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Windows IT

Canon's New Software Will Turn Select EOS, PowerShot Cameras Into Webcams for Windows 10 PCs (dpreview.com) 78

An anonymous reader shares a report: As more and more people desire higher-quality video communication over internet while working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for webcams has increased dramatically, triggering incredibly high prices, sometimes three to four times over MSRP. And that's if you can find one at all. To help bridge a growing gap, Canon has announced the release of the EOS Webcam Utility Beta, a program for that will, with a single USB cable, turn compatible Canon EOS interchangeable lens cameras (ILCs) and PowerShot cameras into dedicated webcams on PCs running the 64-bit version of Windows 10. "In unprecedented times, it's imperative for Canon to provide our customers with useful, simple and accessible solutions to assist them in whatever imaging needs they have," said Tatsuro Kano, executive vice president of the Canon U.S.A., Inc. Imaging Technologies & Communications Group in the press release.
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Canon's New Software Will Turn Select EOS, PowerShot Cameras Into Webcams for Windows 10 PCs

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  • A good idea but... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by JBMcB ( 73720 ) on Wednesday April 29, 2020 @01:23PM (#60004640)

    I've used my EOS to do transfers of old 8mm films from my in-laws using one of those old-fashioned reverse-screen boxes meant for camcorders. I have a really fast lens (works better in low-light) so it works pretty well. There is already a Canon utility that lets you record directly to the computer. After just a few minutes, the camera starts heating up, and will do a thermal shutdown after about 20 minutes of video recording.

    It's an old Rebel model, so it might be be an issue with old hardware, but it might affect newer models as well.

    • Different cameras heat up differently. The information which camera is suitable for extended live video use is spread out on the web. If you want to look for it, streamers have been using DSLRs for quite a while and that is one criterion to which they pay attention. There's also software which makes network cameras available as webcams for conferencing and video telephony software.
    • Why is ANYONE anxious to get any form of webcam up for office work from home?!?!

      Am I the only one that like to wake up and walk straight from the bedroom to the office and work....

      Or do people that aren't used to working from home actually feel like doing the "old job" routine and get up earlier, shower, shave and dress for work?

      LOL....after about 7+ years of WFH, I guess you get over it.

      Personally, I'd not let a camera anywhere even near my home office....headset and cell phone are good enough for dial

      • Why is ANYONE anxious to get any form of webcam up for office work from home?!?!

        Am I the only one that like to wake up and walk straight from the bedroom to the office and work....

        Or do people that aren't used to working from home actually feel like doing the "old job" routine and get up earlier, shower, shave and dress for work?

        Yeah some people do in order to help separate work from home stuff mentally. Otherwise you just get up and sit in front of a computer for 16 hours straight before going back to bed.

        I used to work from the office (voluntarily) 99.9% of the time before the apocalypse so having some extra contact can really help when you haven't seen another human in a week. Thankfully it's not mandatory and if I overseep and have to join a meeting from the bed, it's not an issue. Sadly a headset is pretty much unavoidable.

        • I found good echo cancellation to be sufficient to allow using a free-standing microphone and my regular speaker system.

          I even used to use Mumble to have other speakers properly positioned in a virtual 3D room, with direction, attenuation and delay/phase simulation.

          The echo cancellation really needs to be smart though. Otherwise it won't work unless you configure horrible delays.

        • It's easy to see other humans every day, you just have to set yourself a routine. For example, I see quite a lot of people every evening when I load up pornhub.

        • My wife is a teacher and has to try to teach 20 3rd graders on zoom.

          She works math problems on a whiteboard. She does a little cooking show measuring fractions of a cup and so forth.

          For her, plugging a proper webcam into her ancient crappy school district macbook was a huge upgrade over the built-in camera.

          • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

            It's sad how all built in webcams still suck. Some of the business oriented ones (Lenovo, Dell) are passable and they actually have quite decent microphones, but compared to even a mid range phone they are still pretty terrible.

