Digicam which can be used as a webcam?

On Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:27:22 -0400, ASAAR wrote:

>On Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:29:27 +0100, Sammy wrote:
>
>> (1) I would like to know if I can get a digicam which, when needed, can
>> act as a webcam.
>
> Yes, but this isn't the sort of feature that's widely advertised.
>You might have to download many camera manuals to find some that
>have a webcam mode
>
>> (2) Also I would like to know the correct name of the feature which
>> permits a digicam to be plugged into a PC (via USB?) and to function
>> like a webcam.
>
> My Fuji S5100 (from 2005) has a Web Cam mode. Normally, the USB
>connector operates in DSC (Mass Storage Device) Mode, which allows
>the transfer of files from the camera to a computer. Most digital
>cameras have this mode. When reconfigured in the camera's menu to
>Web Cam mode, the manual states that the camera will then operate as
>a web camera, provided that your computer is running Windows XP with
>at least SP1 and you have Windows Messenger 5.0 or later installed.
>It also says that when Windows Chat is used with the Web Camera
>function, your partner's computer must also be running Windows XP
>SP1. These restrictions may not exist if you can find some
>non-Microsoft web cam software, but I'm not familiar with any.
>
> When Fuji replaced the S5100 with the upgraded S5200, Web Cam mode
>was removed, so you obviously can't assume that any camera can
>operate as a web camera.
How long can the camera be used safely in
a continuous mode?

Some heating issue
may cause a shut down?
 >> Stay informed about: Digicam which can be used as a webcam? 

Sammy wrote:

> (1) I would like to know if I can get a digicam which, when needed, can
> act as a webcam.
>
> (2) Also I would like to know the correct name of the feature which
> permits a digicam to be plugged into a PC (via USB?) and to function
> like a webcam.

"tether"


> ----
>
> My little compact digicam only supports batch file transfers to the PC
> and not live video.
>
> Although this digicam has an output to a TV which can show live video.
>
> ----
>
> Thanks. Sam.
 >> Stay informed about: Digicam which can be used as a webcam? 

On Mon, 11 Jun 2007 12:42:28 -0700, irwell wrote:

>> When Fuji replaced the S5100 with the upgraded S5200, Web Cam mode
>> was removed, so you obviously can't assume that any camera can
>> operate as a web camera.
>
> How long can the camera be used safely in
> a continuous mode?

Forever, I assume, using an external power supply. It kind of
defeats the purpose if the web cam mode can only be used for short
periods.


> Some heating issue
> may cause a shut down?

I doubt that heating is an issue, as the S5100 is an extremely
efficient camera compared to the battery munchers I previously
owned. For instance, my old Canon Powershot S10 felt noticeably
warm after using it for a while, and its NiMH battery pack was good
for 55 shots per charge (test conditions: flash used for 1 shot out
of every 4 taken).

The S5100, using a tougher battery test (flash used for 1 shot out
of every 2 shots taken), is good for more than 450 shots per charge.
It also doesn't feel warm after being heavily used, and as it's not
an extremely compact camera, what little heat it generates is more
easily dissipated than the older Canon Powershot. Probably the
biggest contributor to heating would be taking many shots using the
flash over a short period. The flash isn't used in web cam mode, so
the camera could probably be used indefinitely. The manual's
troubleshooting section doesn't cover any warnings or error messages
related to overheating. The manual also states that the AC power
adapter may become hot during use, but that this is normal, and no
mention is made of the camera becoming warm.
 >> Stay informed about: Digicam which can be used as a webcam? 

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 >> Stay informed about: Digicam which can be used as a webcam? 

My Fuji S602Z has a webcam mode which provides a great image. Only problem
is that it wants light; e.g. office lighting rather than some darkened rec
room.

It was far from cheap camera when bought years ago now.

