If you use a desktop, you might feel the need for a webcam. Although webcams are not that expensive, you may still want to utilise your Canon DSLR as a webcam in case you have one. The Canon DSLR produces much better video quality than conventional webcams. So, using it as your main video chat partner might prove to be a good choice. Today we will guide you on how to use your Canon DSLR as a webcam with the help of a software called SparkoCam that enables you to convert your Canon camera into a standard webcam for YouTube streaming, video calls, and conferencing in the following steps. There is another way of using the Canon DSLR as a webcam, as the company now provides the webcam utility software for it to be used. We will talk about both here.
Using Canon EOS Webcam Utility (which is the easiest method):
Step 1: Go to https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/support/self-help-center/eos-webcam-utility
Step 2: Choose Windows or MAC OS and download the on screen steps to install the software on your PC or MAC.
Step 3: Connect you compatible Canon DSLR with the supplied USB cable which comes in the DSLR box.
Step 4: Turn the dial on the Canon DSLR to video mode.
Step 5: In your Zoom or other video chat software select the Canon camera in settings. You are all done.
Canon EOS webcam utility does works with over 40 Canon DSLR’s in case you do not have a compatible one, you can try the SparkoCam software as below. SparkoCam also works with Nikon DSLR’s as well.
Using SparkoCam:
Step 1: Installing the software
1) Download and install the SparkoCam software from its official website (https://sparkosoft.com/sparkocam-download)
2) Download the installation package and run SparkoCamInstaller.exe.
3) Follow the on-screen installation steps until the setup is complete.
Step 2: Connecting your Canon DSLR to PC using a USB
1) The first requirement is to plug-in your Canon DSLR camera’s USB cable into your PC.
2) Turn the Canon DSLR camera on
3) As soon as Windows recognises the camera, a notification will appear in a popup window regarding the newly connected device. However, you may not always see the notification even if the device is successfully connected. Note that if you already installed the software that comes packed with the camera, you may get the EOS Utility running. However, SparkoCam does not need EOS Utility to function properly, you may simply close it and proceed to the further steps.
Step 3: Launching the SparkoCam software
1) Open the ‘Device’ tab and choose the ‘Canon Camera’ checkbox to convert your Canon DSLR camera into a webcam. Whenever you connect only one camera to your PC, SparkoCam automatically picks it up. In other cases, you have to choose the right camera from the Camera list which is connected to the computer.
2) In your chat application like Skype or Google Meet, choose SparkoCam Virtual Webcam as the source web camera.
3) Now, you have to configure the target application to utilise SparkoCam as the video source. For instance, you can configure Skype in the ‘Options’ dialog by choosing SparkoCam Virtual Webcam from the Select webcam list.
You need to know that the Canon DSLR doesn’t have an inbuilt feature for utilising its microphones to capturing the audio. Thus, you must buy an external microphone to enable voice capturing in your chat application.
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