Sony’s New Software Allows Its Cameras to Work as Webcams During Video Calls

Sony will now allow you to use a digital cameras as a webcam. As work from home increasingly becomes the new normal, the need to have better quality webcams for video conference calls has risen. Panasonic and Olympus have already launched software to enable turning their mirrorless cameras into webcams, and now Sony is the latest optical company to join the pack. It has released a new desktop application called ‘Imaging Edge Webcam' that allows users to easily transform their Sony digital camera into a high-quality webcam by simply connecting to a PC via USB. This new software is compatible with several recent Sony DSLRs and mirrorless models. The app currently works only on Windows 10 PC or laptops. This means that if you have a Mac machine, you won't be able to use the new solution.

Sony says that the ‘Imaging Edge Webcam' is compatible with 35 Sony camera models including: Alpha 9 II, Alpha 9, Alpha 7R IV, Alpha 7R III, Alpha 7R II, Alpha 7S III, Alpha 7S II, Alpha 7S, Alpha 7 III, Alpha 7 II, Alpha 6600, Alpha 6400, Alpha 6100, Alpha 5100, RX100 VII, RX100 VI, RX0 II, RX0, vlog camera ZV-1, and more.

For using these Sony cameras as webcams, download the ‘Imaging Edge Webcam' app on to your Windows 10 PC or laptop and install the software. Once installed, adjust the camera settings based on your preferences (the aspect ratio is at default 16:9) and connect it to the computer using a USB cable. Users can then launch Zoom or other compatible video conferencing apps, and they should be able to see the Sony camera as one of the webcam options. This helps in elevating the video quality on conference calls by many levels as the current webcam solution on even high-end laptops do not match the quality offered by DSLRs.

As mentioned, Olympus has also introduced a similar software for enabling usage of its cameras with popular video conferencing apps such as Zoom. The software is compatible with Olympus OM-D models like the E-M1X, E-M1, E-M1 Mark II, E-M1 Mark III, and E-M5 Mark II. Panasonic has introduced a similar solution, but it is compatible with just six of its mirrorless cameras, namely the Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5, Lumix DC-G9, Lumix DC-GH5S, DC-S1, DC-S1R, and DC-S1H.

How to find the best deals during online sales? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.