How to use your DSLR camera as a webcam and improve your video calls and streaming efforts

(Pocket-lint) - If you're thing similar us, you've apt spent a batch much clip connected video calls, online meetings and streaming successful the past twelvemonth than ever before. 

Your webcam has been getting plentifulness of use, but possibly you've considered upgrading it to thing fancier oregon conscionable wished you could look amended connected camera. 

The bully quality is, if you person a DSLR camera knocking astir successful your house, you tin easy usage it to upgrade your video calls and truly look the portion online by pursuing this guide. 

Camera circumstantial software

In the past fewer months, immoderate of the large camera brands person released bundle updates to alteration users of fashionable integer cameras to usage those cameras arsenic unrecorded webcams. 

Panasonic released Lumix Tether for Streaming and Cannon dropped its EOS Webcam Utility to bash the same. These options are perchance large escaped solutions to usage your camera arsenic a webcam, but lone if you conscionable the close requirements. 

The bundle lone works with circumstantial cameras - Panasonic's for example, works with the Lumix GH5 but not the ageing GH4. Your PC besides has to conscionable definite requirements and the bundle isn't wholly stable. 

It is worthy checking for these options archetypal though arsenic they're escaped and a large mode to effort it retired if you already person an due camera. 

HDMI seizure cards

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If you don't person the close software, the different enactment comes successful the signifier of HDMI seizure cards. Devices similar Elgato's Cam Link 4K let you to marque usage of your camera's HDMI output to person that presumption into thing your PC tin use. 

Quite simply, you plug an HDMI cablegram into your camera, past the different extremity of that into the Cam Link 4K seizure card. That, successful turn, plugs into a USB larboard connected your PC oregon Mac and past you tin usage the camera successful spot of a webcam. 

The Cam Link 4K works with not lone DSLR cameras but each mode of different cameras including camcorders and enactment cameras too. You tin cheque whether it's compatible here, but what we've recovered is it works with much cameras than the authoritative shaper software. 

There are a fewer different things to deliberation about, similar however you're going to equine your camera oregon what tripod to usage but otherwise, it works perfectly. The Cam Link 4K is recognised by your machine arsenic a USB webcam, truthful you tin simply power to it wrong your bundle and get it to enactment (more connected that successful a bit). 

If you're readying connected utilizing the camera a lot, it's worthy reasoning astir buying a unrecorded powerfulness adapter truthful you don't request to regenerate the batteries constantly.

These are artillery converters you tin acquisition that swap retired your modular rechargeable artillery with 1 that tin beryllium connected straight to the mains truthful you don't tally retired of foodstuff mid-video call. They are antithetic depending connected your camera, but arsenic an example, this is the 1 we use with the Panasonic Lumix GH4. 

Why would you usage a DSLR arsenic a webcam?

You mightiness beryllium wondering wherefore you'd usage a DSLR camera successful spot of your webcam. The reply is elemental enough. You'll apt person a amended lens and seizure prime connected that camera than immoderate modular webcam you tin purchase.  

An HDMI seizure paper similar the Cam Link 4K besides allows you to marque the astir of your camera's video capabilities. Where astir webcams tin lone negociate 720p, the Cam Link allows up to 4K astatine 30FPS. So with the close lighting, your video volition beryllium overmuch much professional, crisp and satisfying too. 

How to usage the Elgato Cam Link 4K 

Once plugged into your camera and your PC, the Cam Link 4K is reasonably elemental to use. Most apps volition recognise the Cam Link 4K arsenic a USB webcam immediately. If it doesn't enactment erstwhile the camera is powered on, past you tin usually dive into the settings to get it working. 

How to usage Cam Link 4K with Zoom

To acceptable the Cam Link up with Zoom is precise straightforward. Turn your camera connected and login to Zoom. If it's not automatically selected arsenic your main device, past click the settings cog to enactment the options menu. 

From determination click connected video and you'll spot a dropdown with "camera" adjacent to it. Select that and you should spot each the disposable camera options for you to take from. 

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If you've started the app and leapt consecutive into a call, past you tin execute the aforesaid results by clicking connected the tiny arrow connected the bottommost near adjacent to halt video and past prime the Cam Link from determination instead. You should past spot the camera displaying a presumption of your surroundings. 

How to usage Cam Link 4K with Microsoft Teams

The logic for utilizing the Elgato Cam Link 4K with Microsoft Teams is mostly the aforesaid arsenic utilizing it Zoom. 

Open Teams and click connected your illustration icon connected the apical right, past click settings. Once successful there, navigate to devices and click the drop-down for camera. Again you should spot the Cam Link 4K displayed successful there. Select that arsenic an enactment and you're away. 

Streaming with your DSLR camera

We've written earlier astir the best cogwheel to usage erstwhile streaming and the Elgato Cam Link 4K is surely a worthy summation to that database if you're looking to amended your efforts unrecorded streaming connected Twitch, Facebook oregon YouTube. 

The bully quality is, it's truly casual to usage the Cam Link 4K with your favourite software. Whether you're utilizing OBS Studio, OBS Streamlabs oregon other, you tin simply prime the Cam Link 4K arsenic your video root and adhd it into your stream. 

In OBS Studio, for example, click the positive fastener nether sources. Then click video seizure instrumentality and make a caller source. From that menu, you tin past prime the Cam Link 4K arsenic your chosen camera. 

Then you're escaped to set the presumption and size of your camera's presumption arsenic you usually would with immoderate root successful OBS. Whether that's afloat size for conscionable chatting scenes oregon snug successful a country for a crippled overlay with a greenscreen filter. 

Camera settings

It's worthy bearing successful caput a fewer things erstwhile utilizing your camera this way. Because you're utilizing your camera's HDMI feed, you mightiness find that immoderate of the information you'd usually spot connected your unrecorded show mightiness look connected your unrecorded camera provender successful the apps arsenic well. 

So, things similar levels, histograms and grid markings whitethorn look implicit your face, which is not ideal. The champion happening to bash is dive into your camera's settings and crook these things disconnected manually. 

You volition besides find that tweaks to the unrecorded camera settings tin usually lone beryllium done connected camera, alternatively than wrong the software. This includes elemental things similar adjusting brightness, ISO and focus. However, the extremity effect is overmuch amended than you'd find with webcams. 

Lighting considerations

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Any integer camera owner, who's ever tried to instrumentality video knows the value of bully lighting. We've covered this earlier successful our usher to starting streaming, but if the absorption is connected you, past a bully prime ringing airy tin truly marque you basal retired successful your video. 

Elgato's Ring Light is simply a perchance cleanable summation to your setup. This is simply a ample ringing airy that offers 2,500 lumens of brightness with adjustable colour range, edge-lit diffusion and overmuch more. 

It comes with a sturdy clamp that allows you to simply equine it to your desk, arsenic good arsenic an extendable rod and shot equine for your camera. Meaning you tin get the cleanable space for your video seizure efforts. 

The Elgato Ring Light works with Stream Deck and besides has bundle that allows you to power it from wrong Windows oregon Mac oregon straight from your telephone whether connected Android or iOS. 

This airy is the cleanable summation to your caller DSLR setup and a fantastic portion of soft, aesthetically pleasing lighting that's perfect for immoderate you're doing. Whether that's moving a quality blog, making manner videos oregon simply taking portion successful regular Zoom calls wherever you request to look your best. 

Writing by Adrian Willings. Originally published connected 4 September 2020.