Project three: Essential gear skills - Nikon Webcam Utility

Mike Harris searches for a solution to poor-quality webcam footage and turns to his Nikon camera

- Mike Harris

The Mission

– Turn compatible Nikon cameras into top-notch webcams

Time

– 20 minutes

Skill level

– Beginner

Kit needed

– Windows 10 PC or Mac – Compatible camera – USB cable – Tripod

Using your DSLR or mirrorless as a webcam might seem a little much – a bit like employing a Bugatti Veyron to do the school run – but in these uncertain times video conferencing has become a solution for socially distanced business meetings and social gatherings.

But built-in webcams aren’t known for their picture quality, often rendering users a blurry mess. Nikon’s Webcam Utility (currently in the beta stage) seeks to end your pixelated woes, while affording you more control over your image. You can take full advantage of your fast glass by creating a trendy shallow depth of field, squeeze the whole family into the frame using a wide-angle lens, or use your camera’s Picture Controls as snazzy filters.

All current Z cameras are compatible as well as the D6, D850, D780, D500, D7500 and D5600. The software is currently available for 64-bit Windows 10 computers (http://bit.ly/nwuPC), or Macs running macOS High Sierra (version 10.13) or above (http://bit.ly/mwumac).