"BaumBadier" wrote in message

> On Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:29:27 +0100, Sammy wrote:
>
> >(1) I would like to know if I can get a digicam which, when needed, can
> >act as a webcam.
> >
> >(2) Also I would like to know the correct name of the feature which
> >permits a digicam to be plugged into a PC (via USB?) and to function
> >like a webcam.
> >
> >----
> >
> >My little compact digicam only supports batch file transfers to the PC
> >and not live video.
> >
> >Although this digicam has an output to a TV which can show live video.
> >
> >----
>
> There are 3 ways to go about it.
>
> 1) buy a camera that specifically states it has a web-cam mode, it will be
> advertised as such in its specifications, they are always quite proud of
this,
> they are generally the least expensive, lowest-quality, almost throw-away
> cameras. Even a little $15 key-chain camera that you can get at the
> impulse-items of any checkout counter of a grocery or variety store has a
> web-cam mode in it.
>
> 2) if you have a video card that has a video input, then you can use the
> video-out of any digicam that has one. Granted, most times you can't get
rid of
> some on-screen displays when it's not being used in slide-show mode.
>
> 3) if the camera has any remote-capture support (running the camera via PC
> through the USB port), then you can use 3rd party software to emulate a
webcam.
>
> Any of the Canon cameras below, for example, can be used this way, and the
> signal they transmit is free and clear of any viewfinder icons and other
> onscreen info. Use software like "Cam4you Remote", "Granite Bay
Time-Lapse", or
> "PSRemote" and turn on its camera-viewfinder display option. Then use a
program
> like WebCamMax (or others) that allow you to overlay a capture area
anywhere on
> your desktop to act as a web-cam. Retransmit your desktop's view-finder
display
> from PSRemote, Time-Lapse, or Cam4you Remote with WebCamMax. There are
many
> programs that do this, WebCamMax just seems to be the most versatile (from
what
> I've found). The upside of doing this is that you have full control of all
> features of your Canon camera through the remote-capture software:
exposure,
> special effects, sepia, b&w, etc., including remote control of the
macro-modes,
> focus, and zoom lens so you can have a fully controllable web-cam all
operated
> from your computer.
>
> The following Canon cameras are supported by Cam4you Remote (the most
advanced
> of the remote-capture programs). Some may not provide for a viewfinder
preview
> mode, if they have an electronic viewfinder (EFV) or LCD for composing a
shot,
> then they probably do provide the necessary signal for a PC screen preview
in
> the remote-control software.
>
> PowerShot A10, PowerShot A20, PowerShot A30, PowerShot A40, PowerShot A60,
> PowerShot A70, PowerShot A75, PowerShot A80, PowerShot A85, PowerShot A95
> PowerShot A100, PowerShot A200, PowerShot A300, PowerShot A310, PowerShot
A400,
> PowerShot A510, PowerShot A520, PowerShot A620, PowerShot A640
> PowerShot S30, PowerShot S40, PowerShot S45, PowerShot S50,
> PowerShot S60, PowerShot S70, PowerShot S80
> PowerShot S100, IXY DIGITAL, DIGITAL IXUS
> PowerShot S110, IXY DIGITAL 200, DIGITAL IXUS v
> PowerShot S200, IXY DIGITAL 200a, DIGITAL IXUS v2
> PowerShot S230, IXY DIGITAL 320, DIGITAL IXUS v3
> PowerShot S300, IXY DIGITAL 300, DIGITAL IXUS 300
> PowerShot S400, IXY DIGITAL 400, DIGITAL IXUS 400
> PowerShot S410, IXY DIGITAL 450, DIGITAL IXUS 430
> PowerShot S500, IXY DIGITAL 500, DIGITAL IXUS 500
> PowerShot SD100, IXY DIGITAL 30, DIGITAL IXUS II
> PowerShot SD110, IXY DIGITAL 30a, DIGITAL IXUS IIs
> PowerShot G1, PowerShot G2, PowerShot G3, PowerShot G5, PowerShot G6,
> PowerShot G7
> PowerShot Pro90 IS
> PowerShot S1 IS, PowerShot S2 IS, Powershot S3 IS
> PowerShot Pro1
> EOS 1D Mark II, EOS 20D, EOS 1Ds Mark II
> EOS Kiss Digital N/350D/REBEL XT
> EOS 5D, EOS 1D Mark II N, EOS 30D
> EOS Kiss Digital X/400D/REBEL XTi
>
> The following EOS cameras are supported up to Cam4you remote version 1.1
but I
> don't know if they provide for a viewfinder preview mode.
>
> EOS-1D, EOS-1Ds, EOS D30, EOS D60, EOS 10D
> EOS Kiss Digital, EOS Digital Rebel, EOS 300D
> EOS-1D Mark II, EOS 20D, EOS-1Ds Mark II,
> EOS Kiss Digital N, EOS Digital Rebel XT, EOS 350D
> EOS 5D, EOS-1D Mark II N,
> EOS Kiss Digital X/400D/REBEL XTi
 >> Stay informed about: Digicam which can be used as a webcam? 

