I was getting pretty fed up with my Macbook Air 2011 webcam now that we are on a constant stream of Zoom video conferences and calls. And with the shortage of nicer webcams in stock I started to look into weather it was possible to use my older DSLR camera as a makeshift webcam.
I have a fairly old DSLR, a Nikon D7000, so I wasn’t super confident that I would be able to do this easily. But thankfully I was wrong! I tried a few different applications at first, but most of them only had free “trial” periods with costly subscriptions, and I was not willing to pay that cost. I then found some free open software called PTPWebcam.
This software is for macOS only! so you will have to investigate another solution for Windows and Linux operating systems.
The PTPWebcam software allows you to plug your DSLR into your computer over USB, and use the video feed for Zoom, Skype, etc, or you can Record the feed using Quicktime. Once installed, it shows up as a small icon at the top of your screen. The corresponding number, on the side, will indicate how many PTP cameras are detected.
When your DSLR is connected you will see it when you click on the PTPWebcam icon. Mine shows up as “D7000”. From here you can open the “Preview Video Stream…” to check your composition. You can also change the various camera settings to get your image just the way you want.
Here is an example of the image quality, this is just a screenshot of the preview window, but I am definitely digging the colors and the bokeh in the background.
Your camera is now ready to use for video conferencing, My DSLR USB feed is only 480p, but the quality of the image is much better than my old Mac webcam!
Zoom Setup
To access your new camera in Zoom just go to the Preferences (Settings) -> Video -> and select your DSLR from the camera drop-down list.
QuickTime Player Setup
To record a Quicktime video, Just open Quicktime Player -> File -> New Movie Recording.
This will open up a recording window where you can select your camera from the drop-down menu next to the recording button.
Most software will still use your internal laptop microphone though so it might be a good idea to upgrade that at some point as well.
My DSLR Tripod Mount
Here is an example of my setup, my tripod is a bit tall but I can adjust the legs wider if I dont need my phone underneath as a teleprompter.
More Control Options
If you want to get higher quality shots and videos, you need to use DSLR tethering software, the PTPWebcam just records the low-resolution USB video feed output.
For this, I use Helicon Remote, it’s available for almost every os, and supports a wide variety of cameras. You can download it from the link below.
The software makes it really easy to snap pictures, adjust settings, control focus, and take videos. One of the cool features of the software is that it allows you to set “A” and “B” focus points. So when you want to switch focus for example between your face and the background you can do it with a push of a button.
Starting a video capture is a bit hidden in the menus, just click on Tools -> Start recording video. You should then see a flashing red dot in the upper right corner of the live preview feed.
Conclusion
There you have it, an easy way to integrate your DSLR as a Mac webcam and as a tethered shooting device. I hope this helps you upgrade your webcam set up. I know that I will be using this for all my Zooms and to take better quality videos of myself for some Youtube content.
