The Canon released a feature that lets you use EOS models and some PowerShots brand as webcams. According to the brand, this happened due to the increased demand during the quarantine to combat the new coronavirus. The Webcam Utility is a tool that, once installed on the Windows PC, allows software such as Skype and Zoom to use your Canon as a high-quality webcam via the USB connection. Check below which models have support for the function and learn how to do the procedure to use your DSLR, mirrorless, or superzoom as a webcam.
Compatible Models
First of all, make sure your camera is part of the models supported by the Canon app. The manufacturer also warns that the Webcam Utility is in beta, and says that the feature is not supported outside the United States. In any case, during our tests, the tool worked correctly:
EOS DSLR cameras
- 1D Mark 2 10
- EOS 1D X Mark III
- EOS 5D Mark IV
- Eos 5Ds
- A Canon EOS 5Ds
- Canon EOS 6D Mark 2
- EOS 7D Mark II
- Canon EOS 77D
- Canon EOS 80D
- Canon EOS 90D
- EOS Rebel SL2
- EOS Rebel SL3
- EOS Rebel T6
- EOS Rebel T6i
- EOS Rebel T7
- EOS Rebel T7i
- EOS Rebel T100
Mirrorless Camera
- M6 EOS Mark 2
- EOS, M50
- EOS M200
- A Eos
- EOS RP
PowerShot cameras
- PowerShot G5X Mark II
- PowerShot G7X Mark III
- PowerShot SX70 HS
Procedure
Step 1. After confirming that your model is compatible, go to the official product page on the Canon website – in our case, we use an EOS Rebel T6i.
Step 2. When entering the site, click on the “Software” tab, locate the Webcam Utility and click to start the download;
Step 3. The installer comes inside a compressed file. Open the file with the help of software such as WinRar and perform the installation normally;
Step 4. The Webcam Utility is basically a driver for the Canon camera to be used as a webcam. With the tool installed, you should already have access to your camera. To test, connect the camera via the USB cable to your computer;
Step 5. Turn the camera on in video mode. Be aware that the position of the selector may change from model to camera model;
Step 6. At first, you should have everything ready for the camera to work as a webcam. The Webcam Utility should work normally in popular apps that support video chatting. Here, we tested the feature on Skype, which correctly identifies the Canon camera as “EOS Webcam Utility Beta”. Tests with OBS have also proved successful.