My Fuji S602Z has a webcam mode which provides a great image. Only problem
is that it wants light; e.g. office lighting rather than some darkened rec
room.

It was far from cheap camera when bought years ago now.

"BaumBadier" wrote in message

> On Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:29:27 +0100, Sammy wrote:
>
> >(1) I would like to know if I can get a digicam which, when needed, can
> >act as a webcam.
> >
> >(2) Also I would like to know the correct name of the feature which
> >permits a digicam to be plugged into a PC (via USB?) and to function
> >like a webcam.
> >
> >----
> >
> >My little compact digicam only supports batch file transfers to the PC
> >and not live video.
> >
> >Although this digicam has an output to a TV which can show live video.
> >
> >----
>
> There are 3 ways to go about it.
>
> 1) buy a camera that specifically states it has a web-cam mode, it will be
> advertised as such in its specifications, they are always quite proud of
this,
> they are generally the least expensive, lowest-quality, almost throw-away
> cameras. Even a little $15 key-chain camera that you can get at the
> impulse-items of any checkout counter of a grocery or variety store has a
> web-cam mode in it.
>
> 2) if you have a video card that has a video input, then you can use the
> video-out of any digicam that has one. Granted, most times you can't get
rid of
> some on-screen displays when it's not being used in slide-show mode.
>
> 3) if the camera has any remote-capture support (running the camera via PC
> through the USB port), then you can use 3rd party software to emulate a
webcam.
>
> Any of the Canon cameras below, for example, can be used this way, and the
> signal they transmit is free and clear of any viewfinder icons and other
> onscreen info. Use software like "Cam4you Remote", "Granite Bay
Time-Lapse", or
> "PSRemote" and turn on its camera-viewfinder display option. Then use a
program
> like WebCamMax (or others) that allow you to overlay a capture area
anywhere on
> your desktop to act as a web-cam. Retransmit your desktop's view-finder
display
> from PSRemote, Time-Lapse, or Cam4you Remote with WebCamMax. There are
many
> programs that do this, WebCamMax just seems to be the most versatile (from
what
> I've found). The upside of doing this is that you have full control of all
> features of your Canon camera through the remote-capture software:
exposure,
> special effects, sepia, b&w, etc., including remote control of the
macro-modes,
> focus, and zoom lens so you can have a fully controllable web-cam all
operated
> from your computer.
>
> The following Canon cameras are supported by Cam4you Remote (the most
advanced
> of the remote-capture programs). Some may not provide for a viewfinder
preview
> mode, if they have an electronic viewfinder (EFV) or LCD for composing a
shot,
> then they probably do provide the necessary signal for a PC screen preview
in
> the remote-control software.
>
> PowerShot A10, PowerShot A20, PowerShot A30, PowerShot A40, PowerShot A60,
> PowerShot A70, PowerShot A75, PowerShot A80, PowerShot A85, PowerShot A95
> PowerShot A100, PowerShot A200, PowerShot A300, PowerShot A310, PowerShot
A400,
> PowerShot A510, PowerShot A520, PowerShot A620, PowerShot A640
> PowerShot S30, PowerShot S40, PowerShot S45, PowerShot S50,
> PowerShot S60, PowerShot S70, PowerShot S80
> PowerShot S100, IXY DIGITAL, DIGITAL IXUS
> PowerShot S110, IXY DIGITAL 200, DIGITAL IXUS v
> PowerShot S200, IXY DIGITAL 200a, DIGITAL IXUS v2
> PowerShot S230, IXY DIGITAL 320, DIGITAL IXUS v3
> PowerShot S300, IXY DIGITAL 300, DIGITAL IXUS 300
> PowerShot S400, IXY DIGITAL 400, DIGITAL IXUS 400
> PowerShot S410, IXY DIGITAL 450, DIGITAL IXUS 430
> PowerShot S500, IXY DIGITAL 500, DIGITAL IXUS 500
> PowerShot SD100, IXY DIGITAL 30, DIGITAL IXUS II
> PowerShot SD110, IXY DIGITAL 30a, DIGITAL IXUS IIs
> PowerShot G1, PowerShot G2, PowerShot G3, PowerShot G5, PowerShot G6,
> PowerShot G7
> PowerShot Pro90 IS
> PowerShot S1 IS, PowerShot S2 IS, Powershot S3 IS
> PowerShot Pro1
> EOS 1D Mark II, EOS 20D, EOS 1Ds Mark II
> EOS Kiss Digital N/350D/REBEL XT
> EOS 5D, EOS 1D Mark II N, EOS 30D
> EOS Kiss Digital X/400D/REBEL XTi
>
> The following EOS cameras are supported up to Cam4you remote version 1.1
but I
> don't know if they provide for a viewfinder preview mode.
>
> EOS-1D, EOS-1Ds, EOS D30, EOS D60, EOS 10D
> EOS Kiss Digital, EOS Digital Rebel, EOS 300D
> EOS-1D Mark II, EOS 20D, EOS-1Ds Mark II,
> EOS Kiss Digital N, EOS Digital Rebel XT, EOS 350D
> EOS 5D, EOS-1D Mark II N,
> EOS Kiss Digital X/400D/REBEL XTi
 >> Stay informed about: Digicam which can be used as a webcam? 

