A Review of the Opal C1 - A $300 DSLR-Like Webcam – The Sweet Setup (2024)

When everyone was forced to start working from home in 2020, it was made painfully obvious just how bad most webcams really were. That left virtual workers with a couple of unattractive options:

  1. Stick with the convenient option and make do with a crappy webcam
  2. Spend a bunch of time and money figuring out how to make a fancy camera setup work

The Opal C1 tries to give you the best of both worlds: DSLR-like quality without the complexity at a fraction of the price.

What is the Opal C1?

The Opal C1 is a 4k webcam that is marketed as “the first professional webcam.”

A Review of the Opal C1 - A $300 DSLR-Like Webcam – The Sweet Setup (1)

What makes the Opal C1 unique is the combination of well-built hardware with powerful software. It’s a very Apple-like approach to solving the problem of poor quality webcam video.

Why not use my iPhone?

Apple recently announced the Continuity Camera feature rolling out with macOS Ventura and iOS 16, and it does look pretty great. But I’m personally hesitant to trust it for regular video calls for a couple of reasons:

  1. Not having a physical connection worries me
  2. I don’t want my iPhone on top of my computer all the time

I actually have a subscription to the Camo app, so I have plenty of experience using my iPhone as a webcam. And while the quality it can deliver is impressive, I’m personally more comfortable with a wired, hardware-based solution.

The Hardware

Speaking of the hardware, the Opal C1 is an impressive little device. It feels extremely well-built out of anodized aluminum, and boasts a 7.8mm 4k Sony sensor for up to 5x the resolution of a standard of webcam. It also comes with an ƒ1.8, six-element, glass lens that lets in 2.4x more light than any other webcam.

A Review of the Opal C1 - A $300 DSLR-Like Webcam – The Sweet Setup (2)

It also comes with MicMesh™, which is an array of beamforming microphones that find and focus on the sound of your voice. The audio features are pretty new (the device itself is still in beta), but promises intelligent noise cancellation to filter out background noise and provide clear audio without a fancy microphone.

The camera also comes with a high-quality coiled USB-C cable to connect the camera to your computer and a magnetic lens cover to protect the glass when not in use.

In my testing, the audio from the Opal was fine. I am admittedly an audio snob, but there’s just no way to produce great audio with a microphone that is so far away from your mouth when you’re speaking. I could see myself using it if I didn’t already have a mic setup at my desk, but the real selling point of the Opal C1 is the video.

But the real question is, how does the video look?

Hands down, the Opal C1 is by far the most impressive webcam video I’ve ever seen. I’ve tried just about every premium webcam out there, and in my opinion the Opal C1 is truly head and shoulders above everything else. It provides better color and depth of field than any other webcam (or Mac FaceTime camera) that I’ve ever seen.

But what really makes the Opal image great is the software, which allows you to tweak the image to your liking.

The Software

I was skeptical that the Opal software could really make that big of a difference in the image quality. But after spending some time tweaking things, I have to say the software is what makes the Opal so magical.

There are five tabs in the current version of the software: Camera, Audio, Effects, Manual, and Settings.

A Review of the Opal C1 - A $300 DSLR-Like Webcam – The Sweet Setup (3)

The Camera settings allow you to control the zoom level and toggle the Face Lock feature. This is kind of like Apple’s Center Stage feature, where the camera will actually follow you around and keep you in the middle of the frame.

There’s also a Bokeh setting, where you can adjust amount of background blur to mimic apertures from ƒ2.8-ƒ0.7.

I have to say, I’m really impressed by this feature. I expected this to be pretty bad because you can’t overcome the limitations of physics in the small package of a webcam, but it gives you a very nice bokeh effect without the expensive DSLR.

The Audio tab is where you can control the noise cancellation, but that feature is not yet available in the current software beta.

The Effects tab allows you to apply (and control) filters to your video. You can also control the Touch Up feature, the Tone Sync feature, and pixelate your video.

A Review of the Opal C1 - A $300 DSLR-Like Webcam – The Sweet Setup (4)

The Manual tab is where you control all of the visual settings for the camera itself, like Focus Lock, Brightness, Exposure, Saturation, Contrast, Vibrance, and White Balance. The balance on some of these settings still feels a little off, but again it’s still in beta and I was able to eventually dial them in and get a picture I really liked as a result.

A Review of the Opal C1 - A $300 DSLR-Like Webcam – The Sweet Setup (5)

The Settings tab has some standard settings like starting the app on startup and mirroring the video, but the most interesting thing here is the Gesture Control. Currently there are only two gestures available: you can turn the video on and off by holding the peace sign, and you can toggle Face Lock with a pinch. These features are pretty cool, though I don’t anticipate using them a ton.

A Review of the Opal C1 - A $300 DSLR-Like Webcam – The Sweet Setup (6)

One thing to be aware of: the software will remain free for people who buy an Opal C1 during the beta period, but once it officially launches, it will cost $4/month. You can use the camera without it, but the software really does make a big difference. Still, I’m not sure I love the idea of a subscription in order to use features on a webcam.

Can it really replace a DSLR?

The short answer: Probably.

One of the big reasons people use DSLRs is that they give you great depth of field and creamy bokeh that makes your video look great. And while there are certainly limitations with the webcam format that will prevent the Opal C1 from replicating a true DSLR-quality image, it gets really darn close.

