Even today, it is difficult to find good quality webcams, especially if you want to stream at 1080p . Fortunately, if you have a DSLR or mirrorless digital camera there are ways to use them as a webcam on your PC, and in this article we are going to show you how.
The ability to use your digital camera as a webcam is highly dependent on the camera you have. Some compact point-and-shoot cameras come with their own software and drivers that will allow you to use them as webcams, but this is unfortunately not a common feature. Fortunately, new third-party software has emerged that allows many models of Nikon and Canon SLR cameras to be used for this purpose, although as you may have guessed this software is not free.
Using your digital camera as a webcam, what do you need to do it?
Modern mirrorless and DSLR cameras that are capable of outputting the image directly via HDMI in a clean way (that is, without overlapping on the screen) will give you the best results. You will need additional hardware to do it. Let’s see what it takes.
If you intend to use your digital camera as a webcam, you will need at least a tripod to keep it fixed in the location you want. You will also need some way to power the camera since only with its battery you could have autonomy problems.
In any case, you will also need a USB or HDMI cable (depending on the connector of your camera, it could also be microUSB, mini HDMI, etc.) as well as a capturer , which can be hardware or software. Of course, you shouldn’t forget about a microphone if you want the audio to be picked up as well. Let’s see it.
Method 1: use your camera software
The first thing to verify is that your digital camera is compatible with the clean HDMI output that we have mentioned before through the software of the same. The best way to do this is to consult the manual and any included software, although you can also find software downloads for the specific camera model you have on the manufacturer’s website.
For example, Canon offers the “EOS Webcam Utility” software that allows the brand’s cameras with interchangeable lenses (EOS ILC) and PowerShot compact cameras to be used as a webcam natively on Windows 10 64-bit operating systems.
Once you have downloaded and installed the necessary software and drivers, your PC should already detect the camera as just another imaging device. This means that programs like Open Broadcaster Software or XSplit Broadcaster will detect it as if it were a webcam and you can use it as such.
Method 2: use third-party software
If your camera is compatible but does not have its own software or does not work as it should, you can use a third party application to turn your DSLR or compact mirrorless camera into a webcam. For example, you have Sparkocam that works with a large number of Nikon and Canon cameras, although as we have mentioned before it is a paid application.
Despite what this software promises, you should be aware that many users complain about its performance. Some report too much latency in recordings, and others say they are unable to remove the watermark from the software. There are separate versions of this application for Canon and Nikon, one that supports both and one that focuses on the other functions (editing). A single user license for the system of your choice costs $ 50, $ 70 if you want to use the version compatible with both brands.
It is difficult to recommend this software, really, but for some people it is the only alternative if they want to use their digital camera as a webcam since there are not many other options available.
Method 3: your digital camera as a webcam with an adapter
In any case, if you want to use your digital camera as a webcam on a recurring basis and obtain good results, the best way is to purchase a capture device and / or an adapter to capture the camera’s HDMI output. This technique uses the raw, uncompressed camera video stream and converts it to a USB webcam stream. The quality is unbeatable, but you will need to invest some money in hardware.
Of course you must make sure as we indicated at the beginning that your camera is compatible with the video output through HDMI, and you will need an adapter for the corresponding connector of your camera. Then you will need a capture device such as Elgato’s Cam Link 4K or a capturer that supports HDMI input (almost all do). As long as your camera has an HDMI or mini HDMI output, you are already halfway there, but before you start buying a capturer, first check that it is on the list of compatible devices.
Elgato is not the only company that produces HDMI to USB capture devices, and in fact you can find much cheaper alternatives in stores like Amazon, although they lack the support and quality of this that we are recommending.
If you can afford the investment, without a doubt this is the way that will give you the least complications and the best results.
