Wanna take your webcam game from this...
to this...
but without paying for this?
And let’s be honest, that’s if you can even find stock available.
Not to worry, there are other options.
This is DIYin5!
Hey there!
I’m Trisha Hershberger and welcome to DIY in 5.
Buying webcams anywhere online or in store is still tough.
Plenty of places are out of stock and who knows when they’ll get some more in?
With remote classes and work a thing of the foreseeable future,
how about upgrading your system’s crappy built-in webcam?
Today’s episode is going to cover how to DIY a webcam
using a DSLR or mirrorless camera you already own.
If you find the tips in today’s video useful, please go ahead and like this video,
subscribe to this channel and ring that bell so that you don’t miss out on any future tech tips.
When looking at the pro level camera you already own, you might be thinking,
"why can’t I just connect the HDMI or USB from my camera directly into my computer
for Zoom calls or OBS streaming?"
Most computers do not come with a built-in capture card, so that HDMI port in your computer
can only output an HDMI signal, not take it in.
And while USB is capable of taking incoming data, most cameras will need a hardware or
software solution to convert your camera’s video into a streamable signal.
If the camera you are hoping to use as a webcam is a few years old
and from one of the bigger camera brands, you are in luck!
Many of the big camera brands have released free or built-in software that will convert
your camera video into a streamable signal.
Let’s start with Canon, who recently released their EOS Webcam Utility Beta software as a free download.
Huzzah!
To use it, you’ll need a compatible Canon camera, a USB cable to connect your camera
to your computer and a compatible computer operating system.
It’s worth noting that, while originally Windows only,
this software is now compatible with Mac OS as well.
It’s easy to setup.
Simply download and install the software, restart your computer, connect your camera
and the computer via a USB connection, set your camera to Movie Mode, and
then choose EOS Webcam Utility Beta software in your video conferencing program of choice and voila
- use your camera as your webcam.
Nikon has a similar solution in their software update called Webcam Utility Beta.
It’s Windows 10 only at the moment and will allow a camera,
connected via USB to function as a webcam.
Keep in mind, you’ll need to adjust any camera settings before connecting your compatible
Nikon camera to the PC, because once connected, you get what you get.
Simply install the software, plug in the camera and choose “Webcam Utility”
as the video source in your favorite web conferencing app.
Panasonic has a software called LUMIX Tether, but it was originally made for shooting so
it shows all of the graphic user interface visuals on screen for facial focus, etc.
Their new software, LUMIX Tether for Streaming, is still in beta,
but makes it possible to remove the GUI markers.
Like Nikon and Canon, this software is only compatible with certain models and only works
with certain operating systems, with both Mac and Windows versions of the software available.
Olympus’ software works - you guessed it - like the others we’ve mentioned.
Make sure you have a compatible model, download and install the software, connect via USB
and choose the new video input in your video chat service.
Note: Olympus’ software is currently Windows only.
Fuji’s webcam solution is a free firmware update for compatible models instead of a
software solution, and once you’ve updated the firmware on a compatible Fuji camera,
you can set the camera’s connection setting to USB Webcam by navigating to
Connection Settings, USB Mode, then USB Webcam.
Most camera settings are fixed in this mode including Auto Exposure, Pre-Auto Focus,
Face and Eye on, Standard Film Simulation and the rear LCD display is set to off.
Once connected via USB, open a web conferencing app and select
the name of your camera as your Video input.
If you have GoPro HERO8, all you need is a beta camera firmware update,
a new desktop utility and a USB-C cord.
Funny enough, GoPro’s desktop utility is only available for MacOS
with Windows support currently in development.
The firmware update is a little trickier here, requiring a microSD card and card reader plus
a dongle if your computer doesn’t have USB-C support.
Many of the software or firmware solutions listed so far are new and still in development
so there are still some snags along the way.
Because most of these solutions can only take video, not audio from your camera,
you’ll need an external audio capture device via headset or USB microphone
and this can result in a delay between your audio and video, since it takes time to process the video signal.
OK, this should definitely be working correctly now.
There are broadcasting software solutions, like OBS, that will allow you to delay your
audio so that everything is in sync but then you would need to turn your OBS into a virtual
camera out to get back to your video conferencing
and that’s an entirely different video for another day.
While we’ve discussed software solutions from the major manufacturers,
it’s good to note that there are third party software options out there too,
like SparkoCam, that you can mess with if you like.
There are also hardware solutions, like the Elgato Camlink or
IOGear HDMI to USB video capture reader, which make the process super simple,
and eliminate the audio video lag, and provide higher quality video up to 4k.
The downside to hardware solutions right now is that many of them are just as hard to find
and in demand as the webcams we are looking to replace.
However, outside of this situation, they rule - highly recommend.
Again, another video for another day.
So what are you currently using as your webcam setup for video calls or live streams?
Are you happy with it?
Why or why not?
Let us know in the comments.
OK, take care everyone and I’ll see you next time with more DIYin5.