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Sony cameras can now be used as webcams for Mac

support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp

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Re: Sony cameras can now be used as webcams for Mac

#21

Post by beagle3 »

52-6F-62 wrote: post #11
gonehome wrote: post #6

It's kind of wild to me how there's such a product vacuum for this stuff. I've dug around and the only real option is an HDMI capture card paired with a decent camera (I read this Sony software option is lower quality, but at least it's progress). LG camera setups target businesses and are generally overpriced crap (I have one - the LG meetup) with proprietary connections and mediocre cameras, and crappy mics/softwar…

There was the Canon EOS solution they published the beta for earlier this year. I have an old Rebel T5 that I decided to try out, even though official support bottomed out at the T6. No capture card required, just the EOS Webcam utility and a USB connection. It runs very slowly, though. The latency is bad and so is the frame rate, though the picture itself is great. I've heard that reported for many supported cameras…

eos-movrec project worked perfectly on my old T3i on Linux, and I guess it still does.

Re: Sony cameras can now be used as webcams for Mac

#22

Post by samatman »

ValentineC wrote: post #8
gonehome wrote: post #6

It's kind of wild to me how there's such a product vacuum for this stuff. I've dug around and the only real option is an HDMI capture card paired with a decent camera (I read this Sony software option is lower quality, but at least it's progress). LG camera setups target businesses and are generally overpriced crap (I have one - the LG meetup) with proprietary connections and mediocre cameras, and crappy mics/softwar…

This might be for different uses, but I'd rather Apple bring their iPhone front camera to the MacBooks. It's crazy that MacBook cameras still top out at 720p.

I don't think they can, is the thing. My iPhone is at least three times as thick as the screen of my MacBook, and I'd be surprised if they aren't using at least some of that depth on the front camera.

What I would like to see is official support for using the back iPhone cameras as a webcam, but I don't expect to: it looks like Apple wants to remove the last port on the phones, no matter how dumb an idea that might be, and then they'd have to deprecate this feature, which would draw attention to the loss of functionality such a silly move would entail.

I really hope I'm wrong about this implication of the new MacSafe, the idea of owning a phone with no wired connection just makes me nervous. But it would be in character for the company.

Re: Sony cameras can now be used as webcams for Mac

#23

Post by heavymark »

When they originally announced the Windows version there was a lot of fine print such as the resolution being horribly low. I don't see that listed this time at least on this page, so was wondering if that was resolved, or just more hidden now? I use the 4K Cam Usb stick and get full resolution and works great with Sony A7Riv though ideally of course always nicer to have one less thing to plugin but sounds like this isn't meant to come close to competing with those options but rather just better than nothing?

Re: Sony cameras can now be used as webcams for Mac

#25

Post by 52-6F-62 »

deanclatworthy wrote: post #12
52-6F-62 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was the Canon EOS solution they published the beta for earlier this year. I have an old Rebel T5 that I decided to try out, even though official support bottomed out at the T6. No capture card required, just the EOS Webcam utility and a USB connection. It runs very slowly, though. The latency is bad and so is the frame rate, though the picture itself is great. I've heard that reported for many supported cameras…

https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/support/se... > This Software is for use in the U.S. and will not be supported outside that area > Subscription to a third party service required. What on earth reason could they have for this being US only. Absolutely ludicrous.

I'm guessing that statement is there only for liability reasons.

Canon Canada just tells me to go to Canon USA and to use that software!

https://canon.ca/en/Features/EOS-Webcam-Utility

No subscription required for me. It installs the driver, restart your machine, then the camera is ready to use.

Re: Sony cameras can now be used as webcams for Mac

#26

Post by floatingatoll »

m463 wrote: post #4

I've plugged lots of webcams into a mac and they just work. I think apple must use a standard protocol. chances are they work on mac, they'll work on linux too.

It's a custom driver for Mac, so it will not just work without additional driver support of some sort. There is a standard USB webcam protocol, which the cameras' firmware does not implement, in favor of this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24793187

Re: Sony cameras can now be used as webcams for Mac

#27

Post by gonehome »

samatman wrote: post #22
ValentineC wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This might be for different uses, but I'd rather Apple bring their iPhone front camera to the MacBooks. It's crazy that MacBook cameras still top out at 720p.

I don't think they can, is the thing. My iPhone is at least three times as thick as the screen of my MacBook, and I'd be surprised if they aren't using at least some of that depth on the front camera. What I would like to see is official support for using the back iPhone cameras as a webcam, but I don't expect to: it looks like Apple wants to remove the last port on the phones, no matter how dumb an idea that might b…

The port is definitely going, but maybe they'll put a magnet in the MBP lid so you can snap your iPhone onto the lid with the camera facing you over the top?

Not really their style though.

Re: Sony cameras can now be used as webcams for Mac

#28

Post by wlesieutre »

samatman wrote: post #22
ValentineC wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This might be for different uses, but I'd rather Apple bring their iPhone front camera to the MacBooks. It's crazy that MacBook cameras still top out at 720p.

I don't think they can, is the thing. My iPhone is at least three times as thick as the screen of my MacBook, and I'd be surprised if they aren't using at least some of that depth on the front camera. What I would like to see is official support for using the back iPhone cameras as a webcam, but I don't expect to: it looks like Apple wants to remove the last port on the phones, no matter how dumb an idea that might b…

Not official, and no personal experience with it, but it sounds like this is what you want:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/epoccam-webcam-for-mac-and-pc/...

> Just download drivers to your PC/Mac and you're ready to go! Connection is fully automatic, no need for manual setup. You can connect wirelessly over WiFi network or with with a USB-cable.

Re: Sony cameras can now be used as webcams for Mac

#29

Post by Ambroos »

fudged71 wrote: post #5

Seems like a very limited selection of A-mounts, sadly

The A mount is practically dead, it's been surpassed by the full frame E-mount. Only somewhat recent Sony cameras are supported by the webcam driver, and there simply aren't many recent A-mount cameras.

Re: Sony cameras can now be used as webcams for Mac

#30

Post by atombender »

Is there a way to use this with MacBook Pro without having to invest in an expensive HDMI capture card? The cheapest (reputable) HDMI cards I can find are around $100, many are much more expensive, and they often have features I don't need. I just want a straight HDMI to USB-C.
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