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Tip #1585: Canon Utility Converts Cameras to Webcams

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Webcams are in short-supply. Canon has an answer.

This article, written by Alejandro Medellin, first appeared in PremiumBeat.com.

Webcams these days are in short supply. Fortunately, last year, Canon released the EOS Webcam Utility, Canon’s answer to the ongoing webcam shortage. It’s really, really easy to set up, and the picture quality is top notch.

The webcam utility turns several Canon cameras into legitimate webcams. (22 EOS cameras and 3 Powershots). The utility was good, the battery life of the cameras wasn’t.

So, Canon just released the new Webcam Accessories Starter Kit. This kit comes in three variations that each serve a line of Canon cameras. Each kit comes with an interface cable, a power adapter, and a dummy battery. The camera can stay on for hours with the dummy battery, which draws its power from an electrical outlet via the power adapter. The interface cable connects the camera to the computer via the USB port, which the webcam software then converts into a clean video input.

Though Canon’s accessory kit would have made a more significant impact last year at the height of the pandemic, it’s still a welcome product. The kit puts the hardware on par with the webcam software, and that’s all I needed. With demand still for webcams, the accessories kit is highly sought after.

EXTRA CREDIT

The article includes a list of all supported Canon cameras, details on configuring the software, and a review on how easy it is to use and how well it works.