dslr Using a DSLR as a "webcam", need help.

[FrozdY]

Hey everyone, I was wondering which DSLR cameras can be connected through USB and have a mode, where you can get the "preview" video through that.
I have the Sony SLT a57, and you can sort of do it, but you have to go through a HDMI recording hardware for it to work, like the worthless, slow and delayed one I have, the Hauppauge HD Personal Video Recorder 2, which isn't realistic... because I have to do loads of syncing, and the delay on that thing is at least 5 seconds, which is hardcoded, because having a passthrough sending the raw footage wasn't a thought that they had, or that it was something people would like to have for some reason...

 

And going back to the "you can sort of do it", not only is it so dependent on that recording hardware, through the HDMI, it sends ALL of the clutter, like the focus point(s) in the middle, and all of the clutter around the "preview" is included, so it's just cloning what you see on the LCD screen...

 

So, what I'm asking is if there's anyone here that can help me compile a list of DSLR cameras that can send only their preview through USB, has the "rapidfire" mode where you can take loads of pics in a second and has the same fitting for the addon lenses as the SLT a57 has, so I don't have to buy those expensive things again, I have the Sony N50 55mm and the Tamron SP 70-300mm.

So why do I want a DSLR, and not the video equivalence, is because I take loads of pics at various racing/car show events, so if I can get more out of the camera, it would be better, because as it is now, the SLT a57 can ONLY take pictures, or record a video, but that's it.

And to save you time on your comment, yes, this is absolutely a thing that you can do, I just don't know what DSLRs support the USB passthrough, and have the rapidfire and the same "fitting" if-you-will, that the SLT a57 has, and no, I have no idea if everyone has the same "fitting", or different ones.

So, I'm reaching out here because I wanna learn, as much as I would like to use a DSLR as a "webcam" to increase the quality on my streams/videos.

[badreg]

There are plenty of software options that will convert the USB data and emulate a webcam. I used something back in 2010 called ExtraWebcam, which supports only Canon cameras. A quick Google search reveals plenty of current options that support different brands.

[FrozdY]

Thanks Badreg, then it's just the questions of does any of them have the rapidfire and do they support my lenses?

 

Edit:

There was another software that I saw, which supported a bunch of panasonic ones too... I think it was panasonic at least.

[badreg]

What is "rapidfire" mode? Is that a Sony thing or are you referring to maximum burst rate in frames per second?

 

What I mean is that you will easily find webcam software that supports any camera from the three major brands (Canon, Nikon, Sony) and there are probably options for other brands as well. This will not be the limiting factor, so you can choose whichever camera that fits your FPS requirement.

[Dataanti]

here ist he limited canon DSLR experience i have, as i'm also trying figure out my own solution and have been researching for a while. only thing is that i'm in the canon echo system already and i'm not sure if any of it transfers over to sony very much

 

canon rebel series can do it, i'm sure other canon cameras can to, however the FPS and quality in general will most likely be garbage, at least in my experience

 

personally if i where you, i would save up, get something similar to the elgato cam link. when i use it its extremely low latency, way lower latency then the live view from the EOS Utility. now this might just be the software or the camera, but i'm pretty sure its just the limitations of USB 2.0

 

Also streaming with DSLRs can be tricky, as a lot of them will only keep the shutter open for 30 mins. i've heard this is to stop over heating but i don't buy that. i'm pretty sure its a tax thing in the EU, something like cameras that can record over 30 mins you have to pay extra tax on or something and they decided not too make that region specific. but the way they implemented it is the shutter closes automatically after 30 mins even when not recording, i just recently found a way around that with my T7I and just today had it running for 5 hours straight with no overheat warning or it being physically warm to touch at all. I know the canon sl2 will allow you to keep the shutter open in video mode when you have the HDMI cable in however when you start recording it will hit the 30 minute mark.

 

to get a clean output, just focus where you want, turn it to manual focus, and hit the info button a couple of times and you will get a clean output at least with canon.

 

 

if you want to take rapid fire shots while streaming or outputting your video to whatever, then i have no idea what the solution is for you. i know with a DLSR you will never be able to accomplish that, unless maybe you are dropping thousands of dollars on one but i don't think its physically possible with the way the mirror and the shutter work.

[FrozdY]

Badreg: Oh, I've looked VERY hard, and I've asked Sony themselves, but they just don't support it, because they refuse to release the source code to the people that makes these kinds of software, or to anyone really...

Dataanti: Okay, now we're getting somewhere  But a DSLR should still be better than an actual Webcam, right?

Or wait, anyone of you know if there's a way to maybe use your phone for this somehow? I mean, I use a OnePlus 6, and I think that would be better than a regular webcam, right?
In any case, if all fails, is there anyone that can recommend a good webcam?

[Dataanti]

10 minutes ago, FrozdY said:

Dataanti: Okay, now we're getting somewhere  But a DSLR should still be better than an actual Webcam, right?

Or wait, anyone of you know if there's a way to maybe use your phone for this somehow? I mean, I use a OnePlus 6, and I think that would be better than a regular webcam, right?
In any case, if all fails, is there anyone that can recommend a good webcam?

oh yeah they certainly are. don't worry to much about mega pixels , they are more important for sharper detailed still images , also don't worry to much about 4k right now (you most likely wont do stream anything more then 720p or 1080p (a 720p stream with a decent bitrate will look better then a 1080p one with a sacrificed bit rate)). look for bigger sensor sizes and newer image processors that can preform better in lower light. a major dis advantage of using a phone is that the sensor is tiny, and so they dont capture as much light causing the image to be noisy as the have to bump up the ISO and well it result in more noise. and of course the nice thing about DSLRs is that you can use different lenses that have different properties to achieve the shot that you want. i know some people use wide angle lens, others just you the standard kit lenses, some use prime lenses for the wide aperture. i personally use the kit lens and just have some lights in front of me and its all good.

 

as for using your phone, i do think its possible. i know you can get a video feed of it through the android dev kit. and i also know that you can stream it over you local network to your computer, but with both of these methods it is probably reasonable to expect latency, and low quality.

 

think of the live feed on you phone screen when you are in the camera app. its just a general representation of what you are taking a picture of, its nothing nice and high quality.

[FrozdY]

Well, off to do some more research... again...

 

In any case, I have a 70" and a 32" TV that's always using Deadpixelbuddy's white page when I stream, I also have a LED lightbulb shining next to me, so the low light isn't that much of an issue, as long as I can get better quality than my Trust ELIGHT FULL HD 1080P WEBCAM, I'm happy.

[Dataanti]

then you should have plenty of light then, that's a really interesting lighting system you have XD i just use some bright light bulbs in my wall sconces 

 

and yeah, i cant see a webcam being all to very good.

 

another straight video option is a camcorder, the canon vixia hf r800 is cheap, can supply a clean HDMI ouput, made for long video capture so you wont have to worry about the 30 minute thing, and it has a decent optical zoom.

 

and then for the rapid fire pictures, just get a DSLR for pictures only.

 

also one last thing i should note, make sure  to watch out if your camera will output audio over the HDMI, some will not, some will, and some will but only with internal mics built into the camera. that is if you care about audio, i personally dont as i have a mic connected another method

[FrozdY]

If you check the bottom of: https://equallyepic.weebly.com/frozdypcspecs.html you'll see what audio I use, so I'd prefer if it didn't send audio, to be totally honest with you