Is EOS webcam legit

[Ray-uk]

For years Canon have been warning about the possible heat problems using their still cameras for long periods of video, even now most cameras have on screen warnings and automatic shutdowns if they get too warm so why suddenly is it alright to use them as webcams.

Is this just some bright spark at Canon USA using the Canon SDK to produce a program which is not necessarily authorised by the Canon headquarters in Japan ?

[Waddizzle]

Why the change?  If I had to venture a guess, I would say the overheating problem may not be as acute as it once was, back when they first introduced video into DSLRs.  The latest cameras do seem to draw less power than their predecessors, which is suggested by the higher estiimtated number of shots per full battery charge.

Judging from the list of compatible cameras released by Canon, the web cam feature seems to be limited to the most recent camera bodies.  This does not mean that it will not work with older cameras, although some cameras require a firmware update in order to unlock the capability.

[Ray-uk]

I think you are probably right that more modern cameras have better heat management but even my 7D2 which is included in the compatible list still has inbuilt heat warnings for long term liveview or video use.

I hope it works well and safely for those users that need it. I had to download the program just to try it but have no plans to use it as it just isn't something I need.

[gaxda]

I don't have much knowledge about DSLR, but maybe when we're using it as webcam we just pass video to our PC, but not recording it on SD card, not trying to save it, just data trasfer.

[shadowsports]

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@gaxda wrote:

I don't have much knowledge about DSLR, but maybe when we're using it as webcam we just pass video to our PC, but not recording it on SD card, not trying to save it, just data trasfer.

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The saving to media is not actually how the heat is generated.

I agree with Wadizzle about the newer models being lower energy and having better heat dissipation ability...  but I still think this utility with a DSLR is a recipie for trouble.  Maybe it will fine...  but I won't be usiing my camera for this.  We'll see in 3 months what happens...  Hope I'm wrong.