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Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

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Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#431

Post by Pamar »

I haven't read the whole thread, so maybe I am just repeating a point someone else made.

I draw as a hobby; during the pandemic, lots of people started hosting art posing sessions over Zoom (here is an example of one of my sessions, model was in Mexico - I live in Europe: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb8WpdEAsOk/?utm_source=ig_web_c...) so I was interested in this article because it looked like something that could make a difference for some of the studios/models I worked with.

Well... it is not really practical. Models do not have large budgets for a start, and are not necessarily tech savvy enough to put together something like this or make it work reliably.

Some places do combined live/online sessions (artists are in the room with the model and there is also a camera for people drawing remotely). I sincerely doubt that this would be of use even for studios.

I believe that online modeling could be a valid use case, but the cost/hassle ratio makes it absolutely impractical for anyone who could be even remotely interested in something like this.

In other words: as the article itself mentions at the start "The market for decent quality webcams seems to be non-existent". Just like "build your AV". It may be an interesting project for a blog post, but it is really improbable that anyone else would try to replicate the endeavor.

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#433

Post by jephson »

Pamar wrote: post #431

I haven't read the whole thread, so maybe I am just repeating a point someone else made. I draw as a hobby; during the pandemic, lots of people started hosting art posing sessions over Zoom (here is an example of one of my sessions, model was in Mexico - I live in Europe: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb8WpdEAsOk/?utm_source=ig_web_c... ) so I was interested in this article because it looked like something that could m…

> really improbable that anyone else would try to replicate the endeavor.

Not so, this week I bought one of the cameras mentioned in the article for the same purpose.

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#434

Post by nextlevelwizard »

Is it any wonder that $70 webcam gets out performed by $1200 camera (and that is without a lens!)

My Covid solution was a GoPro 9. Which was like $500, so still way more expensive than the $70 webcam in question, but still way cheaper than any kind of "proper" camera. Sadly the GoPro as a Webcam can only output 1080p even though solo it can record 4K, but since it usually record very wide fish-eye in the webcame mode you can crop to a more sensible "narrow" view that mimics traditional lenses (and since we are cropping 1080 out of 4K the image is still crisp).

Of course I can't recommend buying a GoPro to just be a webcam, but if you are not into traditional photographing as a hobby (I think my iPhone does the job well enough that I can't justify spending thousands on DSLR and lenses) GoPro is a neat gimmick camera you can attach to various other hobby projects and it still works as decent webcam.

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#435

Post by sakopov »

I do landscape photography and I've repurposed my (fairly dated) DSLR for work meetings. I have a Nikon D600 with Elgato Cam Link 4K capture card and AF-S 70-200mm lens. The lens gives a nice bokeh in the background. It's been great for meetings but the camera does tend to run hot if I leave it on for several hours and shut off, which is expected considering how old the body is. Still love how crisp the image is and do recommend DSLRs for this use if you have one laying around.

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#437

Post by mrdonbrown »

BeefWellington wrote: post #427
mrdonbrown wrote: post #56

I'm surprised no one has mentioned using a teleprompter yet. You can pick one up for around $100 and when combined with a little 7" monitor (another $100) attached to your computer, creates a nice setup for zoom calls where you can look directly at your partner. Also doubles as a great talking head setup for video production.

The Youtube channel DIY Perks has a video making essentially a homemade teleprompter mod for a laptop with very cheap materials.[1] I've thought about getting a proper teleprompter but my issue there would be screen space and lighting. Has this worked well with a decently inexpensive webcam or do you use a full-on streaming/production type camera setup? [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AecAXinars

I haven't tried using the teleprompter with a webcam, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. I use a Sony a6600 myself, with a Sigma 16mm/f1.4 prime lense.

Regardless, I recommend capturing in 4k, and running that through OBS so you can zoom/crop the image for ideal framing, optional of course.

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#438

Post by Tomte »

osener wrote: post #303
NikolaNovak wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hi - I assume your question is which webcam did I use for narrow FOV - for actual camera, it's trivial to pick a lens or zoom :). I ended up getting Logitech Brio. It's expensive for a webcam, and honestly I'm a bit peeved - I don't feel I am getting my money's worth in terms of image quality. The software is also absolutely atrocious, so I don't really use it. But it is the best compromise of image quality and FOV t…

I find the LogiTune software good enough for managing my Brio webcam. Certainly less buggy and frustrating on Mac than some other official software I tried previously. https://www.logitech.com/en-us/video-collaboration/software/...

Unfortunately, the C920s resets all its setting when losing power.

I'm using it on my home computer and my work laptop, but don't want to install the software on the work laptop. So I must live with the extremely wide FOV there.

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#439

Post by woojoo666 »

randomdata wrote: post #396
spicybright wrote: post #350

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

> Disagree. You still get a ton from a low res image of a person vs a static image. Like what? Having worked from home since the time when (affordable) connections were too slow for anything but text, it's questionable if audio even brings any value. I never watch any video streams that may be present on calls. They are, while a fun novelty, useless. > Why would my coworkers need to see the individual pores on my nos…

People aren't shooting movies, they are just conveying mood and nuance through facial expressions, which is essentially an extra channel of communication that we have evolved to use efficiently. If a team finds that certain discussions go better with video/audio, using a simple web cam will certainly be better than dismissing it entirely jusy because people don't have professional setups

Re: Using a "proper" camera as a webcam

#440

Post by Abishek_Muthian »

NikolaNovak wrote: post #282
skrbjc wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What camera did you end up with that had a narrow FOV?

Hi - I assume your question is which webcam did I use for narrow FOV - for actual camera, it's trivial to pick a lens or zoom :). I ended up getting Logitech Brio. It's expensive for a webcam, and honestly I'm a bit peeved - I don't feel I am getting my money's worth in terms of image quality. The software is also absolutely atrocious, so I don't really use it. But it is the best compromise of image quality and FOV t…

Considering Logitech hit a goldmine during pandemic induced lock-downs by selling >10 year old webcams at premium, I don't see any reason for them to innovate or at least improve their products in near term.

Perhaps we've overestimated the need-gap[1] for good quality webcams? Most people seem to be just fine with mediocre webcams for that video call in which their video is anyways going to be compressed and resized to small window if there are multiple participants.

That doesn't mean I didn't waste my time in trying to build a better webcam like others here, I tried to convert a old point-and-shoot into a webcam using CHDK firmware but I couldn't find a way to get the video stream.

[1] 'Make entry level webcam better' - https://needgap.com/problems/185-make-entry-level-webcam-bet... (Disclosure: I run this problem validation forum)

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