      • Am I the only one that like to wake up and walk straight from the bedroom to the office and work....

        You system leaves a bit to be desired and could be greatly simplified. I've setup my work laptop in the bathroom. In fact, I'm "taking care of business" right now!

      • by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

        People who aren't used to working from home, particularly the "management" variety, like as much contact as possible. If butts in seats isn't possible, frequent video checkins are the next best thing.

        I have a client or two with that problem. Fortunately, although they like to propose meetings, they usually forget about them before actually scheduling one.

      • Why is ANYONE anxious to get any form of webcam up for office work from home?!?!

        Am I the only one that like to wake up and walk straight from the bedroom to the office and work....

        From a guy with autism:

        2 reasons:
        1. There's a woman at work who flirts with me. It makes my day a LOT nicer!
        2. My boss likes seeing my face...it reassures him I am listening to him and doing so means my life is easier and he thinks I am working harder.

        ? Not everyone is on the spectrum and some like a human connection. I enjoy the cam on for about 30 seconds, they I wish people would turn it off to conserve bandwidth. It's not for me, but I am not the supreme dictator. If it makes people happy

        • From a guy with autism:

          2 reasons:
          1. There's a woman at work who flirts with me. It makes my day a LOT nicer!

          Are you sure she's actually flirting with you? :)

          • From a guy with autism:

            2 reasons: 1. There's a woman at work who flirts with me. It makes my day a LOT nicer!

            Are you sure she's actually flirting with you? :)

            Not one bit! I'm f-ing autistic...but life is more fun when you think she is. :)

            And in all seriousness...it doesn't matter. She enjoys turning on the cam when she calls and smiles a lot and it makes me happy...whether it's flirting or just her being herself and not thinking of me any different than any other man, we fully keep professional boundaries, so a harmless delusion in my mind.

      • Why is ANYONE anxious to get any form of webcam up for office work from home?!?!

        Because most communication is non-verbal. Because not all of us are basement dwellers who hiss at other people and actively enjoy seeing other people's faces.

        That you had to ask speaks volumes.

        • It may speak volumes but I agree with him ... Haven't turned my webcam on at all. Neither have my coworkers. Voice and screen are good enough

          • Indeed. People aren't all extroverts, they don't all crave the ability to see and interact with others. It speaks volumes wasn't meant as an insult, it was meant as a reflection on how different people have different personalities.

            There are many people actually suffering from mental health issues due to this isolation thing, precisely because of the lack of social contact.
            Myself I'm okay, I'm an introvert and frankly fuck other people, it's great not going to work. However I work with people who speak forei

        • Because most communication is non-verbal. Because not all of us are basement dwellers who hiss at other people and actively enjoy seeing other people's faces.

          That you had to ask speaks volumes.

          Well, err.....face to face time and seeing others in person is reserved for ACTUAL friends and family for me.

          Work is just work....and I only need enough interaction with co-workers to get my job done...I'm not there to pal around or make friends.

          I mean at work, I'm cordial, friendly and professional...but I"m not

          • Work is just work....and I only need enough interaction with co-workers to get my job done...I'm not there to pal around or make friends.

            I mean at work, I'm cordial, friendly and professional...but I"m not there for friendship, I'm ONLY at work to get my job done and earn money...nothing more.

            On my OWN time, that is when I spend time in person with many different friends, and family or dates.

            Well this post perfectly demonstrates why non-verbal communication is so important, doesn't it?

            The parent post wasn't talking about making friends at work (although why not?) but about communicating effectively with others by using all available means.

          • face to face time and seeing others in person is reserved for ACTUAL friends and family for me.

            Oh so you're not just a basement dweller but you're jobless too? Or do you actively enjoy under performing at what you do? Or maybe you just don't get along with any of your coworkers.

