80D closing mirror

[rickmorton]

I'm using my 80D as a webcam for ZOOM. Works fine with the webcam utility. However, if I add a second camera, like a GoPro or use my Mac camera, when I switch from those to the Canon, the screen goes black for 1/2 second, the camera raises the mirror and then the image comes on. Switching back to one of the other cameras and the 80D closes and the other camera comes on with no black. 

The really strange thing is when I use the 80D with eCamm Live for live streaming, the Canon doesn't need the webcam utility at all and the cameras switch seamlessly. The mirror on the Canon never closes. ??? I even uninstalled the Utility to be sure it wasn't running and the eCamm software still sees the Canon just fine. As a matter of fact, if I have th Utility running, it will show in the eCamm camera list as "EOS Webcam Utility" but there is also "Canon 80D" in the list. Selecting the Utiltiy shows a black screen with a logo but selecting the 80D works fine. ??

I spoke with a Canon guy at length yesterday and he coudn't come up with an answer beyond "I think the camera just wants to close the mirror when you switch to another source." Yet it works fine in eCamm.

Any thoughts??

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

The EOS WebCam Utility is basic and does not support multiple cameras or cameras from other manufacturers.  Nor was it designed with the intention of switching between multiple sources on the fly without interruption.  Any function you get with another device is lucky, same goes for eCamm.

You may have uncovered some type of coding issue or quirky behavior, but its not a bug since there is no claim for this support in the first place.  The windows version might behave differently, as will another version of MAC OS, we don't know.

The mirror closing might have to do with the computer creating a buffer for streaming (maybe).  What you see in the selection list may have to do with how the inputs are coded.  But again, no support for this is claimed.  

I think the webcam utility was created to provide basic webcam/streaming functionality.  If it works how you want in eCamm, use that for your meetings or streaming.  

[rickmorton]

Thanks for the info. I've reached out to eCamm too to see if there's something they're doing that's allowing the live switching, dissolves between cameras, etc. 

Unfortunately, I'm stuck with Zoom for one of my regular meetings, but the live streaming I can do with eCamm.

Again... it's strange that eCamm sees the Canon camera WITHOUT the webcam utility. ???

[shadowsports]

Actually its not strange that eCamm sees the Canon Camera.  I suspect eCamm sees it as an imaging device.  There just isn't a guarantee of compatibility in this case.   

[rickmorton]

Yes. I heard from eCamm. Said there's special code that's allowing ecamm to switch back and forth without the mirror shutting down. 

Thanks.

[shadowsports]

Great info thanks for sharing.