use as well as single-person streaming.
As such, the SmartCam S800 rides the line between consumer and professional performance with tack-sharp images and stable tracking.
With a price tag of around US$150, finding an alternative to the EMEET SmartCam S800 that matches its combination of low-noise image quality and smart design is hard.
EMEET SmartCam S800 Webcam Review | Conclusion
There is an abundance of webcams on the peripheral market designed for live streaming, and EMEET has entered the space with a bang.
Packed with impressive customization tools that significantly improve performance for added versatility, the EMEET SmartCam S800 delivers above and beyond its affordable price.
It’s also a well-made webcam with a versatile selection of user applications, whether used on the move with a laptop or in a permanent office setup.
Newcomers to streaming, in particular, will be impressed by its combination of sharp video quality and flexible options at a competitive price, for whom it comes highly recommended.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
EMEET SmartCam S800
Easy-to-operate webcam with impressive focus options, crisp audio, and excellent video performance in various lighting conditions.
