You just finished watching your favorite youtube channel live streaming and you were impressed with the video quality. So now you are motivated to upgrade the video quality of your own live streaming. Or simply you may want to look better on your video chats or video calls with your girlfriend. If you are a Sony camera user you can turn your mirroless cam into a high quality web camera. All you have to do is download the Imaging Edge Webcam. Its Sony's free desktop application that allows you to turn your mirrorless camera into a webcam. Keep in mind that Imaging Edge Webcam is not compatible with all Sony camera models. For example, you cant use your Sony a6000 as a webcam using it. You can find and download the application from Sony's website if you click here.
Supported Operating Systems - Installation
To use the Imaging Edge Webcam you must have a PC with Windows 10 64 bit. If you are a Macintosh user then you must run macOS 10.13- 10.15 or macOS 11. Mac computers with Apple silicon are not compatible with the application.
Once you select your camera model by ticking the right box, download the software and move it to the folder of your choice. Double click to install it and do not forget to restart your computer after finishing the installation. Also make sure that your operating system and your drivers are up to date.
Compatible Sony cameras
As we mentioned earlier the Sony a6000 is not compatible. This is a strange decision from Sony and a bit difficult to understand because other older e mount aps-c models like the Sony a5100 are compatible or some older cameras from the A mount series. You will not have any problem with recent models such as a6400 and a6600 or full frame cameras such as the Sony a7 mark iii. Anyway to see the list of the supported cameras check the picture below.
Usage instructions - How to connect the camera to your computer
Depending on your Sony camera model you have to navigate the menu and find the network options. There you must disable the option to control the camera with your smartphone and and enable the pc remote option via usb. To find specific instructions for your own model click here.
Now you must plug the usb cable that came with your camera to the usb port of your computer and set your camera to mode Auto. It is time to launch the application that you want to use for live streaming or web chatting (OBS, Zoom, Skype etc) and select the Sony camera as the default option. After doing this, use the top dial and switch to movie mode. Now all that is left is to change your camera settings. You may want to use autofocus continuous, eye autofocus or even manual focus etc. Keep in mind though that Imaging Edge Webcam does not handle audio. That means that you must use your computer built in microphone or your external mic of choice. Sony also recommends to disable the Windows sleep mode while live streaming, to make sure that your camera battery is fully charged and to not unplug any other usb devices such as headphones. You must also know that the default aspect ratio when you use the Image Edge Webcam app is 16:9 and the resolution is 1020 X 576 pixels.
That was it. From now one you can use your new high quality Sony mirrorless as a web camera all your on line needs. A guide on how to use your Sony a6000 as a web cam will follow soon. You might also be interested to read my guides for Sony a6000 best settings for video and stills.
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