Canon releases new software allowing select EOS cameras to function as high-quality USB webcam

We truly are in rather unprecedented times.  Canon USA just released a press statement today outlining the release of a new beta software solution to allow select Canon EOS Interchangeable Lens Cameras (ILC) or PowerShot cameras to function as a single-cable high-quality UVC-compatible USB webcam.  Yes, you read that right: You can use your Canon EOS camera as a webcam without needing clean HDMI out.  As long as your camera is on the list.

What is the Canon EOS Webcam Utility Beta software?

Friend of the site, Hunt: Showdown streamer, and recent 3D printing obsessor Kryptikos actually brought this to our attention today, and we appreciate the heads up on this, because this is a pretty big deal!  The EOS Webcam Utility Beta software is a brand new software utility released to allow you to use your existing compatible Canon EOS ILC or PowerShot point-and-shoot as a high-quality UVC-compatible USB webcam device.

Previously, in order to use your Canon EOS camera as a webcam, you would have needed to either connect your camera’s HDMI output to an HDMI capture device, or use a USB connection along with a software solution, capture that window, and then make that capture available as a “USB webcam” to be visible in your video-conferencing application.

Canon’s new EOS Webcam Utility aims to make this complicated process much more streamlined, allowing you to connect a single USB cable and detect it as a USB camera without the use of screen capturing.

The EOS Webcam Utility Beta is currently a Windows-only application, so Mac users will still be left out for now, but hopefully, this will change soon.  Mac users have long been underserved with utilities and workarounds to make this happen, so we hope to see this ship on macOS soon.

What cameras are supported by the Canon EOS Webcam Utility Beta?

Unfortunately, not all Canon EOS cameras are compatible, such as my aging 7D.  That said, the majority of the more modern Canon EOS line is available as well as a few of the recent popular PowerShot point-and-shoot cameras.

Current compatible EOS Webcam Utility Beta software cameras

• EOS-1D X Mark III
• EOS-1D X Mark II
• EOS 5DS R
• EOS 5DS
• EOS 5D Mark IV
• EOS R
• EOS 6D Mark II**
• EOS RP**
• EOS 7D Mark II
• EOS 90D**
• EOS 80D**
• EOS 77D**
• EOS Rebel T7i**
• EOS Rebel T6i
• EOS Rebel T7**
• EOS Rebel T6
• EOS Rebel SL3**
• EOS Rebel SL2**
• EOS Rebel T100**
• EOS M6 Mark II**
• EOS M50**
• EOS M200**
• PowerShot G5X Mark II**
• PowerShot G7X Mark III**
• PowerShot SX70 HS**

Current compatible Clean HDMI solution products

There is also a list of currently compatible clean HDMI out cameras, for those wanting to use their camera natively in applications like OBS and Streamlabs:

• EOS-1D X Mark III
• EOS-1D X Mark II
• EOS 5D Mark IV
• EOS R
• EOS 7D Mark II
• EOS RP
• EOS 90D
• EOS M6 Mark II
• EOS Rebel T8i
• EOS Rebel SL3
• EOS M200
• VIXIA HF GX10
• VIXIA HF G60
• VIXIA HF G50
• VIXIA HF W11
• VIXIA HF W10
• VIXIA HF R80
• VIXIA HF R800
• PowerShot G5 X Mark II
• PowerShot G7 X Mark III

^**Camera does not ship with a bundled USB interface cable

Final thoughts

Canon releasing this EOS USB Webcam Utility is a complete surprise for us, but one we’re absolutely pleased to see.  There seems to be a whole new direction from Canon these days, especially with this coming just a week or so after the Canon EOS R5 announcement, which was something completely shocking in its own right.

We hope that this indicates a more user-friendly and feature-rich direction for the company.  Seeing fewer features restricted just for the sake of holding back not only makes Canon cameras better but also improves the industry as a whole.  Canon is poised to really shake up the market in a big way, and releasing this free software solution in a time of worldwide crisis shows exactly how they’re taking things seriously.

But what are your thoughts?  Do you have one of these supported cameras?  Have you tested the new beta software?  If so, what are your thoughts?  Leave a comment down below or let’s talk on Twitter, @creatorbeat_.