How to Use Your DSLR or Mirrorless Camera as a Webcam

Posted by Richard Kraemer on Nov 19, 2020 9:13:13 AM

With an increasingly large percentage of the workforce transitioning to either remote work or the hybrid work model, in which they split their time between working at home and the office, audio visual (AV) and collaboration technology has never been more important for your business. 

There’s one issue, however. Since most organizations around the world are moving away from in-office work, many of these technologies are facing stock shortages. This is particularly true for webcams, which are currently experiencing huge backorders. 

Thankfully, there may be a solution for your business. DSLR and mirrorless camera manufacturers have created software that allow them to become plug and play USB webcams.

Why use a DSLR or mirrorless camera to live stream? 

While most laptops and computers today have built-in cameras, many organizations are investing in external webcams for their meeting rooms and remote workers due to their high-quality optics and sensors. 

This higher quality of external webcams empowers your team to communicate and collaborate more effectively, even when they aren’t located in the same premises. Due to their demand and the movement to work from home, however, high-quality external webcams are now on lengthy backorders. 

Thankfully, camera manufacturers such as Sony, Canon, Nikon and Fuji have all had the smart idea to create software to turn their cameras into plug-and-play USB webcams to fill that gap.

With businesses now relying on video calls to stay connected, turning your company’s or employee’s DSLR or mirrorless cameras into high-quality webcams is a fantastic way to boost collaboration among your team, host webinars or connect with your clients.

Using a DSLR or mirrorless camera will give your employees better image quality in lower lighting, as well as more control over depth-of-field, focal length and the overall look of their screen. It will help your employees prevent horrible shadows from overhead lighting, stop harsh backlighting when employees sit in front of windows, and provide better angles than the low angles of built-in webcams that often leave others on the call looking up their team members' nostrils. 

How does it work?

While it may sound complicated to transform a DSLR camera into an external webcam, it’s actually incredibly easy. All you will need is a compatible DSLR or mirrorless camera, a USB cable to connect to your computer or laptop and a compatible video conferencing software. 

Camera manufacturers have made the entire process incredibly easy, so that you can simply plug your camera into your computer and begin. For it to work, all you will need to do is:

  • Download the appropriate software update for your specific DSLR or mirrorless cameras, which you can find on your camera manufacturer’s website. 
  • Connect the camera to your computer using a USB cable (this generally comes with your camera). 
  • Plug in an external microphone to your computer if you are using one. Open any compatible video conferencing software (such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams) and get started. The camera utility will now show up in your list of available cameras.

Why is it important for your business to invest in collaboration technology?

Using the right technology to transform your spaces (both for office workers and those at home) into connected environments that encourage communication will help enhance the effectiveness and productivity of your team.

Creating environments that foster strong workplace communication and make your team feel like they are having face-to-face meetings even when they are working remotely will bring your organization benefits such as:

  • Improved productivity
  • Stronger job satisfaction
  • A better employee experience
  • Higher-quality work performance
  • Increased employee engagement
  • Creative teamwork
  • And much more!

To create these environments, you need to use audio visual technologies such as video conferencing software, external webcams, external microphones and other technologies that really enhance collaboration among your team. 

Want to learn more about the importance of AV and collaboration? Contact Genesis Integration today. Our team of audio visual experts have been integrating highly-sophisticated collaboration systems for business for more than 30 years.

Use Zoom Like a Pro!

Tags: AV technology, Collaborative technology

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