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Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

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Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#341

Post by bradlys »

scyzoryk_xyz wrote: post #335
tjpd wrote: post #320

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Respectfully, I have to disagree. I have a similar setup to the one in the article (Sony A6400 + Simga 30mm f1.4) and the difference in image quality is dramatic _even over Zoom_. It is such an improvement that, in my experience, almost every first meeting that I have with someone over Zoom the other participant will remark on how good my picture is. The perception of "quality" has little to do with resolution issues…

The lens and sensor makes the biggest difference here - paints a completely different picture due to capturing light in the way were used to seeing in tv and film.

> The lens and sensor makes the biggest difference here - paints a completely different picture due to capturing light in the way were used to seeing in tv and film.

Not really true. It's often editing + lighting that really has the strongest effect.

$100k cameras can take dogshit videos and photos when you don't know how to edit them properly or know how to light the shot.

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#342

Post by dekhn »

thinkmassive wrote: post #333
dekhn wrote: post #134

I have an alternative approach that I discovered recently while building a microscope with a webcam driven by linux. Nearly all modern cheap webcams are UVC-compatible and they work with linux. Different models expose different functionalities, but I ended up with this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R489K8L It does 1600x1200 25FPS YUYV (as well as a wide range of other resolutions and FPS) uses the C/CS-mount lens sta…

I have a very similar hardware setup and love it. What benefits does OBS provide for your video conferencing? If it’s worth the extra hassle I might need to look into adding it.

I use it for the chroma keying in VC software that doesn't support it, like Meet (which has a machine learning system that tries to identify the background). I often present other windows and using OBS is often more ergonomic than connecting and presenting a second window; I can composite a transparent version of my head over what i'm presenting. Or present my whole screen, etc. Basically, twitch streaming for video games and other stuff changed how I do VC.

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#344

Post by dekhn »

htgb wrote: post #272
dekhn wrote: post #134

I have an alternative approach that I discovered recently while building a microscope with a webcam driven by linux. Nearly all modern cheap webcams are UVC-compatible and they work with linux. Different models expose different functionalities, but I ended up with this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R489K8L It does 1600x1200 25FPS YUYV (as well as a wide range of other resolutions and FPS) uses the C/CS-mount lens sta…

I looked at similar cameras a while ago (Mokose brand), but never got around to it because I was unsure of the lens. Especially field of view (is it wide enough angle?), but also overall quality. I saw a sample somewhere with a dark ring along the edges of the final image. Did you have any issues with that? Do you have a rough approximation of what zoom setting you're using and what FOV it gives? I'd love to get a be…

I didn't have good luck with the included lens for web camming. It's a zoom lens with focus and aperture, which is silly for most video conferencing.

Alternative C- and CS-mount lenses are easy to buy https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Aperture-Compatible-Mirrorless... and will focus near your face and have plenty of light. People will say your background blur is amazing.

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#346

Post by dekhn »

eropple wrote: post #147
actually_a_dog wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This looks like it should compare favorably to the "real" camera + HDMI capture card solution. The lens is always the most important part of any camera setup, so if you get the right lens, you're probably gold.

Ehh. After a certain point that's true, but a lens doesn't help much with a garbage sensor, particularly one that has to be compensated for with huge exposure changes. (This is the core of why webcams are disappointing, not the lens.) I use a GH4 or G9 with a USB3HDCAP at my desk because I already have them and the glass, personally, and I know the sensor is not going to be a trailing problem behind the (cheap!) glas…

The sensor is an IMX179 which is a mainstay. I believe the sensor area is smaller, and probably higher noise than a DSLR or mirrorless, but for VC use, it's probably not going to make a difference.

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#347

Post by nickpeterson »

JoshTriplett wrote: post #185
E4YomzYIN5YEBKe wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That appears to be what the Opal C1 is doing. https://opalcamera.com/

That looks great, except for being mac-only. Have they given any indication about whether it'll be a standard UVC camera and Just Work on all platforms?

Also it isn’t available to actually buy. I’m sure they’ll be ready just in time for pandemic to end and macbooks to have better webcams…

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#348

Post by straws »

gernb wrote: post #114
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)

If you have one of the newer magsafe iPhones, you can attach one of these to the wall (front camera) or the back of your monitor (back cameras):

https://www.shopmoment.com/products/wall-mount-for-magsafe/s...

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#349

Post by klodolph »

outworlder wrote: post #323
klodolph wrote: post #299

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Is a XLR microphone worth the cost increase - for meetings, not streaming(or youtube creation)? I'm not sure how to quantify it, and I've not used USB microphones. By the time USB microphones appeared on the market, I already had microphones and there was no reason to downgrade. My point of reference is the Shure SM57 / SM58 (which are very similar). The SM57/SM58 is dirt cheap at $100, extremely reliable, and has…

Thanks for the great response. I care enough to want to upgrade my work-issued Plantronics headset. Not enough to spend $500 doing so. $250? Possibly since it's a one-time investment, as long as there's a significant upgrade that can still be perceived in low bandwidth online meetings. One thing I would like to avoid is the 'youtuber' setup. Ideally I'd like the microphone to be able to pick up my voice without it it…

Fair. I'd prefer to call it the "Johnny Carson" setup, though!

Microphone placement is a massive subject by itself. The basic idea is that you make the signal loud by moving the microphone reasonably close to your voice and point it at your mouth, and simultaneously, the part that people forget, you put the microphone far away from noise sources and pointing away from them. This second part is what built-in laptop microphones are especially bad at. (Note that microphones have different pickup patterns, so pointing "away" from a source means different things to different mics, and it's irrelevant for omnidirectional mics.)

Depending on the camera set up, you can put something like an SM57 just out of frame and still have it be fairly close to your mouth, away from noise. A boom arm or mic stand will help. Setting your mic on the desk can work but this will pick up vibrations from the desk.

Other common setups are lavalier microphones, headset microphones, and shotgun microphones. Fair to assume you're not using a shotgun microphone.

Lav mics are simple and unobtrusive. TV hosts use them a lot. (You can see that late night TV hosts have a lav mic in addition to the desk mic... 99% of the time, you're hearing the lav mic, and the desk mic is off.) Headset mics give you more consistent and clear sound, with more freedom of movement, which is why singers and presenters use them a lot. Beware that cheap lav / headset mics will sound as bad as your laptop microphone, just with less background noise. You can watch reviews on YouTube for these kind of mics and decide if you want to try one out.

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#350

Post by spicybright »

randomdata wrote: post #321
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> He was probably using software, like Canon's Webcam Utility, to stream his camera's HDMI OUT to his computer instead of using a capture card. No, he was using an HDMI capture card and trying to do things with OBS. > Startup takes me, like, 30 seconds: turn key and fill lights on, turn camera on, press hotkey to start OBS, Krisp and Zoom, turn on video. Which is all great and fine if you've got it perfected and you'…

If you don’t need a “pro” setup for the Zoom call, you don’t need video at all. Nobody cares to see your low resolution, grainy face.

Disagree. You still get a ton from a low res image of a person vs a static image.

Same way how you get a lot from talking face to face vs talking on the phone.

Why would my coworkers need to see the individual pores on my nose anyways?

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