The year 2020 is nothing but a real-time depiction of the term “apocalypse”. The novel Coronavirus has affected more than 185 countries and regions of our continent, and it isn’t anywhere close to stopping.
Amidst the coronavirus outbreak, a majority of us are working from home—all thanks to technology and the Internet, of course. To connect with our fellow teammates, video conferencing tools act as a boon as they help in streamlining the workflow process wherein everything can be communicated efficiently. Video calling apps like Zoom, Skype, and Google Duo have skyrocketed and became the most trending apps on the charts.
We’re sure you must also be using video conferencing apps to conduct online meetings, right? Well, we might have a great idea that can make your video calling sessions better. Did you know you could use your old (barely used) digital camera as a webcam for your PC or laptop? Yes, that’s right. Guess it’s time to take out your DSLR or digital camera from the wardrobe and put it to best use.
So, in case you were looking for a new Quarantine task, you already know what needs to be done, right? Here’s a quick guide on how to use digital camera as webcam for better video call quality.
Also read: Not just your digital camera, but your smartphone’s camera can also be used as a webcam. To know more about this, visit this link.
Let’s get started.
What All You Would Need?
Before you plan on using your digital camera as a webcam, here is a bunch of equipment that you would need. To place the camera at an ideal distance and height, you would require a mounting stand. A mounting stand or a tripod will also help you in stabilizing the shot and will keep the camera intact in one place. Apart from this, you would also need an HDMI to USB cable to connect the camera to your system and some extra pair of charged batteries to supply constant power to your camera. Also, as most digital cameras don’t come with a mic, make sure you arrange for an external speaker so that you can communicate without any hindrance.
All set, what next?
Third-Party Software
A bunch of third-party software available online that can help you to use digital camera as a webcam. If your camera supports a webcam mode, then you can take help of third-party software to connect the cam to your PC. SparkoCam is a virtual camera application that can guide you through to use your Canon or Nikon DSLR camera as a webcam for your PC. With the help of this software, you will also be able to add filters and effects to make your live video chat sessions more enhanced. If the third-party tool is not compatible with your camera, then don’t worry. Here’s another method of how you can connect your camera to use it as a webcam.
How to Set Up Connection
Let’s get started and learn how to set up a connection between the digital camera and your PC. Here are a bunch of things that you need to take care of:
Make sure your digital camera is equipped with fully-charged batteries so that your video calling session is not interrupted due to low battery. Another workaround to avoid this is to connect your camera to a power source to any nearby charging electric point or wall-socket.
Next, you would need any compatible video cable (HDMI or USB) that connects your camera to your PC’s USB port.
Once you’ve made the connection, switch on your camera in the video mode preferably to get started.
And at last, launch the video calling app which you frequently use, say Skype, head on to Tools> options> video camera options, and then select your “Digital Camera” as primary source input.
PS If you’re not satisfied with the in-built sound quality of your digital camera, you can also use any other microphone to get the job done.
This wraps up our quick guide on how to use digital camera as a webcam. We hope the steps mentioned above will help you in successfully connecting your camera to your PC to use it as a webcam. For any other queries, feel free to hit the comments space!
