How to use a Canon EOS camera as a webcam is not as hard you probably think!! So let’s get into the ins and outs of what you need to set up your EOS camera for things like Zoom calls and much more.
USB cable
For the best results, you should use a USB cable as this will give you the least amount of lag, etc. You will need to download the EOS Webcam Utility Software. This software is free to download from the Canon website. It is also available in PC and MAC versions for your convenience. We are going to download this software and set it up in real-time to see if it is as easy as they say it is.
The latest version of the MAC software has worked out all the bugs that the BETA version had with Zoom calls etc. so we are going to download the software now and you can follow the video and tutorial to set it up.
Select your Camera and Software version
You can just scroll down the screen to select your camera and software version on the site and then click on download. As you can see it is a small file and installing it is really easy. Once you have installed the software make sure that you have your camera hooked up to your laptop and everything is ready to use.
For those of you who don’t have a pro mirrorless camera but want to use a smartphone for streaming live, here a helpful guide for using your smartphone as a webcam: Using Your Phone As A Webcam
Camera Set up
You will see that when your camera is correctly connected to your laptop, the screen on your camera will have the computer icon shown on it. When you open the Zoom application you just select the camera from the option and you will see that it works perfectly.
Camera Usage
You can see that the setup is really simple and exceptionally easy. You have all your functions like autofocus at your fingertips and the quality is great. The alternative of using a capture card and HDMI cable might give you better resolution but as you can see the image quality of the EOS Webcam Utility is actually pretty great.
You can see when we switch to the webcam you see the quality difference immediately. And if we use the HDMI cable the image is very much the same but you do have to set the focus manually because you move around a lot you will have autofocus issues.
Conclusion
The Canon Webcam Utility is obviously the best way to go if you want the most versatility for your camera and the best looking footage whether you are using Zoom or doing YouTube videos. Also, make sure that you get the right accessories to make sure that your audio and stability compliments your video setup.