            In any case it's quite a sad statement.

            and I only need enough interaction with co-workers to get my job done

            Indeed. Which is why you should get a webcam. Instead of wasting your time trying to get your job done because your communication is hampered you'd be able to spend less time with those work people you clearly can't stand if you just video called.

            On my OWN time, that is when I spend time in person with many different friends, and family or dates.
            Of course the latter IS a bit tough with the virus

            Not sure what you're talking about. I had

            • Oh so you're not just a basement dweller but you're jobless too? Or do you actively enjoy under performing at what you do? Or maybe you just don't get along with any of your coworkers.

              I get along fine with everyone.

              I just don't need to see my co-workers to get my job done and I'm quite gainfully employed, I contract and make a healthy bill rate.

              I communicate with them just as much as I Need to....and so far thankfully, none of us, spread out across the US have to have video for all the many meetings and

      • by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

        Why is ANYONE anxious to get any form of webcam up for office work from home?!?!

        Am I the only one that like to wake up and walk straight from the bedroom to the office and work....

        Or do people that aren't used to working from home actually feel like doing the "old job" routine and get up earlier, shower, shave and dress for work?

        Because people like to separate "work" from "home". It sounds more like your work and home life are now one and the same. Others prefer a distinct separation - once they put on the

    • It's an old Rebel model, so it might be be an issue with old hardware, but it might affect newer models as well.

      It doesn't. I used to have (well still have, because I'm a hoarder) a Canon 550D, one of the earliest consumer-level SLRs with decent video, and it did overheat after 20-30 minutes or so.

      Modern cameras are designed with video in mind and with more advanced sensor technology it's no longer an issue for most cameras. There are exceptions of course especially if you push the resolution and/or framerate, but in this case I don't think it'd be an issue for any of the supported cameras.

      Last year I picked up an EO

    • I've had 4 Canon models: Rebel t4i, 70D, 80D, 6Dm2. I use them literally daily, often on the beach in the heat. I've never had thermal issues with any of those models. It's unheard of to have to worry about it. Lots of bloggers use them daily, especially Canon models, which are a bit more video-oriented than Nikon and Sony, at least by reputation.
    • After just a few minutes, the camera starts heating up, and will do a thermal shutdown after about 20 minutes of video recording.

      That sounds like a very specific problem for a specific model given how EOS cameras typically have no problem doing a lot of video recording, or shooting hour long exposures.

    • I've used my EOS to do transfers of old 8mm films from my in-laws using one of those old-fashioned reverse-screen boxes meant for camcorders. I have a really fast lens (works better in low-light) so it works pretty well. There is already a Canon utility that lets you record directly to the computer. After just a few minutes, the camera starts heating up, and will do a thermal shutdown after about 20 minutes of video recording.

      It's an old Rebel model, so it might be be an issue with old hardware, but it might affect newer models as well.

      Just buy this:

      Wolverine 8mm and Super 8mm Film scanner:
      https://www.amazon.com/Wolveri... [amazon.com]
      They also have an older 720p scanner as well. Takes smaller reels. I use both in my business. Very good results. Automated. It takes about 30 minutes for 50ft of film. Silent, auto-stops, very good features. Stores into MP4 on SD card on back, Composite out, USB out, and build-in LCD. It does chain-scan, and no flicker. older records at 30fps but almost any video editor can adjust to 16/18fps or 24fps (if super 8)
      Newer

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      The newer ones seem to be okay, a lot of people use them as video cameras. Very popular with the YouTube crowd because they are relatively affordable used and produce great results.

  • Why would this be Win64-only? There's a published standard for USB webcams [wikipedia.org], and if you conform to it properly, it will "just work" regardless of operating system.

    Why would Canon write code in a way that isn't USB-standards-compliant and requires special drivers? It's so easy to do it right that they'd almost have to go out of their way to do it wrong.... :-/

    • by I kan Spl ( 614759 ) on Wednesday April 29, 2020 @01:30PM (#60004660)

      My guess is that the hardware does not support the underlying USB webcam standard, and that this is a giant hack to get them to look "something like" a USB webcam without needing to do a firmware re-rewrite.

