So, besides Canon, you can choose Fujifilm, Panasonic, Sony, GoPro, Nikon, and more. In fact, due to increasing demand, most top camera manufacturers have recently updated their software to allow for cameras to be used as webcams. Sure, you use Canon DSLR as webcam.Even worse, you may not have a webcam at all and every store you’ve checked is out of stock.It then acts as a virtual webcam for other Mac apps to use (e. Regardless, you may have noticed that your webcam isn’t very flattering —- it might have poor resolution, sickly colors or be mounted at a low “nostril-cam” angle. You may also be meeting up with pals or family members by video to ease COVID-19 isolation.If you own a Mac or another camera model, however, you’ll likely need to get a video capture device.QuickTime Movie Recording uses the webcam to record a video of the user and his/her surroundings. In some cases, particularly with select Canon, Nikon and Sony models on Windows, you might not even need any extra hardware at all. If you happen to have a DSLR, mirrorless or compact camera, you may be able to put it into service as a high-quality webcam. The Logitech C922 Pro HD Stream is the best all-around webcam because it has a 1080p camera, built-in microphone, autofocus, lighting correction, and comes at a good price.Here’s an option you may not have thought of.Supports Windows, Mac and Linux. Quick Camera supports mirroring (normal and. Quick Camera can be used for video conferences or presentations where you need to show an external device to your audience via the USB camera. Quick Camera is a utility to display the output from any supported USB web cameras.
While we’re not recommending any particular camera, nearly any model will likely deliver a better image than what you have now. Luckily, we’re here to help. Depending on your computer, camera and any third-party hardware, setup can be challenging, and you may have issues like out-of-sync audio. There are a few pitfalls to beware of, though. Its easy use.The results can even be much better than a webcam, making you the most presentable person on your Zoom call. This outdoor security camera has a 5MP resolution and a 160 wide-angle lens. For USB-C cables, I’d recommend the Anker Powerline II and Amazon Basics for HDMI to HDMI, mini and micro cables.Connecting a fancy mirrorless or DSLR camera to a computer might not seem that hard, given that most have USB and HDMI outputs. Generally, there’s no need to pay a lot for such cables, but do choose a reputable brand. Make sure to check what kind of HDMI output connector your camera uses, be it micro, mini or regular HDMI. If you want something sturdier, take a look at something like this clamped articulating arm from Fantaseal, or if you don’t mind a few holes in your desk, this model from Arkon.You might also need either a USB Type C or HDMI cable, depending on your hardware. Just be aware that it’s pretty easy to knock over your several thousand-dollar camera and lens if it’s set up that way. You may already have a tripod or a desk-friendly Gorillapod-type device that will do the job. Use Video Camera As Webcam Install The BetaYou download and install the beta software, restart (ugh) then connect your compatible Canon camera to your computer using a USB cable. Most of those are fairly recent, like the EOS R, EOS 5D Mark IV, Rebel T7i, EOS M6 Mark II and Powershot SX70 HS (for a complete list, check here).As shown in the video above, setup is relatively simple. Canon recently unveiled the beta EOS Webcam Utility software (Windows only) that allows you to output video from select models directly to your PC. And while you can input to a USB port, most cameras can’t convert video to an IP (streaming) signal.Many Canon and Nikon models can stream video without too much effort, however, so let’s start with those. That means you can’t plug a camera into your HDMI port because it’s only capable of outputting not inputting video. Suffice to say, I put them to shame during our weekly meeting (above).While Nikon doesn’t seem to have a webcam utility, you can go hardware-free with an app called SparkoCam (Windows only). With my loaner Canon EOS R and a 50mm f/1.2 portrait lens, I got a cinematic image with awesome background bokeh, which looked so good that my Engadget colleagues accused me of using a fake background. And because it takes a while to process the camera signal, your video image will be slightly behind your audio — by about a quarter second, in my case.Still, the results were worth it. You can’t use your Canon camera’s built in microphone (nor an external microphone), so you’ll need a headset or external mic. Now, when you open Zoom, Hangouts or any other video conferencing app, you can select EOS Webcam Utility Beta as your web camera.There are a few caveats, here. Keyboard shortcut for screenshot of window on macThe free app also puts an ugly watermark on your video, so you’ll need to pay a minimum $50 for a Canon or Nikon license. As with Canon’s utility, audio from your camera isn’t available, so you’ll need a headset or external mic and will have the same sync issues. When you open a video conferencing app, SparkoCam Video appears in your list of webcams. (SparkoSoft keeps a comprehensive list of supported models here.)To use it, you download and install the utility, then plug in and select your camera. You’ll find that the video and audio are out of sync by as much as a half a second, but OBS will let you delay the audio so the video can catch up.Then, when you go into Zoom, Skype and other apps, you’ll see OBS-camera as one of the webcam options. Finally, you turn OBS Studio itself into a webcam by setting it to output as a virtual camera (I did warn you that it was a kludge). Then, you can expand and move the video until it’s centered in the screen. Once you have video, then you need to use OBS Studio and add Display Capture as an input source. On your PC or Mac, you’re going to need Sony or Canon’s remote software, OBS Studio open-source streaming software and the OBS virtual cam plugin.To make this work, you first stream the Sony or Canon cameras to your computer using the remote software. First off, you’ll need a recent Sony model (including later RX100 models, A7R II and up, A7 III, A7S II and A6300 and later) that has a PC remote option under the USB connections menu. Most of the time, you just need to install the included software, plug your camera into the capture card then plug the capture card into the USB port on your computer.Once set up, any video conference app should recognize your camera as a webcam both on Mac and PC computers. The challenge is that just as with webcams, many of these items are out of stock due to the lockdown.If you can get your hands on one, however, they’re pretty easy to use. Other good models include the $100 IOGear HDMI to USB Video Capture Adapter, the $199 Blackmagic Design Intensity Shuttle, $239 Elgato Game Capture HD60s or if you want a lot of fancy switching features, Blackmagic Design’s $295 ATEM Mini (above). What you need is a USB capture device that takes the HDMI signal from your camera and converts it to a streaming USB video signal.I’d recommend the $129 Elgato Cam Link 4K, as it’s well supported and relatively cheap. For a more precise description, see this video.If you own another camera, you’ll likely need to splurge $100 and up on some extra hardware. If you really need your PC, you can use Android or iOS devices with your computer via apps like DroidCam (Android) or EpocCam (iOS). A smartphone is another option, as most video conferencing apps work on phones, too. It will stay in sync with the video and you’ll also get a lot less lag than you would with the software-only solutions mentioned above.Doing this is a lot of trouble and possibly expense, so is it worth it? For some folks, a webcam is certainly the least amount of hassle (if you can get one). ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorDavid ArchivesCategories |