p.1 #1 · It is here now. Using your Sony camera as webcam
Finally it is here.
Imaging Edge Webcam lets you connect your Sony camera to your personal computer, and use the camera as a webcam with a livestreaming/web conferencing service.
p.1 #2 · It is here now. Using your Sony camera as webcam
I have often wondered how well such systems can hope to work, when connecting via USB 2 (which is the fastest USB connection that all but, I think, the very latest camera bodies support?).
"The resolution is 1,024 × 576 pixels."
And there we have it! Though this appears to be the resolution even for the latest models, which is puzzling. I guess it's OK for basic webcamming.
I have had a USB 3 HDMI interface for a year or two now, to connect my cameras to computers. It lets me use higher resolutions (inexpensive ones enable 1920x1080 at 60fps, while more expensive ones can handle 4K).
It's also slightly unfortunate that "Imaging Edge Webcam does not handle audio. Use your personal computer’s built-in microphone or an external microphone." Again, when using the HDMI interface, I find the camera's built-in microphone is more than good enough and so sometimes that's all I use. Not an option with this software.
Still, it's good that Sony is offering any webcam capability at all.
p.1 #3 · It is here now. Using your Sony camera as webcam
GHarris wrote:
I have often wondered how well such systems can hope to work, when connecting via USB 2 (which is the fastest USB connection that all but, I think, the very latest camera bodies support?).
"The resolution is 1,024 × 576 pixels."
And there we have it! Though this appears to be the resolution even for the latest models, which is puzzling. I guess it's OK for basic webcamming.
I have had a USB 3 HDMI interface for a year or two now, to connect my cameras to computers. It lets me use higher resolutions (inexpensive ones enable 1920x1080 at 60fps, while more expensive ones can handle 4K).
It's also slightly unfortunate that "Imaging Edge Webcam does not handle audio. Use your personal computer’s built-in microphone or an external microphone." Again, when using the HDMI interface, I find the camera's built-in microphone is more than good enough and so sometimes that's all I use. Not an option with this software.
Still, it's good that Sony is offering any webcam capability at all....Show more →
I think 1,024 × 576 is fine for a webcam. It should be really good in fact, assuming that it performs as it should in low light with low noise & has a reasonable bitrate.
p.1 #9 · It is here now. Using your Sony camera as webcam
With a bit of additional software you can use the Remote Capture application to use your Sony as a webcam without the same resolution restrictions. This has been available for some time and works very well:
p.1 #12 · It is here now. Using your Sony camera as webcam
I hope people understand that this is a workaround and it's a bad IQ experience for every brand that made the same app
but here's hoping that camera makers are more aware that they should've offered that as a default and the next gen is more apt to handle that, I mean the USBC standard is more than capable of piping out a good feed to any computer, there're no excuses to not do a better job next time
p.1 #13 · It is here now. Using your Sony camera as webcam
Go for a cheap 10-20$ capture card if you want a better solution. Good or bad IQ is up to you're lighting, with good lighting, you can make your ipad look better than your sony, not joking either.
p.1 #14 · It is here now. Using your Sony camera as webcam
mattmackenzie4 wrote:
With a bit of additional software you can use the Remote Capture application to use your Sony as a webcam without the same resolution restrictions. This has been available for some time and works very well:
The problem with using the combination of Sony Remote + OBS Studio + Virtual Cam Plugin is that there is a large video delay. It is difficult to get the audio and video in sync, and if you do manage to get the audio delayed to sync the video, your feed is delayed. This can lead to lots of clumsy interactions with others when using it as a web cam in something like a Zoom meeting. If all you want to do is make presentations, the delay may not be a problem, and OBS Studio is an excellent environment for such productions.
p.1 #16 · It is here now. Using your Sony camera as webcam
Jonathan F wrote:
Darn PC only. It's not just for work calls, but my kid does virtual dance and I wouldn't mind using some of my wider lenses for our living room!
p.1 #17 · It is here now. Using your Sony camera as webcam
Works seamlessly paired with the 35mm F1.8. Painless experience so far. Resolution could be higher but honestly this doesn't bother me much as Zoom or Hangouts or whatever downscales everything anyway. Coworkers immediately saw and were impressed by the massive difference in quality compared to my Macbook webcam. Sure, a capture card is fine too but just feels like a lot more to setup (and they're all sold out).
p.1 #19 · It is here now. Using your Sony camera as webcam
I use the Pengo Technology 1080p HDMI to USB Type-C Video Grabber with my Mac and Rx1rii or A9.
Works perfectly, and even with the huge downsampling in zoom or bluejeans, people (nonphotographers!) can *really* tell the difference between this and any webcam. It's not cheap at $90 but if you live on zoom as many do these days, this approach gives a really high quality video feed. I hate looking at people's on-computer video or even badly set up webcams that are too close. Everyone looks like they are looming over you too closely, with zombie-like washed out colors...