      • My guess is that the hardware does not support the underlying USB webcam standard, and that this is a giant hack to get them to look "something like" a USB webcam without needing to do a firmware re-rewrite.

        Giant Hack - Definition of a product (or company) to avoid because they've deviated that fucking far from common-sense industry standards.

      • by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

        You're likely correct. Canon's camera API is open. Anyone who would like to hack together an interface that talks to the camera and also looks like a webcam driver to their OS of choice can do so. I wouldn't be surprised if someone already did it for Linux. And most Macs already have a camera.

        Yup: https://askubuntu.com/question... [askubuntu.com]

        • by dgatwood ( 11270 )

          If only it were actually high-resolution. Sadly, Canon's camera API apparently only allows you access to live view data at whatever resolution the camera's back screen runs at (typically on the order of 500 kilopixel), which results in around 1024 X 576 resolution. (The exact size probably vary from camera to camera, but in all cases, it is less than 720p after cropping.) And this is apparently the resolution that Canon's app provides, too.

          Again, Canon should have started with a proper firmware change,

      • by dgatwood ( 11270 )

        The hardware, AFAIK, is Canon's own custom silicon wrapped around an off-the-shelf core, and its firmware already exposes compatible video data via a USB endpoint. It can't be that hard to add a new standards-compliant endpoint backed by the same data source, can it? :-/

      • by Solandri ( 704621 ) on Wednesday April 29, 2020 @06:37PM (#60005912)
        The firmware needs to be updated because the capability was artificially limited by the firmware to avoid having to pay an EU tax on video cameras [slashdot.org]. That tax was supposed to have been repealed last year. I assume it was, which is why camera makers are now able to offer this functionality.
      • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        The USB webcam standard is one of the reasons why USB webcams suck compared to even mid range phones.

        The main issue is that the only uncompressed formats it supports are YUV422 and NV12. Nobody uses NV12 and YUV422 is only 16 bits per pixel max and rarely available for full HD streams. Most cameras in fact send compressed video, MJPEG or MPEG in most cases.

        That means that a lot of information has already been lost by the time it reaches the computer. Unlike phones the computer has limited data to work with

    • by ledow ( 319597 )

      Almost certainly because such protocols rarely have enough extended functionality.

      Fine if you just want the image from the CCD to go down the wire. Often useless if you want to, say, control focus, zoom, switch video streams between raw and processed, etc. on the fly, especially with some kind of decent camera body that has a million options on the camera itself already.

      Same happened with ONVIF - most cameras support it in some very basic fashion, but it just doesn't have the standardised functionality for

      • by dgatwood ( 11270 )

        Fine if you just want the image from the CCD to go down the wire. Often useless if you want to, say, control focus, zoom, switch video streams between raw and processed, etc. on the fly, especially with some kind of decent camera body that has a million options on the camera itself already.

        That's why USB supports multiple simultaneous endpoints. When you run into those limitations, you can provide a HID endpoint and use that to expose whatever custom camera controls you need. Then, you can write a very tr

    • Presumably because these cameras weren't designed with webcam usage in mind, and so don't implement the required USB standard to enable streaming video?

      • by dgatwood ( 11270 )

        These cameras are all custom hardware. Canon should be in complete control over the HID endpoints that it exposes, and what data gets passed over them. I suspect it's probably more "We could hire ten Windows programmers for less money than a single firmware engineer with an understanding of the UVC protocol." :-)

        • If they made a mistake, a bluescreen is more tolerable than a brick.

          • by dgatwood ( 11270 )

            They could presumably have people download the custom firmware, put it on a flash card, and then run it straight off the flash card a la CHDK or Magic Lantern, rather than updating the firmware in the hardware itself, assuming that modifying the USB endpoints doesn't require flashing some internal firmware on some custom chipset.

