They’re not replacements for each other. Prior answers are from people who have obviously not done much on YouTube lately. This is the video quality you’re competing with from Meet Kevin.https://youtu.be/zReJfUI4nWc

It doesn’t come from a webcam. Even if you’re streaming games on Twitch, it looks like garbage on a webcam. 

You need a good webcam for Vtube to work properly. I use a Logitech Brio, which looked pretty bad when I compare my video quality to professional YouTubers.

Here’s what I looked like on the Logitech Brio.https://youtu.be/A_q85znmebQ

The thing is, most YouTubers you’re competing against have 8k professional quality broadcast camcorders. Replicating that isn’t possible with a webcam. 

Check out the on set interviews I get from PR companies. Filming myself in this grainy image compared to Hollywood quality isn’t going to happen.https://youtu.be/3C0pNhB2DYo

So I also tried using my Canon DSLR camera, which is actually pretty good to get close to this quality.

Here’s the video quality on the Canon DSLR still camera. Ignore the audio quality because I messed up in post production and synced the default Canon mic instead of the expensive microphone I’m holding in the video.https://youtu.be/tx6oJJLMyU4

You can see the difference between my high end $200 webcam and mid grade $500 DSLR. Of course, I have an older model made before Canon realized they appeal to streamers.

That means I can’t charge while filming. That limits live-streaming and added the hassle of switching out multiple batteries to stay productive. 

Added expense: $150 for multiple batteries plus another $200 for proper lighting. Still, it was annoying doing everything manually, but I couldn’t afford another $500 for the upgraded DSLR.

So, I settled on the Logitech webcam but within a Streamlabs layout. That means the same video is now a smaller portion of the screen, and I still look good with better lighting.

I spent another $100/year or whatever it is for Streamlabs Prime because I love being able to multicast across YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and LinkedIn. It integrates everything relatively seamlessly, and I can interact with everybody on all channels.https://youtu.be/x6juPFTCOp8

But despite how little I already did to prepare for being on camera (the hat covered my hair and I just said no to makeup because of the added expense), I still had to prepare a lot to be on camera. 

Just having that one wall set aside to film was a pain, much less if I had a stain on my shirt or face I didn’t notice.

Those are the perils of live-streaming, but I was always careful of what showed on camera. I didn’t want to get popular and suddenly be swatted or have a hate raid come through.https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1oTSi7O6QWs

If you’re unfamiliar, swatting involves calling the police to have a SWAT team raid your home while you’re streaming. They say whatever it takes to get them out with guns blazing in full armor. It is so Commonplace that many popular streamers have to warn police before they go live.

You never know what you’re going to face online and need to be careful about showing identifying information that will have people showing up at your house.

Pop Smoke was killed by a gang of teenagers after showing his address on a mailing label on Instagram.https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vulture.com/amp/2021/05/pop-smoke-murder-case-details.html

When you’re popular and on live, people show up.

Here’s Adam22 getting robbed at gunpoint on a livestream from the back of his store.https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uLTLL_ff61I

It’s not a gang thing. Just Google “stalker at YouTubers house” and find a TON of videos from popular YouTubers telling fans not to show up at their house.

Here’s Bryce Hall and Boogie confronting a stalker.https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w–pl3toIXMhttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=opXTt23Q08o

Strangers show up to people’s homes and you need a safe distance between work and play. That’s not a financial cost; it’s the price of making public videos and blowing up.

Of course, I’m not there yet, but with 5 million views on YouTube alone (much less blogging and media appearances), I’ve gotten my fair share of crazies. 

That’s why it wasn’t even about saving $500 on a new camera to even begin competing. It wasn’t about saving $350 in lighting and batteries.

I spent $200 to have this character made from scratch to insert into my videos.

That’s a screenshot because I just finished him today. The $200 was to convert the drawing into layers and then rig just the head with three emotions – happy, sad, and angry.https://youtu.be/e6RCxwj9w1I

To create the background, I downloaded a free home design app and took screenshots from within the free virtual tour. I was able to design every aspect of the floor, ceiling, walls and furniture with no added expense.

I’m still learning a few techniques to get the microphone designed and a working computer screen on the computer monitor in the background. 

The cat is rigged inside Vtube Studio. It is a free version I’m using with the watermark. The cat is on a greenscreen (saved $20-$50 not having to buy a physical greenscreen). That means I can easily input him onto any game I play or put him into the virtual room I designed, which is just a basic flat JPG file.

Everything but the cat is done in Streamlabs OBS .

Now when I do the same layout I was doing before, it looks much brighter, more vibrant, and more professional and polished.

See how the animation quality is just as good as the picture next to it? I’m using the same webcam as this.

It looks much more professional. And I don’t have to worry about what’s on my background anymore. I can take this cat anywhere, even do on-location reporting.

The travel expenses involved in moving my equipment outside like this for a change of scenery would’ve been ridiculous. 

And I would’ve needed a greenscreen on my wall to accomplish it the way I did with this animation.

That one time expense of $200 was worth every penny for the $500 it saved me on a new camera that still would’ve only been baseline good enough to succeed at streaming.

It was worth saving on location shoots. It was worth not exposing my personal home to strangers. But it still requires a $200 webcam I already owned for the facial recognition to work.

Watch the video and you’ll see I still need another round of facial expressions to get the mouth to fully track with my own. It’s a lot of work but worthwhile in the back end.

I also need to spend another $100 on a leap motion tracker for arm and hand movement (which I have not yet rigged). 

Still, it’s worth it for the upgraded video quality. I can now seamlessly stream without the need for all the stresses and expenses of being on camera live. It’s a freedom I wish I had years ago.