You can now use your Canon camera as a webcam with your Mac

Canon Webcam Macos
Canon Webcam Macos (Image credit: Canon)

What you need to know

  • Canon is bringing its EOS Webcam Utility Beta software to the Mac.
  • The software allows Canon owners to use their camera as a webcam.
  • Support is coming to certain EOS Interchangeable Lens Cameras (ILC) and PowerShot cameras.

All Mac owners know that the FaceTime webcam built into the Mac is out of date and in need of a major upgrade. Thankfully, for those who have a Canon camera, Canon may have an alternative solution for you.

In a press release today, Canon announced that it is bringing its EOS Webcam Utility Beta software to macOS for the first time. This software will allow owners of certain Canon cameras to hook them up to their Mac and use them as a webcam.

"After tens of thousands of downloads and comments from Canon brand loyalists, the EOS Webcam Utility Beta software* has expanded, and is now available for macOS users. Unveiled today by Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, for select EOS Interchangeable Lens Cameras (ILC) and PowerShot cameras, this beta version solution converts a compatible Canon camera into a webcam through a simple USB connection. Users were heard through multiple Canon social media channels, customer comments and media inquiries."

Canon says that users will need to connect their Canon camera to their Mac with a USB cable. Once the camera is set up through Canon's software, users should be able to now select the camera as a video source in the video conferencing app that they use.

"Similar to the Windows operating system version released April 28, the new macOS compatible software solution requires one single USB plug (which may need to be purchased separately) to connect the compatible camera to the computer. Once the software is downloaded and the camera is configured within a video conferencing application, the user will have improved video appearance while participating in video conferencing and virtual meetings."

You can check to see if your Canon camera is compatible with the software through Canon's announcement website. You can also watch the announcement, as well as how to get your Canon set up as your webcam with you Mac, in the video below:

Joe Wituschek
Contributor

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.