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  • Writer's pictureShannon

elgato Cam Link 4K Problems (and a Resolution!)

So I have a mirrorless Sony Alpha A6100 that I've been using as my webcam the last handful of months. I really like the way my video looks and actually prefer it over my Logitech Brio. Now, being in IT, I just use my Logitech Brio as a backup or for any video platform I don't have familiarity with yet. As a quick aside, I never realized I would've perfected some of what I've been able to perfect the last almost 2 years with everything being remote. At some point, I may do a breakdown of everything I'm using. Folks have asked, but it might be an interesting future blog post.


I've paired my camera with an elgato Cam Link 4K that connects to a computer via USB. This device makes it easy to connect a DSLR, camcorder, or an action cam to your computer. All conferences I've spoken at and live streams I've been a part of have seen a much different live view of my office these last few months.


I ran into a problem though and I'm sure users of the elgato Cam Link 4K might be interested in hearing about how I solved the problem. My camera used to occasionally freeze up, which proved problematic during a live stream or right before a conference. I used to run into similar problems when I'd DJ with video cams, so I first analyzed my USB controllers. Ultimately (long story short), you don't want to overload your USB controllers on any machine. You'll find that overloading your USB ports can lead to anything from device failure, to devices not working as expected, etc., etc. The CamLink 4K USB adapter should be on its own USB port, without a neighbor if at all possible.


The big fix involved downloading the elgato 4K Capture Utility directly from elgato's site. After you install the software and the application launches, hold the control key down and click on the settings cog at the top right of the application.

When the preferences menu displays, note the USB Transfer Mode in the Device tab. It should have Automatic selected.

Switch that setting from Automatic to Isochronous. Then select Apply and OK to complete the configuration.

Switching the USB transfer mode fixed the constant freezes and I've been much happier with using my Sony Alpha A6100 on a daily basis.


If you're running into those issues with your mirrorless camera and elgato's 4K Cam Link USB adapter, hopefully reading through these instructions helped you!

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