using a canon dslr as a webcam

[DanK]

I'm stuck until June with only a very poor webcam, so I decided to try using one of my dslrs. I jury-rigged a tripod mount that holds my 7D almost in the right place, and with Canon's EOS utility I get a great video feed on my monitor. However, it's not recognized as a webcam. There are numerous web pages that say that the solution is to install free software, but I don't want to install something I know nothing about. Has anyone done this and have a safe solution?

thanks

[inkista]

If you're talking about the open source Camera Live/CamTwist solution, I was reckless and just installed 'em on my MBP and tried it; no go. Camera Live wouldn't recognize my 5DMkII or 50D as attached cameras. (I'm on Sierra, 10.12 on my ancient MBP). CamTwist, btw, hasn't been updated in over seven years, so I knew the chances of it working were slim.

eCamm Live supposedly works, so their free trial might be worth a go, but I'm not about to pay a $15/mo. subscription to use it past the 14-day free trial/get rid of the watermark.

The only other path if you can't do Canon USB is to get a video capture device for HDMI, and that requires a camera that can do "clean" HDMI output (i.e., outputs to HDMI without control overlays). 7D can't, 7Dii can. You typically need a prosumer camera within the last two generations to get clean HDMI output. You connect the HDMI to an HDMI-to-USB capture device. If it's an Elgato Camlink 4K (which, btw, is completely sold out/out of stock everywhere, 'cause we are clearly the last people to think to do this ), then it identifies as a webcam to the operating system, and you can simply select the Camlink in whatever video conferencing software you're using.

If you don't get the Camlink (or similarly capable device), then you may need additional software to trick the computer into thinking the USB video stream is from a webcam.

I finally gave up and just blew $20 on ecamm's iGlasses, so I could at least fix the #%@!ing exposure, white balance, and tint on the iSight camera.

[DanK]

Thanks. I think I should give up and live with a blurry webcam until my new one arrives. That will be a few months because I wasn't the first person to think of that either.

[Manfred M]

Dan - have you seen this? It looks like Canon is putting out some software to turn Canon DSLRs and other cameras so that they can function as webcams.



https://www.dpreview.com/news/479604...or-windows-pcs

I'm not sure if it covers your camera.

[DanK]

Manfred,

thanks. Yes, I saw it yesterday. Unfortunately, it doesn't work with all cameras, and sensibly enough, they have started with current models. Both of my bodies are one generation out of date. However, their website implies that support for more bodies is forthcoming, and they allow you to sign up for an email notification when that happens.

Dan

[Donald]

Both of my bodies are one generation out of date.

When you say, Dan, that they've started with current models, what do you mean. Is the 5DS in the 'current' stable or is it too old?

ps - Of course, I could look on the camera's software site.

[DanK]

Donald,

I believe it’s included. I have a 5D III and a 7D, neither of which is yet.

Dan


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[Mitranescu]

Maybe this will help you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE3dHiicCC8

[DanK]

Maybe this will help you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE3dHiicCC8

Thanks very much. However, I want to do this without installing software other than Canon software. Since I posted, Canon has released software for this, but not yet for my model of camera. Maybe in the end I will give up and install camera twist, which is the software in the video.

thanks again

[tao2]

I'm stuck until June with only a very poor webcam, so I decided to try using one of my dslrs. I jury-rigged a tripod mount that holds my 7D almost in the right place, and with Canon's EOS utility I get a great video feed on my monitor. However, it's not recognized as a webcam. There are numerous web pages that say that the solution is to install free software, but I don't want to install something I know nothing about. Has anyone done this and have a safe solution?

thanks

Hi Dan,

Ye may be in luck. I subscribe to "The Friedman Archive". a monthy, free newsletter/blog which deals (mostly) with Minolta/Sony. This month is "Turning your camera into a high quality webcam"...here...
https://friedmanarchives.blogspot.co...lity.html#more. Been using free software since ZX meant a Spectrum. Honestly, never had a problem (and I'm a proud Windows user). Take sensible precautions, investigate software yourself, ask on forums or manufacturers.

Dunno if ye have to join the newsletter (as I said, - it's free)

Ah'm away to read it myself.

Cheers,

[DanK]

Boab,

Thanks. at this point, I'm going to wait; once Canon revises its new software to work on one of my bodies, I won't have to do anything but plug a USB cable in. Meantime, I'll make do with a blurry webcam.

Thanks again

Dan

[Manfred M]

I'll make do with a blurry webcam.