          • Yeah there's no way they're going to rush out beta firmware for 20 different camera models to make them work like webcams. I mean they barely make any firmware updates at all, let alone to add features to old models.

            As I mentioned elsewhere, the cameras already support video over USB for tethered shooting in live view, so it's just a matter of getting that stream and making it show up as a webcam stream through direct show or whatever.

            • by dgatwood ( 11270 )

              Unfortunately they don't really support video over USB. They seem to be pushing down a bunch of JPEGs derived from the rear-screen framebuffer, which is scaled down to less than than 720p resolution. So even though you have a camera with tens of megapixels, it is pushing down a 750-kilopixel image that's lower quality than what you'd get from the webcam built into any recent laptop.

              The only way to make this work well would be with a proper firmware update that exposes the output of their video codec chip

      • Presumably because these cameras weren't designed with webcam usage in mind...

        Webcams have been around since the days of dial-up and ISDN.

        Presumably the brilliant person who decided to put video capability in an expensive picture camera, didn't pull their head out of their ass far enough to realize a rather obvious use case that's at least twenty years old.

    • Not sure why, but the Canon webcam utility [canon.com] download page notes that the driver is supported for the U.S. only.

      • Yes, of course. It's the United States Beta driver for Canon webcams.

      • by Calydor ( 739835 )

        Perhaps by support they mean they won't be translating it into any other languages? Or does it outright refuse to install on a machine that doesn't at least claim to be located in the US?

    • by dgatwood ( 11270 ) on Wednesday April 29, 2020 @02:02PM (#60004824) Homepage Journal

      Amusingly, apparently there are already ways to do this on a Mac [crowdcast.io] or on Linux [gphoto.org] without Canon's help. :-D

      I'd still be a lot happier if they just issued a tiny firmware update that exposed a proper UVC endpoint. It ought to be utterly trivial for them to do it, particularly compared with writing all this extra software for each platform, and it would "just work" without extra chaos, but at least there are workarounds.

      Speaking of which, it would also be really useful for them to add NDI|HX support. My iPhone can (with a free app) connect in to my OBS setup just by launching it, connecting to the Wi-Fi network, and telling OBS to discover the new NDI|HX source. Why not my much-more-expensive DSLR?

    • There's a published standard for USB webcams [wikipedia.org]

      What does a published USB standard have to do with video cameras who identify as an MTP or Mass Storage Device? Quick question for you: is it easier to
      a) install a driver
      b) ask consumers to go through the complicated firmware update process on an SLR permanently changing its functionality
      c) use your brain constructively to figure things out rather than asking absurd questions predicated on some bizarre idea that we for some reason don't need drivers in 2020 simply because a bunch come pre-installed in windo

      • by dgatwood ( 11270 )

        What does a published USB standard have to do with video cameras who identify as an MTP or Mass Storage Device?

        MTP and mass storage aren't designed for streaming. Not sure what you're getting at here.

        Quick question for you: is it easier to a) install a driver b) ask consumers to go through the complicated firmware update process on an SLR permanently changing its functionality

        It's much easier to install new firmware in a Canon camera than to install a driver. You literally download a file, drop it onto a flash card, stick it in the camera, turn on the camera, and follow the prompts on the screen. Unlike custom drivers, which are supported only on a subset of computing platforms,

    • by Khyber ( 864651 )

      That standard sucks balls and the best you get is 640x480 video with that shitty universal driver in any OS.

    • For astrophotography, many open source software have the ability to get the images off Canon and Nikon SLRs. So the API is available, and I guess a linux software could be easily written

      • Indeed APIs are available. They are specific to software. The last thing we need is every damn video conferencing app needing to manually implement the a video streaming API from each camera *individually*. Yes individually. The API differs between models.

  • I guess that is an euphemism for "the new one we want you to buy".