On Jun 12, 3:27 am, ASAAR wrote:
> On Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:29:27 +0100, Sammy wrote:
> > (1) I would like to know if I can get a digicam which, when needed, can
> > act as a webcam.
>
> Yes, but this isn't the sort of feature that's widely advertised.
> You might have to download many camera manuals to find some that
> have a webcam mode
>
> > (2) Also I would like to know the correct name of the feature which
> > permits a digicam to be plugged into a PC (via USB?) and to function
> > like a webcam.
>
> My Fuji S5100 (from 2005) has a Web Cam mode. Normally, the USB
> connector operates in DSC (Mass Storage Device) Mode, which allows
> the transfer of files from the camera to a computer. Most digital
> cameras have this mode. When reconfigured in the camera's menu to
> Web Cam mode, the manual states that the camera will then operate as
> a web camera, provided that your computer is running Windows XP with
> at least SP1 and you have Windows Messenger 5.0 or later installed.
> It also says that when Windows Chat is used with the Web Camera
> function, your partner's computer must also be running Windows XP
> SP1. These restrictions may not exist if you can find some
> non-Microsoft web cam software, but I'm not familiar with any.
>
> When Fuji replaced the S5100 with the upgraded S5200, Web Cam mode
> was removed, so you obviously can't assume that any camera can
> operate as a web camera.

Must be a FujiFilm thing?

My ex F420 [my first D/C] could be used as a webcam

I believe i read somewhere that it can damage something in a D/C by
using them as a webcam

U can buy a proper webcam for $20, why bother with a D/C?

M-P
 >> Stay informed about: Digicam which can be used as a webcam? 

