If you’ve been working from home for the past few weeks, you’ve probably had to attend more than a few video conference calls. Or you may be using video chat apps to stay in touch with friends and family while maintaining social distancing. Either way, you’ve probably noticed that the webcam on your laptop is bullshit. It leads to blurry, pixelated video calls and uncomfortable viewing angles.
There are several ways to solve this problem. You can buy a suitable webcam, but good luck finding one in stock. You can repurpose an old smartphone and use it as a webcam if you have one around. Any of these might be slightly better than your laptop’s webcam.
But if you really want to step up your video calling game, you can use a DSLR or mirrorless camera as a webcam for your computer and have the best looking video of anyone in your group chat.
Depending on your camera and computer, this may be as simple as installing a piece of software and using a USB cable to connect your camera to your computer. If you have a relatively modern Canon camera and a Windows PC, an application is now available that allows you to connect the camera to your computer via standard USB and use it as a webcam. There are software-only solutions for other cameras and Macs as well, but these often include software-generated “virtual” webcams that some apps cannot use (Including, unfortunately, Zoom).
The “easiest” method therefore involves spending some money. Most people will probably need some extra gear that converts a camera’s HDMI output to a USB input. These devices are called USB capture cards and usually run $100 or more. It is also very difficult to find it in stock thanks to the global epidemic. But we tested this is IOGear model and it works fine. Unlike the popular Elgato Cam Link, the IOGear model is currently available at B&H Photo.
You will also need an HDMI cable that can be plugged into your camera, which probably means a Micro HDMI eventually going to your camera. You can get a full-length Micro HDMI cable or an adapter that converts the larger HDMI plug to a Micro HDMI. Once the camera is connected, you’ll want to enable the “clean HDMI” output, which will get rid of all camera exposure information and give you an unobstructed video feed. Depending on your camera, this is done by putting the camera in video mode or changing an option in the settings menu. See your camera’s manual for the way to do this on your model.
In addition to USB capture device or software for your computer, you’ll also want a way to mount your camera for video calls. This can be as simple as a simple tripod, but things can get a little more complicated if you want to place the camera on top of a desktop monitor like a traditional webcam. There are mounts and clamps you can buy to attach the camera to your desk and eye level, but you will need to figure out how to operate it for your particular situation. I’ve strapped a GorillaPod around my monitor arm to work, but it’s not the most elegant solution.
Finally, you’ll want to get an A/C adapter rather than relying on its batteries to power the camera, as using your camera as a webcam basically means it’s turned on and constantly streaming video to your computer. Some cameras can be charged with USB-C battery banks and chargers, while others require special A/C adapters from the manufacturer. You will also want to disable all auto power off features on the camera. Check your camera’s manual to see what you need.
Other things to watch out for:
- Most webcams have wide-angle lenses, so it’s easy to stay in the frame. If you want to use this setup primarily for video calls, you’ll want to use the widest lens you have for your DSLR or mirrorless camera, otherwise your video calls will be all face and you’re constantly out of frame.
- You should also try to use the fastest lens you have. The lower the aperture (the number after the f/ mark on your camera’s lens), the more blurred and pleasing your background will look. You’ll want to be at f/2.8 at the very least, but if you can go even lower, that’s fine. For best effect, I set my 16mm Fujifilm lens to its lowest aperture, f/1.4.
- Your camera probably has some kind of face-detection autofocus that you need to enable. That way, if you change your seat or move, it will just follow your face to stay in focus. You’ll likely hear your lens refocus because it’s following you, but the people on the other end of your video chats probably won’t hear it.
- Keeping the camera on all the time and feeding live video to your computer for long periods of time can cause parts of your camera to heat up and in some cases, the camera may shut down if it overheats. It’s wise to turn off your camera between calls.
Once you have all the parts, installing the camera is as simple as plugging the cable into the side of the camera, plugging the other end into the capture card, then plugging it into your computer and turning on your camera. Both Windows and macOS will automatically recognize the camera as a webcam and will be available as an option in Zoom, Google Meet, FaceTime or any other software you use for video calls. From there, you can enjoy the splendor of the image quality of your expensive webcam.
