ExtraWebcam

Common webcams don't offer much in terms of video quality, so if you wish to be seen clearly by your friends, you could try using a digital camera as a webcam. Compact cameras are quite easy to connect and use as webcams, but it is a whole different story when it comes to DSLR cameras, which are designed for professional photography. This is where ExtraWebcam comes in for Cannon users. It gives you the possibility of using a Cannon digital camera as a webcam, without any difficulties. You can use this application for various purposes, from video chatting with friends and family, to remote area monitoring.

ExtraWebcam is free to try, without any serious restrictions. It is compatible with most Windows versions and it can be installed in no time. It requires a certain audio driver to work properly, which is included in the package and installed automatically if you don't have it.

If you have a camera connected to your computer, you only need to run the application and click a check box on its compact user interface. This will display a live feed from your camera, on the left side of the interface, as well as a series of adjustment options on the right side. Depending on your camera's model, you may choose different input modes, in a drop menu, above the camera feed. If you have a compact camera, you may opt for a live viewfinder mode. For DSLR cameras, especially ones that don't support video recording, you may find it useful to select an interval shooting or a single shot mode.

The application provides a wide range of controls for any camera or input mode. You can change the zoom level, modify the exposure compensation, change the ISO rating, aperture value and much more. General settings can be made on the same interface, but on a different tab. A fast resize method can be enabled for video capturing, to reduce CPU usage. It is also possible to set the application to auto-connect a camera when started and more.

It is worth mentioning that ExtraWebcam provides support for numerous Cannon models. You can use almost any model, from compact cameras from the PowerShot series to professional DSLRs from the EOS series. Once you are satisfied with your settings, you can use your new "webcam" anywhere you want. You can even use it with chat applications, like Skype, Yahoo Messenger and so on. All you need to do is select ExtraWebcam as your default webcam in a program's settings.