How to turn any camera into a webcam for $14

Camera manufacturers like Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Sony, and Fuji have launched their webcam software this year. However, they may not support your camera model, so you’ll need to find another solution. Duncan Dimanche has one that is simple, cheap, works for most camera models, and on both Windows and Mac.

Duncan’s approach is similar to this one, but he uses a gadget that’s around ten times cheaper than Cam Link. He uses an HDMI video card that costs only $13.99. You’ll also need an HDMI cable, but you most likely got one with your camera. So, you connect your camera to the video card, then connect the video card to the computer, and that’s pretty much it.

When you open Zoom, Skype, or any other program that you use for video calls, make sure that your camera is on. Select the USB video input to use your camera as a webcam during video calls or while broadcasting live videos. As for audio, make sure that you have headphones and select them as the audio output. For the audio input, you have a few options. First, you can choose the audio from the camera if it has a decent mic or you have an external mic on it. You can also choose your headphones microphone if it’s good enough. Duncan says that your computer’s microphone isn’t the best choice, although it could work with newer Macbooks since they have decent mics. I believe that you could also use an external mic plugged into your computer, although I sometimes have hiccups with this setup even when using just a regular webcam. But feel free to try.

I find tricks like this very useful since Nikon’s Webcam Utility Software doesn’t support my camera model. I would still need to buy the HDMI video card and try it out. If you have it and youßre willing to experiment, let me know how it works for you and your camera model.

[Turn ANY camera into a webcam for 13$, no app needed | via Photo Rumors]