About 18 months ago, there weren't too many choices for HomeKit cameras, but a lot has changed in this relatively short time, with offerings from Eufy, Eve, Vocolinc, Aqara and others, all of which contribute to a respectable lineup of decently specified and affordable cameras. With Matter due to appear in 2022, we can expect to see more cameras compatible with HomeKit, but that doesn't seem to stop some manufacturers from bringing forth their latest offerings, which in this case is a company called Zorachka, who have launched their own high-end, exclusively HomeKit-compatible camera, simply named Homam.

The Homam, which is very reminiscent of an astronaut's space helmet, certainly doesn't look like any other camera in the HomeKit ecosystem at the moment, but given its exclusivity to HomeKit - aside from the company's own app - it generally offers pretty much the same feature set of other HomeKit cameras at a basic level, which is compatibility with HomeKit Secure Video, for example. Unlike some HomeKit cameras, however, the Homam doesn't just offer on-device storage - it's actually built into the device, as opposed to a removable SD card. Instead of simple storage, the camera uses a special chip that takes recordings regardless of whether there is an internet connection or not, with the chip able to store up to 64GB of footage. The chip uses a proprietary technology called VIS (Verona Index Storage) that uses RSA EAS for security. The company claims that this recording protocol "dramatically reduces the required network bandwidth, with no loss of quality". They further state that "...A unique network system finds the shortest path between the phone and Homam, connecting them directly to the local network", which results in "Faster response, very little buffering, and long storage life achieved by the proprietary video file system." It all sounds very impressive, but of course this could all be marketing spin....

The camera does have decent specs, with 7 glass, low-distortion fisheye lens, a field of view of Diagonal 156°, Horizontal 134°, Vertical 75° and a resolution of 5MP, with a focal length of 2.39mm. It also offers HDR image quality for both overexposed and low-light scenarios, at 30fps, and offers what sounds like a bucket list of image correction enhancements, including;

• Image demos
• Gamma Correction
• Optical black clamp
• Color Correction
• Correction of shadows
• Spot correction
• Flicker Correction
• Texture enhancer
• IR optimizer (night mode)
• High light compensation
• Correction of lens distortion
• Lens vignetting correction

As expected, the camera features night vision, with eight IR diodes divided into four separate zones, each offering 1,024 levels of brightness. A camera with such impressive specs can connect to 2.4 or 5.0 GHz WiFi networks, though it still only offers 1080p resolution, in part perhaps due to resolution caps within HomeKit. The camera also has a Bluetooth 5.0 connection, though this is likely only for pairing devices.

the camera is 75mm (WDH), with a separate magnetic stand that can remain on a flat surface or be attached to a wall or ceiling. The Homam is powered by a USB-C cable and a USB power block (5V, 1.5A), but is only designed for indoor use. The kicker here, especially in light of recent budget-priced cameras is that the Homam will cost you US$399.00. However, whether the above specifications are worthy of the price will depend on the individual. You can check out all the details via the company's website website.