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Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

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Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#111

Post by moduspol »

delinom wrote: post #110
moduspol wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just failed at this recently. Apparently the camera needs to support "clean HDMI out," which many don't. Mine (for example) has HDMI out, but it's for like a "preview" screen for a photographer--it doesn't just output a clean, high-res HDMI stream. There's a web page on Canon's site here: https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/support/se... You'll see one list of cameras on there, but at the bottom, you…

Custom software, such as Magic Lantern[1] for Canon cameras, can offer clean HDMI out for certain models, among other features. [1] https://magiclantern.fm/

It can, though it doesn't seem to support my Rebel T7 either.

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#112

Post by sudosysgen »

ldayley wrote: post #42

One thing that I’ve been trying to educate my colleagues about (including the A/V folks!) is that one can bypass the need to fiddle with drivers by using a generic hardware HDMI -> USB video conversion stick utilizing the mirrorless/DSLR’s HDMI output. It’ll mount as a generic video input that Zoom/Teams/OBS can use. You can find these for $40-$100 and it allows one to switch out hardware brands at will without insta…

I even got one for 8$ on AliExpress, it's still working fine two years on :)

It's a bit limited in that it only does 1080p30 and it's not the best quality either.

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#113

Post by ISL »

moduspol wrote: post #111
delinom wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Custom software, such as Magic Lantern[1] for Canon cameras, can offer clean HDMI out for certain models, among other features. [1] https://magiclantern.fm/

It can, though it doesn't seem to support my Rebel T7 either.

For a T7, one can simply use Canon's webcam software.

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#114

Post by gernb »

cr3ative wrote: post #8

I'll put Reincubate Camo here as an option too - turns your iPhone in to a webcam. I was so impressed I bought a used iPhone to use solely as a webcam; the whole setup was cheaper than the Logitech C920 he mentions. The picture quality is great.

what stand/mount do you use and where is it on your setup? (right now I have crappy logitech hanging on to top of monitor)

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#115

Post by porphyra »

Hamcha wrote: post #75

Only tangentially related but if you already have a popular Logitech webcam (like the C920) chances are you can find a kit to mount C/CS/D-mount lenses on it, like with this one: https://www.kurokesu.com/shop/C920_REWORK_KIT2 C/CS/D mounts are for CCTV camera so you can find new and used lens for cheap. They will not fix a cheap/bad sensor, but they will definitely get you extra flexibility in what kind of framing/sh…

I got a Mokose UC70 USB C mount camera on Amazon. It's just a plug and play webcam but I mounted a Ricoh f/1.4 lens on it and it's fantastic. Much cheaper than getting a real mirrorless camera too.

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#116

Post by hkon »

ldayley wrote: post #42

One thing that I’ve been trying to educate my colleagues about (including the A/V folks!) is that one can bypass the need to fiddle with drivers by using a generic hardware HDMI -> USB video conversion stick utilizing the mirrorless/DSLR’s HDMI output. It’ll mount as a generic video input that Zoom/Teams/OBS can use. You can find these for $40-$100 and it allows one to switch out hardware brands at will without insta…

Yes, using this with my XT2. Works perfectly.

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#118

Post by moduspol »

ISL wrote: post #113
moduspol wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It can, though it doesn't seem to support my Rebel T7 either.

For a T7, one can simply use Canon's webcam software.

Kind of, yeah [1].

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31413073

EDIT: I mean it'd probably be OK if I were just shooting a video--I can fumble through it connecting unreliably, or just do another take if it unexpectedly disconnects. But I'm doing multiple video calls a day, and the webcam built-in to my monitor "just works" every time. It's tough to justify the additional complexity for something that isn't working reliably.

That's why I started leaning toward "Clean HDMI". With that method, as long as the HDMI capture device works, everything should "just work" on the Mac side, and as long as the camera can output clean HDMI, it should also "just work." I'm not dealing with a poorly-supported software webcam utility, special USB signaling, or annoying inactivity timeouts.

But it looks like I'll need a different camera, and it won't be cheap, but at least it's an option.

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#119

Post by Tomte »

awoodbeck wrote: post #12

Some camera manufacturers offer software that uses your mirrorless camera to emulate a webcam without requiring a capture card. For example, Fujifilm's X Webcam software[1] would allow the author to connect his X-S10 to his PC using a USB-C cable, and use it as a webcam. The downside is X Webcam lacks support for Linux. [1] https://fujifilm-x.com/global/products/software/x-webcam/

And my X-E3 is not supported, but the practically identical X-T2 is!

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#120

Post by JamesMcMinn »

I've been using an A6300 with a Sigma 16mm f1.4 lens (both of which I already had), mounted to the monitors stand using a basic clamp. It works great, looks fantastic [3] and I still get a lot of compliments for how good my video quality is.

One issue I did run into was getting a decent HDMI -> USB capture device that works with Linux. My first choice was a high end (~£200) ClonerAlliance Flint 4KP [1] which worked fine for Hangouts, but had issues with Zoom and actually seemed to get worse as time went on and it eventually became a bit of a joke as I tried to join calls and had to restart my camera, unplug cables, etc. just to get video. Eventually, I swapped it out for a cheap £15 no-name brand from Amazon and have had literally 0 issues since [2].

The biggest drawback to this sort of setup is that if you're using a camera you already own, it can be a pain to switch between using it as a camera and using it as a web cam, so I've essentially got an expensive camera that I don't get to use as a camera very often. The advantage of course is that even on a dark, rainy evening with nothing more than a small lamp hidden behind my monitor, the image still comes out looking great [3].

[1] https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07YY52YP6/

[2] https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09955PYSH/

[3] https://i.imgur.com/ReHStnV.png

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