On 13 Jun 2007, BaumBadier wrote:

> On Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:29:27 +0100, Sammy
> wrote:
>
>>(1) I would like to know if I can get a digicam which, when needed,
>>can act as a webcam.
>>
>>(2) Also I would like to know the correct name of the feature
>>which permits a digicam to be plugged into a PC (via USB?) and to
>>function like a webcam.
>>
>>----
>>
>>My little compact digicam only supports batch file transfers to the
>>PC and not live video.
>>
>>Although this digicam has an output to a TV which can show live
>>video.
>>
>>----
>
> There are 3 ways to go about it.
>
> 1) buy a camera that specifically states it has a web-cam mode, it
> will be advertised as such in its specifications, they are always
> quite proud of this, they are generally the least expensive,
> lowest-quality, almost throw-away cameras. Even a little $15
> key-chain camera that you can get at the impulse-items of any
> checkout counter of a grocery or variety store has a web-cam mode
> in it.
>
> 2) if you have a video card that has a video input, then you can
> use the video-out of any digicam that has one. Granted, most times
> you can't get rid of some on-screen displays when it's not being
> used in slide-show mode.
>
> 3) if the camera has any remote-capture support (running the camera
> via PC through the USB port), then you can use 3rd party software
> to emulate a webcam.
>
> Any of the Canon cameras below, for example, can be used this way,
> and the signal they transmit is free and clear of any viewfinder
> icons and other onscreen info. Use software like "Cam4you Remote",
> "Granite Bay Time-Lapse", or "PSRemote" and turn on its
> camera-viewfinder display option. Then use a program like WebCamMax
> (or others) that allow you to overlay a capture area anywhere on
> your desktop to act as a web-cam. Retransmit your desktop's
> view-finder display from PSRemote, Time-Lapse, or Cam4you Remote
> with WebCamMax. There are many programs that do this, WebCamMax
> just seems to be the most versatile (from what I've found). The
> upside of doing this is that you have full control of all features
> of your Canon camera through the remote-capture software: exposure,
> special effects, sepia, b&w, etc., including remote control of the
> macro-modes, focus, and zoom lens so you can have a fully
> controllable web-cam all operated from your computer.
>


Very useful posting. Thank you.
 >> Stay informed about: Digicam which can be used as a webcam? 

On Fri, 15 Jun 2007 19:01:16 -0700, wrote:

>> When Fuji replaced the S5100 with the upgraded S5200, Web Cam mode
>> was removed, so you obviously can't assume that any camera can
>> operate as a web camera.
>
> Must be a FujiFilm thing?

Well obviously the S5100 and S5200 are FujiFilm products. But
Fuji isn't the only manufacturer that has ever replaced some
features with others. Canon's G7 now has IS but no more RAW.
Nikon's D40/D40x added a few niceties but dropped the AF motor, so
to AF, the D40 now requires the use of motorized lenses.


> My ex F420 [my first D/C] could be used as a webcam
>
> I believe i read somewhere that it can damage something in a D/C by
> using them as a webcam

You may have. That doesn't mean that what you read was true. I
suspect that it wasn't, but even if you find it again and it happens
to be true, it may only be true for one particular camera due to a
design flaw. Generalizing to all other cameras that have webcam
modes isn't likely to be very helpful. As Fuji's S5100 manual has
no warnings about any webcam related problems, I'd think that it
would be safe to use as a webcam for extended periods. The only
thing I can think of offhand would be damage caused by overheating
some component, but the S5100 is one of the very efficient cameras
that uses very little battery power. Its battery life is comparable
to Canon's A610/A620 cameras that also use 4 AA batteries, and
they're able to view images on the LCD display for up to 16 hours on
single set of alkaline batteries, which should indicate a current
draw unlikely to overheat anything.



> U can buy a proper webcam for $20, why bother with a D/C?

If you already have one built into an already owned camera and
want to experiment, why not? If it turns out to be something you'd
want to continue with, I suspect that you'd want to pay more than
$20 for a very cheap webcam, which probably has a far inferior lens,
no adjustable aperture, a crude focusing mechanism (if any), far
lower resolution, and may only provide B&W video anyway.
 >> Stay informed about: Digicam which can be used as a webcam?