Achieving Optimal Video Call Quality with DSLR Webcam (Episode 141)

Achieving optimal video core quality with DSLR webcams. Clear video quality is crucial for effective virtual communication. Using a DSLR camera for video calls is becoming popular for good reason. Today, we'll cover how to achieve optimal video core quality using a DSLR camera and why it's worth considering.

[00:00:22] I'm your host, Chris Schwager. Welcome to the podcast.

[00:00:25] What makes the DSLR camera so great as a webcam. Well, here are a few reasons why someone might choose to use a DSLR camera as a webcam.

[00:00:36] Now, number one, high quality image. Yep, baby . These cameras take great pictures, uh, of videos. And they're perfect for video calls and streaming.

[00:00:46] Two, the cost. DSLR cameras cost more than webcams, but they can be cheaper if you already have one for photography, right? Which a lot of people do, and you want to use it for videos calls too.

[00:00:58] And three, the flexibility. You can use different lenses, which is sometimes really great, and it allows you to control the look of your webcam to make things even better.

[00:01:08] But DSLR cameras can be a challenge to set up as a webcam, and I hear many stories of people buying the DSLR camera and having all these dials and knobs that they don't know how to use. So here are some issues you may run into.

[00:01:22] One, the compatibility issues between your camera and your computer or your software, right? So connecting may not be as easy as it seems.

[00:01:30] Number two. You need additional equipment such as a capture card or HDMI cable, or a way to stream your DSLR camera to your computer.

[00:01:39] Three, learning the curve of setting up and configuring the camera so that those settings are ready to go when you need them. And you do have this beautiful quality looking webcam whenever you are going on a video call.

[00:01:53] And number four, adjusting the camera settings, as I mentioned, such as aperture, focus, and exposure to ensure optimal video call quality.

[00:02:01] Now, how do you set up your DSLR camera? Because it's not easy for everybody. Right? You know, and particularly if you're trying to set it up as this permanent sort of webcam to deliver the best results, which really, you've gotta sort of follow the DIY Video Program principles here, and it's like set and forget, right? Once you set this bad boy, you don't wanna be piss, farting around with your settings all the time. You'll just be adding to the multiple variables that it takes to get the desired result. And you'll go crazy in the process because you'll never be able to bet down that look that you just want consistently every time you do a video. Now, if your own DSLR cameras or a camera, listen up because we're gonna give you some technical information here that will help you.

[00:02:45] Um, so let's pay attention right ?

[00:02:47] Now, this is overly technical. I flagged it with Christine and it's like, oh, no, no. It'll still be okay. Right? So bear with me because some of this may not get through , but for those that understand it, it'll be, it'll be fine.

[00:03:02] Now, let's talk about resolution. Anything from 720p to 1920p x 1080p, they're all great resolutions, optimal for video core quality. When you start talking about 4k, you run into problems with data. I'd recommend against it. Uh, the, you know, it's fine if you know what you're doing. I think just stay away from it if you don't.

[00:03:22] The frame rate, uh, 25 or 30 is a typical frame rate. Don't worry about 60 or 50 because you're not doing any slow mos, really, you're just gonna be using it as webcam. So keep it simple.

[00:03:33] Aperture, which is another word for exposure, set it to a low f stop. Um, so you're looking for the, for the, for the numbers on your camera called F 2.8 or 3.5. Any of those are good because that'll allow you to create as blurred background effect as possible.

[00:03:51] Iso, which is kind of like the gain now, it's, it's a basically a, a digital version of increasing the aperture. Okay? So try to keep this low as as possible, reducing the noise or any graininess that might come from having a high ISO. Typically ISO can be around 100 or 200. I mean anything, 500,000, whatever, as long as you get the correct exposure. So that's a really useful tool.

[00:04:16] The shutter speed, which for what you are doing can be really anything from 25 frames per second. So it's, you are looking on the camera, you're looking for one 25th. Um, anything above that. One 50th 100. I mean, there's guys out there would say, oh no, keep it all, you know, 5,100 blah blah, and have an optimal, um, shutter speed to use. I don't really see that at all, and it really doesn't seem to matter, um, particularly for a talking head. So you're okay there.

[00:04:46] With your white balance. Now, this is setting the, effectively the color of your video. Just if you're using day lights, so cool lights in your studio, then set it to daylight. Again, get it manually adjusted. You don't want that auto setting. Get it set and then you can forget about it.

[00:05:02] And you're focusing. If you are using manual focus, that's great. Just make sure that you are sharp every single time. Again, if you set your camera in the same position and you don't have to move it at all, and you are in the same position every time you present to it, then theoretically the use should be in the same manual focus range every single time.

[00:05:21] Some cameras, however, do change when you power 'em up and they kind of like. They, they kind of go into auto and then you've gotta go and manually change the focus. That's a pain. So in that case, you may wanna set it to auto and just let it do its thing, um, as long as it's always, uh, automatically focusing on your face.

[00:05:40] So keep an eye out for that. It is fiddly and it might take you some time to adjust that. Keep in mind that these settings may vary depending on your camera model and the lighting conditions in the room. So it's important to test different settings and adjust them as needed to achieve the best results.

[00:05:54] But you know what? If you wanna leave it to the technical problems, to the people that actually do it on a daily basis, you know, do that. Because camera set up for, uh, amateurs can be such a massive burden. That could just be the thing that stops you from producing videos. Camera set up to the professionals is easy, so check out the DIY Video Program. It comes with top of the line DSLR camera already set up and ready to go. Just leave it to the pros.

[00:06:22] Don't forget to like, share and to subscribe to this channel where you'll get weekly Video Made Simple ideas to present like a pro. That's all for this episode. Thank you so much for listening. I hope this has been aof use to you. Don't forget, gimme some feedback on the podcast. Is this useful? I'll see you next week.