--- title: My teleconf setup description: Notes on my camera, lighting, microphone, teleprompter, and mounting setup for videoconferencing. tags: - misc draft: false last_change_summary: Updated June 2026 with new camera (Canon EOS R50 V), new teleprompter (Elgato Prompter XL), and a misc. desk wins section. og_image: /images/teleconf-desk-2026.jpg --- Several friends have asked about my camera/videoconferencing setup, so some notes on that. *[Updated June 2026]* [![](../../assets/images/IMG_2261-1024x683.jpg)](https://lu.is/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/IMG_2261.jpg) Picture from my desktop camera. Lighting isn't quite as even as I'd like (and as always in stills, my smile is goofy) but you can see the background blur ("[bokeh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeh)") clearly. ## Why? I realize it seems trivial, but there are two reasons, for professionals and executives, why you should care about your teleconf setup: - you can't control networks, and often don't control what presentation software you're using. What you do control is your hardware, so make that the best you can. - For lawyers, a good videoconferencing setup is now like a good suit—says nothing about your substance, but helps make a good impression in a field where impressions, for better and for worse, matter. ## Camera I use a [Canon EOS R50 V](https://www.usa.canon.com/shop/p/eos-r50-v-body) — Canon's mirrorless body, theoretically designed streaming-first. I bought the body only (~$560 street) and use it with a 24mm pancake lens that I've had for many years, via an EF→RF adapter. The R50V *body* is well-designed, livestreaming straight to the computer with just a cable—no capture card needed. (That let me retire an Elgato Cam Link HDMI converter.) But Canon's *software* is bad, so I can't recommend this approach unless you've already got an investment in Canon-compatible lenses. ## Light I cheat by having good natural light in my office. So I do not have elaborate lighting—basically [this](https://www.amazon.com/Desktop-Seamless-Brightness-Temperature-Charging/dp/B00LZPB7OC). But lots of vendors now make a variety of good lights—I've been tempted by [these](https://www.humancentric.com/products/conference-lights-main-base), for example. Pro tip for first-time home workers: if you have two rooms, one dark and one bright, make your bedroom dark and cramped and your office big and light. ## Microphone I have [a Blue Yeti mic](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DTTGZ7M/r). I'm not sure I'd recommend it for most people. The audio quality is very good, but positioning it over a desk is finicky. In addition, it has a headphone jack—which is fine except it insists on reporting to the operating system that it is live even when it has nothing plugged in, so I frequently have to say "no, bad zoom, use the speakers that are actually speakers". If I were doing it over again, I'd get something designed more specifically for the home office use case. A friend swears by [their Jabra 510](https://www.jabra.com/Business/speakerphones/jabra-speak-series/jabra-speak-510), and this [combo speaker/USB hub from Logitech](https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/personal-workspaces/logi-dock.html) looks pretty interesting. ## Teleprompter I started on the original Elgato Prompter and in early 2026 upgraded to the [Elgato Prompter XL](https://www.elgato.com/us/en/p/prompter-xl). The reason for the change was the screen size: it is big enough to be used as a second monitor for Slack when I'm not teleconferencing, and when someone shares a document with me in Zoom, it is legible--a huge problem with my old setup. FYI that this combination of prompter and camera is very heavy, so I am still not fully happy with my mounting arrangement. It pushes the very edge of what the Elgato Master Mount is capable of supporting. And it was difficult to do with my desk against the wall, which is how I prefer it. ## Other Mounting Points For my microphone and various desk tchotkes, I like a monitor-mounted shelf from Human Centric ([full line of monitor mounts](https://www.humancentric.com/collections/vesa-adapter); [camera shelves](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5S7CHKG)). ## Misc. desk small wins A few non-camera things: - **FluidStance whiteboards and organizing.** Under my monitor you can see a variety of FluidStance organizer bits ([Raise](https://fluidstance.com/collections/desk-organization/products/raise-24), [Slope](https://fluidstance.com/collections/desk-organization/products/slope), [Flow Cards](https://fluidstance.com/collections/desk-organization/products/flow-cards-set-of-4-cards)). Highly recommend them for general organization and note-taking. - **A Fellow kettle.** Part of my work routine is regular tea, and my [Stagg kettle](https://fellowproducts.com/products/stagg-ekg-electric-pour-over-kettle) (a gift from my wife) is a small daily pleasure. ## The full setup And voila: ![My desk setup: mirrorless camera and teleprompter mounted above a monitor, with microphone and desk organizers](/images/teleconf-desk-2026.jpg)