Given what we are seeing with a reduction in bandwidth during the COVID-10 shutdown, I suspect a higher quality camera isn't going to buy you much.

The last video conference I was one had terrible video and my nominally 175Mbps speed was running between 30 and 40 Mbps. I suspect it is all the people streaming video as my upload speed is close to normal speeds.

[DanK]

Good point. And now that you point this out, I realize that if I do get this working, I should reduce resolution for video meetings.

My initial interest wasn't in higher resolution. On my main computer, I have only an old, poorly functioning webcam that can't focus at the appropriate distance. I was looking simply to have a camera focused on my face, rather than on my hair lights and umbrella 3 m behind me. Since decent webcams have gone the way of toilet paper and hand cleaner, I thought I would try to make do while waiting for a new one by hooking up my old 7D.

[inkista]

Ok, just for those of us with older Canon cameras I finally got the Camera Link / CamTwist thing to work with my ancient 5DMk II and even more ancient MacBook Pro (OSX 10.12 (Sierra). Yes, I'm a dinosaur who never updates) and Zoom [v5], thanks to this youtube video, which is outlining how someone else did this with their Fuji X-T2.



Basically, this should work for most cameras that can do liveview USB tethering. Since USB tethering is used, there's no need for clean HDMI output or a capture card to turn the HDMI into USB.

Camera Live can create a syphon source out of the USB tethering liveview, and CamTwist can turn that into a USB camera source you can select in other applications.

The bit I was missing the first time I tried this, was removing a signing restriction on Zoom (I haven't tried it for any other video conferencing apps). This requires you to type in a command line thing on the terminal, and it requires the codesign command is installed. The instructions on the Youtube video basically start with "install XCode", which is the OSX development suite. I had it installed already, but if you don't, I know you probably have terminal in Applications/Utilities; and if you type in the command "which codesign" it'll tell you either the path where it's installed (mine's in /usr/bin), or if it's not installed.

But the command you use is:

sudo codesign --remove-signature /Applications/zoom.us.app/

Took maybe ten seconds to run on my box.

Then, you download and install Camera Live (open source), and CamTwist [free; but no new development since 2013].

You hook up your camera to the computer with USB, as if you were tethering. Don't use a video drive mode. Use a regular single-shot mode you'd use for tethering.

Then you launch Camera Live, and hopefully your camera is one of the supported ones. Wait until Camera Live tells you your camera is active.

Then you launch CamTwist, and in the Main Window, highlight Syphon as a video source, press the Select button, and then from the Settings "Syphon Server" drop-down, select Camera Live.

From there, you can launch Zoom, and select CamTwist as your video source.

I've had it not work a couple times, but basically quitting everything, unplugging and turning off the camera, and starting over can fix it.

You can also adjust the resolution/frame rate in the CamTwist preferences, but if you do that, you'll have to quit everything and relaunch.

Good luck!

P.S. It looks like all the AC power adapters are backordered until July. [facepalm].

[inkista]

Bwah-ha-ha!

Canon see, Fuji do.

https://fujifilm-x.com/en-us/webcam-support/

Windows 10 required; following Fuji cameras supported:

• GFX100, GFX50S, GFX50R
• X-T4, X-T3, X-T2
• X-H1
• X-Pro3, X-Pro2

[inkista]

Not that anybody's following along but removing code signing is no longer required with Zoom v5.1.1. I think. I already did it, so I can't tell definitively.

Also, I discovered I don't need CamTwist since my $20 eCamm iGlasses app can take a Syphon feed from Camera Live directly, and this works on FaceTime, which CamTwist won't. I've also discovered a whole bunch of other ways you can use a dSLR or mirrorless camera as a webcam (most camera makes, both Windows and Mac), and encapsulated it on stackexchange here: https://photo.stackexchange.com/ques...ra-as-a-webcam

Panasonic, btw, has joined the party: https://www.panasonic.com/global/con...mixtether.html

[DanK]

My problem was solved. First, I finally got my Logitech C920 webcam, and it's high enough quality that I no longer have any reason to use my DSLR. In a 6-person Zoom meeting Tuesday, my image was by far the sharpest of the lot. In addition, I swapped my 5D III for a 5D IV, so if I ever do want to use a DSLR, Canon's software will let me do it simply, with no other equipment or software.

[inkista]

Hey, "buy newer gear" is always a valid solution.

BTW, Olympus has now joined the party: https://learnandsupport.getolympus.c...-d-webcam-beta

But Nikon just tells you to use 3rd party software/devices, and not a peep out of Sony so far.