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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2019
1) Their website claims this device can use "clean HDMI" when paired with the Canon T7i (Canon 800D), but this is simply not true. Or it should at least be stated more clearly what is required. The ONLY WAY to avoid on-screen menu items / focus boxes on the video output is to disable autofocus on the camera. :( But who is going to do that?!? Sure, Elgato's website lists the Canon T7i as being "clean HDMI" compatible, but they really need to put an asterisks to let people know this would also require completely disabling autofocus.
For this reason alone, the device is useless to me. My plan was to use it to livestream on YouTube. But I don't want all my viewers seeing an autofocus box following my face around the whole time. And I can't disable autofocus because I am a one-man shop making YouTube videos at home.
2) There is different option (without needing this Cam Link device at all!!) to run video from your DSLR to your computer (in my case laptop) in order to live stream on YouTube. At least for Mac it's called "Camera Live" and it's free software. You need a USB cable to connect your camera to your laptop. Then I use OBS to stream the video. It works fine... EXCEPT that while live streaming the fan on my laptop was spinning like crazy, because I suppose this whole operation is very CPU intensive.
I thought that perhaps getting this Elgato Cam Link 4k device would somehow offload the necessary computing to the device itself.... so that my laptop wouldn't spin the fan so crazy fast during the live stream (which is also recorded in the audio). BUT.... THIS IS NOT THE CASE. Yeah, the Cam Link 4k device itself was getting rather warm/hot.... but my laptop fan STILL started spinning up like crazy. (And I have a fast MacBook Pro.) Sooo... the moral of the story.... just stick with a USB cable & Camera Live software like I mentioned earlier... you can actually get a completely clean video output WITHOUT any Heads Up Display on-screen menu items showing... and your laptop cpu fan is going to go crazy anyway, no matter what you do.
No need to buy this device! Save your money.
Additionally I contacted Elgato's customer support to ask about a refund and they said NO. Not willing to help me out. Even though their website table of compatible cameras was (in my opinion) quite misleading and almost false advertising. If you have a different DSLR that can provide clean HDMI out, then the number 1 issue I described above will not be a problem for you.
For this reason alone, the device is useless to me. My plan was to use it to livestream on YouTube. But I don't want all my viewers seeing an autofocus box following my face around the whole time. And I can't disable autofocus because I am a one-man shop making YouTube videos at home.
2) There is different option (without needing this Cam Link device at all!!) to run video from your DSLR to your computer (in my case laptop) in order to live stream on YouTube. At least for Mac it's called "Camera Live" and it's free software. You need a USB cable to connect your camera to your laptop. Then I use OBS to stream the video. It works fine... EXCEPT that while live streaming the fan on my laptop was spinning like crazy, because I suppose this whole operation is very CPU intensive.
I thought that perhaps getting this Elgato Cam Link 4k device would somehow offload the necessary computing to the device itself.... so that my laptop wouldn't spin the fan so crazy fast during the live stream (which is also recorded in the audio). BUT.... THIS IS NOT THE CASE. Yeah, the Cam Link 4k device itself was getting rather warm/hot.... but my laptop fan STILL started spinning up like crazy. (And I have a fast MacBook Pro.) Sooo... the moral of the story.... just stick with a USB cable & Camera Live software like I mentioned earlier... you can actually get a completely clean video output WITHOUT any Heads Up Display on-screen menu items showing... and your laptop cpu fan is going to go crazy anyway, no matter what you do.
No need to buy this device! Save your money.
Additionally I contacted Elgato's customer support to ask about a refund and they said NO. Not willing to help me out. Even though their website table of compatible cameras was (in my opinion) quite misleading and almost false advertising. If you have a different DSLR that can provide clean HDMI out, then the number 1 issue I described above will not be a problem for you.
