Canon announced a set of webcam accessory kits for a selected range of its DSLR and mirrorless cameras, based on the Webcam Utility software that the company launched last year to facilitate the use of a Canon camera as a high-quality webcam. .
There are currently three versions of the utility kit available at two prices. The most expensive kit works with the EOS RP mirrorless camera and sells for $ 159. For a little less, at $ 89 each, two other kits support the EOS Rebel T3, T5, T6 and T7 cameras or EOS cameras M50, M50 Mark II and M200.
A Canon representative confirmed that the higher price of the EOS RP kit is mainly due to the different battery inserts needed to power that camera.
The actual components in each box vary, but all three kit options include a USB cable to connect the camera to the computer, as well as a battery with a power connection to allow the camera to operate continuously from a standard electrical outlet.
The EOS R5 and R6 are not included as compatible with the RP kit because the DR-E18 coupler included with this kit does not fit on these two cameras (they require the DR-E6 coupler).
Canon originally launched its Webcam Utility software in April last year with limited support for a small subset of cameras, only 25 models, and also only Windows machines and a limited number of video chat applications that worked with the utility. A month later, Canon released the same software, still in beta, for Apple computers. In November, the software had officially moved out of beta and supported almost twice as many cameras as at launch, with broad support for 14 of the most used video chat applications.
While not all cameras supported by the Webcam Utility are considered compatible with these kits, Canon probably did its research on which cameras are normally used by people who are not familiar with which individual parts they may need to make a webcam for their Canon cameras. In that same topic, DPReview notes that buying Canon kits doesn’t save a lot of money compared to buying all components separately and clearly targeting those who simply value the convenience of an all-in-one package or addressing the market segment that may not know exactly what they may need to effectively use their Canon cameras as webcams.
Making a significant effort to turn cameras into webcams without using capture cards and now also selling pre-built converter kits, clear signs that Canon now sees value in supporting the feature, especially given the number of people who are still working at home in the middle of the pandemic coronavirus.
(via DPReview)
Editor’s note: The original story included an observation that the RP Kit would work with the EOS R5 and R65 cameras, as noted by a Canon representative with whom PetaPixel spoke. Shortly after publication, Canon corrected this statement and clarified that the connector included with the RP Kit is not compatible with the R5 and R6 cameras. This correction was noted above and we apologize for any confusion this may have caused.