Here’s an image from a Canon 70D running through Cascable Pro Webcam in Zoom:

A Review of the Opal C1 - A $300 DSLR-Like Webcam – The Sweet Setup (7)

And here’s the same shot running through the Opal C1:

A Review of the Opal C1 - A $300 DSLR-Like Webcam – The Sweet Setup (8)

Is the video as good as the DSLR? No. Will most people be able to tell the difference? No.

The other thing the Opal gives you over the DSLR is convenience. You don’t have to change camera batteries, you don’t have to troubleshoot connections. A single cable gives you an incredible webcam in a compact size.

I mentioned at the beginning of this article that I use my Opal C1 most of the time instead of my fancy DSLR setup. I still use the DSLR for the occasional workshop and YouTube videos, but for everything else I use the Opal C1 because it just works. The team has done a great job making the camera recognizable by just about every macOS application, though there are a couple of limitations third-parties can’t overcome (i.e. a separate camera for FaceTime). But as the beta has progressed, the team has expanded the applications the camera works with to the point where I almost never encounter an app that can’t use it anymore.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a dedicated webcam that can provide a close-to-DSLR-quality image without the complexity or cost of a real DSLR setup, the Opal C1 is for you. It’s still in beta and can be difficult to get a hold of (you have to request an invite code from the company), but if you can get your hands on one I would definitely recommend it — especially during the beta period if you want to avoid paying the ongoing software subscription fee. Having tried other premium webcams before, even at $300 this feels like a bargain to me.

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A Review of the Opal C1 - A $300 DSLR-Like Webcam – The Sweet Setup (9)

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A Review of the Opal C1 - A $300 DSLR-Like Webcam – The Sweet Setup (2024)

FAQs

Is Opal C1 only for Mac? ›

The Opal C1 only works with Apple computers for now. When connected to a Windows PC you won't be able to access any of its software powered features.

Does the Opal C1 work with an iPad? ›

The Opal C1 camera can work as a standard USB webcam over UVC when connected to an iPad. However, it's important to note that while it might function, it's not fully supported. This means you may encounter some limitations or issues when using the C1 with an iPad.

Does Opal C1 work for Windows? ›

Standard USB Webcam (UVC): The C1 camera can function as a standard USB webcam using the Universal Video Class (UVC) protocol for Windows and Linux. However, this mode is not fully supported, and users might encounter some issues so we do not suggest it.

What is opal C1? ›

Opal C1. The first professional webcam. Materials. C1 body is made of three different materials that make the camera great to hold and even better to look at. Adaptable.

How much is the Opal C1? ›

Opal C1 review: Verdict

For $299, I expect better than a webcam that needs an eye prescription and a new set of glasses.

How to use iPhone as a camera? ›

Choose your iPhone camera

Open FaceTime or another app to use with your iPhone camera. If the app doesn't automatically begin using it, choose your iPhone camera from the app's video menu, camera menu, or other setting. For example, in FaceTime your iPhone camera is available from the Video menu.

How do I connect my webcam to my iPad? ›

Connect your external webcam

Plug your external webcam into the iPad's USB-C port. If you have a webcam that uses a USB-A connection, you'll need a USB-C adapter. Connect the USB-C adapter to your iPad. After that, plug your camera's USB-A connection to the adapter.

Does Opal work on iPad? ›

Opal is available on iPadOS 16 and later. To use it, you'll simply need to update your iOS on your iPad here. Once that's complete, you can download Opal here or by searching for Opal on the App Store.

Will my Windows 11 license work for Windows 10? ›

Yes, Windows 10 and Windows 11 share the same activation system, so a product key for one will work for the other. Comment Use comments to ask for clarification, additional information, or improvements to the question.

Which Windows is compatible with my laptop? ›

Check Windows 10 System Requirements
  • Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or System on a Chip (SoC)
  • RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit, 2 GB for 64-bit.
  • Hard drive space: 16 GB for 32-bit OS / 32 GB for 64-bit OS.
  • Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver.
  • Display: 800×600.
Mar 29, 2024

Does the Opal C1 have a mic? ›

The Opal C1 comes with MicMesh™, an array of beamforming microphones that find and focus on the sound of your voice. And with intelligent noise cancellation, every ding, drop and dog bark is filtered out to get an audio experience that clearly speaks for itself.

Which opal is better? ›

The most valuable and popular of all Opals is Black Opal. Black Opal accounts for around 5% and is found at Lightning Ridge in Northern NSW. It is called Black Opal because it has a black base caused by black or grey iron oxide impurities in the Opal.

Why is opal so rare? ›

How rare is opal? Silica is one of the most common minerals on the planet, but precious opal is very rare – far more rare than diamonds. Precious opal is rare because the natural processes that create it rarely occur.

Which MacBook has the best camera? ›

Know the Macs with a better webcam

Among current MacBooks, the M1 MacBook Air and 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro both have that old 720p webcam. But the MacBook Pro 14 and Pro 16 have excellent 1080p cameras, along with the 2021 24-inch M1 iMac and the 2022 M2 MacBook Air.

How to take a picture on a Mac? ›

In the Photo Booth app on your Mac, if you see the View Photo button or the View Video button , click it to see the Take Photo button or Record Video button .

How to fix camera on MacBook? ›

If the built-in camera isn't working on your Mac
  1. Update your software. Make sure your software is up to date.
  2. Check Screen Time settings. ...
  3. Give apps permission. ...
  4. Restart your Mac or reset the SMC. ...
  5. Check the camera indicator light. ...
  6. Learn more.
May 22, 2024

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