With the world in lockdown, more people are relying on video conferencing apps to keep in touch with friends and colleagues.
Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet are proving incredibly popular, but people are also discovering that their laptop webcams aren’t cutting the mustard.
Sure, you can upgrade your webcam, but there may well be a better way. You could potentially employ your camera instead.
This is already possible with an additional purchase of something like Elgato’s Cam Link (a great bit of kit for streamers) but now camera manufacturers are making it possible in other ways.
Canon recently released its EOS Webcam Utility to allow people to use some of its DSLR, Mirrorless and PowerShot cameras as webcams. Now Panasonic is following suit.
Panasonic has released a free piece of software that allows you to use some Panasonic cameras for live streaming.
Lumix Tether for Streaming (Beta) is a free download for Windows that allows a “Live View” mode which can be used for streaming after the camera is connected to a PC with a USB cable.
There are a few provisos though. Firstly, it’s worth keeping in mind that the software is in beta and still in development. Secondly, it only compatible with these Panasonic cameras:
- DC-GH5
- DC-G9
- DC-GH5S
- DC-S1
- DC-S1R
- DC-S1H
It’s also only available for Windows at the moment, not macOS and you’ll need to hit these requirements:
- OS: Windows 10 (32bit/64bit)
- CPU: Intel CPU of 1 GHz or higher
- Display: 1024 x 768 pixels or more
- RAM: 1GB or more (32bit),2GB or more (64bit)
- HDD: Free space of 200 MB or more for installation
- Interface: USB 3.0/3.1
If you tick all the right boxes though, the Lumix Tether software is certainly a great way to upgrade your visuals and improve your calls or live streaming endeavours!