  • So now your WFH mate will have a chance to zoom in on your zit. Video conferences are supposed to be about content, unless you're applying for a modeling job.
    • by Xua ( 249955 )
      Yes, and sometimes it is content that is shot on camera. My wife teaches art and now she does it over internet. Image quality is really important for her lessons. Unfortunately Canon's software works only with very new cameras, I am out of luck to use my 5D Mark III with it.
      • Hook up the 5Diii and try anyway. A lot of people on Canon's forums are saying it works with several cameras not listed in the official supported list.

      • My EOS 1100D (known as EOS Rebel T3 in US and EOS Kiss X50 in Japan) works on Mac with Camera Live + CamTwist, and it definitely isn't a new camera. It was first released about 9 years ago.

        If it can work on Mac, it presumably is feasible to get it working on Windows.

    • And if you're applying for a modeling job, don't you need to have a "physical meeting" to "evaluate your professionalism"?

    • So now your WFH mate will have a chance to zoom in on your zit. Video conferences are supposed to be about content, unless you're applying for a modeling job.

      Definitely overkill for me, but some people are using it for TV broadcast. I remember watching an interview with Bill Gates, I think on the daily show...his camera setup was nice and professional...well lit, sharp lens...so much nicer than Trevor Noah's, which looks like it was done on an iPhone. A good prime lens, like a Sigma Art can make a huge difference in low light scenarios.

      I don't care...but if you care how you look and have a camera with a nice prime lens lying around, maybe you want some gre

    • by rho ( 6063 )

      Yeah, I don't need tack-sharp detail on my web cam. I'd rather use a potato and blame whatever conferencing software is being used for the quarter-sized pixels.

  • This sounds useful, but speakerphones have jumped in price, and I wish we could use Echo dots for our people working from home. If Canon can do this for cameras, it seems that this would be pretty easy for Amazon to do.
  • This should have been standard since at least a decade ago, for all cameras and smartphones.

    And had the OSes been open source, it would have been.
    Especially if they would have had full P9 support. ("Everything is a file" + over the network. E.g. picking /net/phone/dev/camera in your video chat software.)

  • For everyone else, there's always the Magic Lantern.
  • For the longest time, I didn't have a webcam so I used my DLSR as a webcam in windows 7. Software called SparkoCam supports a TON of DSLRs over USB. I was using a Kiss X5 and it works great.

    Oh, and +1 for Magic Lantern.

  • by Solandri ( 704621 ) on Wednesday April 29, 2020 @05:10PM (#60005592)
    The reason why your camera could only give 30 minutes of continuous video before shutting down is because of a silly EU law which charged video cameras a higher import tax rate than still cameras [borrowlenses.com]. If your photo camera can shoot 30 minutes or more of video, it's reclassified as video cameras for tax purposes. So everyone manufacturing cameras primarily used to shoot photos programmed the firmware to artificially limit video output to 29 min 59 sec to avoid the higher taxes. The reasoning was that the people buying those cameras were primarily interested in taking photos, so would prefer having the video length artificially capped rather than paying a 5%-12% higher purchase price. Only photo cameras with exceptionally good video performance had the limit removed (and paid the higher tax).

    The EU was supposed to have repealed the law last year. I haven't really been keeping track of it, but based on this story I assume they did scrap that silly tax distinction. Thus freeing up manufacturers to remove this artificial restriction on their cameras' capabilities.
  • My old shitty Vivitar camera, $15 brand-new at Best Buy during the heydays of the Pentium 4, had this capability.

    What's Canon's excuse for dragging on until now to make this even a feature? In fact, why the fuck have most camera makers not included this rather obvious and basic functionality?

  • While the 6D and 50D models aren't listed as supported, I've tested both and they work perfectly (although I cannot guarantee that the 50D won't overheat after long term use - they are not designed for video).

  • Something Linux seems to be capable to do with included tools?

    https://medium.com/nerdery/dsl... [medium.com]

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