EOS Webcam Uility Pro blocks EOS Utility 3 from connecting to camera

[RenardM]

I have an M4 Mac Mini running Sequoia 15.3.2 and I keep running into the same issue. As my computer does not have a native monitor or camera, I use my R6 Mk-II for videoconferencing. That said, ever since downloading EOS Webcam Utility Pro (EWUP) I have not been able to use EOS Utility 3 (EU3) to import images from either of my cameras; the other body is a 6D Mk-II.

Each time I try, I get the following message: "Communication with the camera via USB cannot be established.
Start EOS Utility after closing all the apps that communicate with the camera, and then turn on the camera again. ----- EOS Webcam Utility." The problem is EWUP is closed, but Activity Monitor shows that maybe there is still a kernel being run in the background that cannot be quit. The only way I have gotten around this is by completely uninstalling EWUP, which is not a viable solution. I only did it to troubleshoot the source of the issue. 

I can use Lr to import images, but that takes about 3 times as long as EU3. This is killing my workflow! What am I missing? Has anyone else encountered this problem? How do I get EU3 to get back on speaking terms with my cameras?

[Hazel_T]

Hi RenardM,

I'm sorry to hear the EOS Utility isn't connecting to your camera. There are a couple of things to check with this. The first is to make sure the current version of the EOS Utility is installed. Sometimes if it is an older version it can cause issues similar to this. The current version is 3.19.0 and if you need to update it is available HERE.

Another thing to check would be to make sure your computer isn't automatically opening a program when you plug in your camera. The cameras can only communicate with one program at a time, so if the computer is automatically opening a different program when you plug it in that would cause this issue as well. If you need help determining if a program is auto launching when you connect the camera we would recommend contacting Apple.

One more thing to double check is if your computer has pending operating system updates. Sometimes if there are operating system updates that haven't been completed that can cause issues with the EOS Utility detecting the camera. If there are pending operating system updates we would recommend allowing them to go through and then check to see if the same thing happens when the update is complete.

[RenardM]

So far, it seems that going to Login & Extensions > Allow in the Background and unchecking Canon USA fixed this issue. I am very thankful as I have learned the hard way not to accept Apple’s OS updates until it’s proven they don’t break my Adobe apps. 

[RenardM · Accepted solution]

I recently learned that the R6 Mk II has a setting in the menu to use it as a webcam for streaming. This eliminates the need to use Webcam Utility at all. I have uninstalled it since the streaming function works perfectly.