No webcam? No problem.
Joshua Goldman/CNETWebcams are in short supply because of coronavirus lockdowns, so you may find yourself looking for a better quality camera than the one in your Mac or PC. Fortunately, there is a way to use your DSLR or camcorder to boost the picture quality for all those Zoom calls and Skype sessions.
You can use your phone to double as a webcam and save yourself the trouble of connecting a standalone camera, but you may not get the best picture quality.
There are a couple different ways to turn your DSLR into a webcam. Which one you choose will depend on your camera, whether it has USB or HDMI output, and if you're connecting to a PC or Mac.
Also, you'll definitely want to put your camera on a tripod to keep it steady during your calls and connect it to power if you plan to run it for a while. You also may want to look into recording your audio with a separate microphone rather than the in-camera mic if you want the best sound.
Read more: CNET's best digital cameras for 2020
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Use Canon software to convert your Canon DSLR or camera to a webcam
Canon now has a way to connect its cameras to your PC (it's not compatible with Mac). All you'll need is a USB cable, which should have come in your camera box. Once you load up the software and plug your camera in, change the camera to movie mode then set EOS Webcam Utility Beta as the input in Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet.
It's a free download from Canon direct but first you'll need to check this list to see if your Canon camera is compatible. Also, this is beta software so you may experience bugs, and only US Canon camera models are supported.
Try a webcam app for your DSLR that connects over USB
Another option is SparkoCam for PC. It offers a free trial, but it does put a watermark over the image. It costs $70 for the unlocked version, which works with several Canon and Nikon cameras.
Once you connect the camera to your computer via USB, you'll be able to change the exposure and adjust other settings from SparkoCam. Unfortunately, you won't be able to record audio from the camera directly, so you will either need to use the PC or Mac microphone, or have an external microphone hooked up so people can hear you. I've experienced some image stuttering when using SparkoCam depending on the camera, so it may not be the most reliable solution for you. Ecamm Live is another option for Mac that's recommended for Nikon users, although I haven't tested it specifically.
Alternatively, if you have a Canon DSLR and are using a Mac, you can download two pieces of software: Camera Live and CamTwist (both free). Once both are installed and you verify the camera is connected over USB through Camera Live, open CamTwist and select Syphon as the video source. In the settings tab, choose Camera Live as the Syphon server. Now you can go to Zoom, Skype or your app of choice and choose CamTwist as your video source.
Connect your DSLR via HDMI for the best quality
This is best suited for cameras that can output a clean HDMI signal -- that means there aren't any overlays like exposure details or focus tools on your image. It also works with Mac or PC.
First, you'll need an HDMI cable to get the live image from your camera. Depending on your camera, this could be anything from mini HDMI to full-size HDMI.
Then, you will need a capture device such as the Elgato CamLink ($130). Once you plug your compatible camera into the dongle, it converts the HDMI signal to a USB signal so you can use your camera as a webcam. You'll just need to select the camera in your video conferencing tool of choice like Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
If you want to take your streaming game beyond Skype or Zoom, here's a great tutorial that walks through the process of hooking up your camera, then using a free software tool called OBS to adjust even more settings for live streaming.
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