On the other hand, if you’re working on a product that requires a $280 teleprompter, chances are you’re better off with something than a $130 webcam. So Elgato includes a pair of replacement backplates. One is a universal backplate, which has a simple rectangular hole, and the other is a fabric cover, like the one I described above. If all else fails, this backplate can handle any camera that can fit inside a teleprompter.
If Elgato had just included these two things it would have been enough, but the company went even further and included a DSLR/mirrorless backplate and eight ascending circle from 48mm to 77mm. These rings attach directly to the front of the camera lens. These rings then attach directly to the backplate of the Prompter, blocking out any stray light without the need for a hood. This makes it much easier for me to mount the camera to the Prompter.
The Prompter also comes with a pedestal that can be adjusted up or down to align the camera exactly where it needs to be. The camera can also be screwed onto the pedestal, although in my testing it wasn’t wide enough to handle larger devices like Blackmagic Camera. If you use a bulky camera or long lens with the Prompter, you may need to create a custom mount to mount it.
As a nice little bonus, the Prompter has two hotshoe mounts along the top, allowing you to mount things like lights or microphones. This is handy if you have to build a rig around the Prompter.
Photo: Eric Ravenscraft
The second screen I need
Teleprompters became relatively inexpensive when manufacturers realized that many people have iPad (or a spare phone) sitting around they can use to display their scripts. We even suggest some of these. Elgato takes the Prompter in a different direction by integrating a display directly.
When connected to your computer (Windows or Mac), it recognizes it as an external display, just like any other. By default, it can mirror or extend your desktop, allowing you to use any application to display your script. You can even open a Google Doc and increase the text size if you want to spend as little effort fiddling with the teleprompter as possible.
