is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid.
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Hollyland, a company best known for affordable wireless microphones that are popular with creators, has announced its first webcam, the small 4K Lyra. While it lacks advanced features like the Insta360 Link’s tracking gimbal, it’s one of the first webcams we’ve seen that’s designed to improve how you sound by connecting directly to one of Hollyland’s wireless lav mics.
The Lyra features a built-in receiver for Hollyland’s Lark A1 wireless microphone that includes AI-powered noise reduction. It’s not as small as the Lark M2S microphone the company announced earlier this year, but it will definitely be an upgrade over the mic built into your laptop. The A1 is also cheap. You can find it on Amazon with a smartphone receiver for $29.90, or get one even cheaper, bundled with the new Lyra. The webcam on its own is now available through Hollyland’s website for $149, but for an extra $10, the company will include a single Lark A1 mic.
The Lyra is only compatible with Hollyland’s Lark A1 wireless lav mic, but it’s an affordable option and can be bundled with the webcam for an extra $10. Image: Hollyland
Inside the Lyra, you’ll also find a 1/1.5-inch sensor paired with an f/1.8 lens that Hollyland says “captures vivid color and exceptional clarity even in dimly lit environments.” Video quality maxes out at 4K/30fps, but that can be boosted to 60fps if you drop the resolution to 1080p.
There’s a collection of AI-powered features to further improve image quality, including automatic brightness, contrast, and exposure adjustments based on the environment where you’re recording, and a “beauty mode” to further enhance your appearance.
There’s a proprietary algorithm for removing and replacing green screens, so you don’t need additional software, and while the camera can’t move while perched atop your screen using a magnetic clip-on mount, it can track people in frame and adjust the framing to always keep them centered. When you’re done with a call or a livestream and want to ensure that Lyra isn’t still watching you, there’s also a physical rotating lens cover for privacy, so you can save your sticky notes for keeping track of passwords.