How to use your DSLR from 2008 as a webcam in 2022 (NixOS)
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Re: How to use your DSLR from 2008 as a webcam in 2022 (NixOS)
#2Any restrictions about how long you can keep it turned on? I tried to do this but found I'd need to flash the cam's firmware to override the 10min recording limit.
(I read that cameras which can record longer are taxed as video cameras, so they're deliberately crippled)
Re: How to use your DSLR from 2008 as a webcam in 2022 (NixOS)
#3Any restrictions about how long you can keep it turned on? I tried to do this but found I'd need to flash the cam's firmware to override the 10min recording limit. (I read that cameras which can record longer are taxed as video cameras, so they're deliberately crippled)
Normally you can leave live view (768x512 resolution, 0.4 MP in this case, usually not much higher for modern cameras) running indefinitely. Besides the low resolution especially on older cameras the readout for live view will use pixel skipping to conserve power at the expense of quality. This is why "the pro streamers" don't use the live view image, but instead go the HDMI-to-UVC route using the camera's video mode.
Re: How to use your DSLR from 2008 as a webcam in 2022 (NixOS)
#4Note if the author reads this (perfect is the enemy of good, feel free to ignore): You can make udev run systemd services directly, replacing RUN=... by e.g. TAG+="systemd", ENV{SYSTEMD_WANTS}+="foo.service"
That might require you also remove the 'enabled = true' for the service, and make sure gphoto2 dies when the camera is unplugged?
Anyway, it was a nice read :)
Re: How to use your DSLR from 2008 as a webcam in 2022 (NixOS)
#5Any restrictions about how long you can keep it turned on? I tried to do this but found I'd need to flash the cam's firmware to override the 10min recording limit. (I read that cameras which can record longer are taxed as video cameras, so they're deliberately crippled)
Did you read the article? The author's camera can't record video at all. He uses software that creates video from static images taken by the camera.
Re: How to use your DSLR from 2008 as a webcam in 2022 (NixOS)
#6Any restrictions about how long you can keep it turned on? I tried to do this but found I'd need to flash the cam's firmware to override the 10min recording limit. (I read that cameras which can record longer are taxed as video cameras, so they're deliberately crippled)
Normally you can leave live view (768x512 resolution, 0.4 MP in this case, usually not much higher for modern cameras) running indefinitely. Besides the low resolution especially on older cameras the readout for live view will use pixel skipping to conserve power at the expense of quality. This is why "the pro streamers" don't use the live view image, but instead go the HDMI-to-UVC route using the camera's video mode…
Unfortunately most cameras do not provide "clean" HDMI output. That is, the HDMI output contains camera UI symbols like focus points, battery state, lighting, etc. Configuration options to disable those UI symbols are generally not available, at best one can disable some of them. A model with "clean" HDMI is usually more expensive and you have to explicitly look for it as a feature.
Live view readout via USB is something that works far more often than HDMI.
Re: How to use your DSLR from 2008 as a webcam in 2022 (NixOS)
#7Note if the author reads this (perfect is the enemy of good, feel free to ignore): You can make udev run systemd services directly, replacing RUN=... by e.g. TAG+="systemd", ENV{SYSTEMD_WANTS}+="foo.service" That might require you also remove the 'enabled = true' for the service, and make sure gphoto2 dies when the camera is unplugged? Anyway, it was a nice read :)
Wow thanks for the suggestion! I knew there must be some way to do it with fewer steps but didn't quite figure out what it was so I really appreciate this comment.
When I get a chance I'll test what you said out!
Re: How to use your DSLR from 2008 as a webcam in 2022 (NixOS)
#8Any restrictions about how long you can keep it turned on? I tried to do this but found I'd need to flash the cam's firmware to override the 10min recording limit. (I read that cameras which can record longer are taxed as video cameras, so they're deliberately crippled)
Even on long video calls (1-2 hours) I haven't had any problems but have not tested anything longer than that.
Re: How to use your DSLR from 2008 as a webcam in 2022 (NixOS)
#9Any restrictions about how long you can keep it turned on? I tried to do this but found I'd need to flash the cam's firmware to override the 10min recording limit. (I read that cameras which can record longer are taxed as video cameras, so they're deliberately crippled)
Did you read the article? The author's camera can't record video at all. He uses software that creates video from static images taken by the camera.
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Re: How to use your DSLR from 2008 as a webcam in 2022 (NixOS)
#10If you have an iPhone+mac you can use continuity camera which is pretty seamless in comparison: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213244