Your Old iPhone Makes an Amazing—and Free—Webcam
Much better than any “real” webcam.
- Even after the update, Apple’s Studio Display still has a miserable image.
- Older iPhones or Android phones have much better cameras than webcams.
- Reincubate’s Camo app turns your old phone into an amazing webcam.
stomach hatch
Apple Studio Display’s webcam is embarrassing. So why not use your old iPhone as a webcam instead?
As promised, Apple updated the software behind the smooth, faded video from the webcam on the $1,600 Apple Studio Display, and here’s the result: The main problem is that the camera itself is not well suited for the tasks we are going to see. But if you have an old iPhone that doesn’t do anything, it’s easy to use it as a permanent webcam or use an old digital camera.
“The iPhone’s camera outperforms any webcam on the market. Unlike a webcam, the iPhone can actually get broadcast quality, so people watching it will see music videos and movies shot with the webcam.” Aidan FitzpatrickThe creators of Camo, an app that turns phones and cameras into webcams, told Lifewire in a direct message.
bad apple
The Apple Studio Display is a beautiful monitor with decent speakers and a terrible webcam. After mentioning low image quality in an initial review, Apple promised a software update to fix the problem. This update is currently in beta, and while helpful, it doesn’t address the underlying problem (low pixels).
As with newer iPad models, the Studio Display has a Center Stage, a neat trick to make the camera appear to follow you as more people join or leave a conversation as they zoom in and out. It does this by using an ultra-wide camera to capture the entire scene, then cropping sections and zooming in to fill the screen. The problem is that the camera is only 12 megapixels and once the frame is cropped it doesn’t have enough pixels to take good pictures even in good lighting.
To fix this problem, Apple will need to exchange the camera for a new one. The good news is that you can do this yourself.
shot money
Mac and iOS app developer Simon B. Støvring doesn’t use a studio display, but when he needed to add a webcam to a monitor rather than a camera, he turned to Fitzpatrick’s Camo. The app connects to your iPhone or Android device and uses the camera as a video call source. It doesn’t work with FaceTime, but it works with Zoom and most other apps that allow you to select camera input. Camo is free and you can pay for advanced features.
Støvring had an old iPhone 6 he put into service. The iPhone 6 has a rear camera with 1080p HD video support, and that’s the first bonus. You can use the proper camera on the back of the phone rather than the front selfie camera. You can also use autofocus features that Apple’s built-in webcam cannot do. Another great feature is that you can disable your iPhone’s camera simply by putting it to sleep or disconnecting it.
stomach hatch
“Once the Camo app runs on the iPhone, the iPhone stays awake even when the camera is not in use or the video feed is paused by the Mac app,” Støvring writes on his personal blog. “I like to manually lock my iPhone when the webcam is not in use. This will link the Camo Mac app to the iPhone app and disable the camera. It’s like using one of the webcam covers.”
upcycling
Older phones are perfect for repurposed as webcams. Camo can be used with a mirrorless camera, but it is painful.
“Using a mirrorless camera as a webcam causes problems with cabling, dummy batteries, mounting, lens selection, HDMI converters and in some cases overheating. It’s a complex but great solution when it works, but it’s not worth doing on a cheap mirrorless system,” says Fitzpatrick.
However, the iPhone is standalone and draws constant power from a single USB connection and stays cool. Støvring set it to wake up from sleep and launch right into the camera app when disabling the passcode. And it’s easy to find a permanent mount.
In short, if you’re disappointed with the quality of your webcam or don’t have one at all, try an old phone. It’s free and there’s a guarantee it’s better than anything you’re using right now.
More information
Your Old iPhone Makes an Amazing—and Free—Webcam
It’s way better than any ‘real’ webcam
Even after an update, Apple’s Studio Display still has a terrible picture.
Your old iPhone or Android phone has a much better camera than any webcam.
Reincubate’s Camo app turns old phones into amazing webcams.
Reincubate Camo
The Apple Studio Display’s webcam is an embarrassment, so why not use an old iPhone as a webcam instead?
As promised, Apple has updated the software behind the soft, washed-out video from the $1,600 Apple Studio Display’s webcam, and the results are in: It’s not really any better. The main problem is that the camera itself isn’t up to the task, as we shall see. But if you have an old iPhone lying around doing nothing, it’s easy to use it, or an old digital camera, as a permanent webcam.
“The cameras in iPhone comprehensively outperform every webcam on the market. Unlike webcams, iPhones can truly achieve broadcast quality, which is why people you see some music videos and films shot with them,” Aidan Fitzpatrick, creator of Camo, an app that turns phones and cameras into webcams, told Lifewire via direct message.
Bad Apple
The Apple Studio Display is a beautiful monitor, with adequate speakers, and a terrible webcam. After early reviews called out the poor quality image, Apple promised a software update to fix it. That update is now available in beta, and while it helps, it can’t fix the fundamental problem—too few pixels.
Like recent iPad models, the Studio Display features Center Stage, a neat trick that makes the camera seem to follow you as you move and to zoom in and out as more people join and leave the conversation. It does this by using an ultra-wide camera to take in the entire scene, then cropping a section and blowing it up to fill the screen. The problem is that the camera only has 12 megapixels, and by the time it has cropped the frame, you don’t have enough pixels left to make a good image—even in excellent light.
To fix this, Apple would have to swap in a new camera. The good news is, you can do this yourself.
Money Shot
Mac and iOS app developer Simon B. Støvring doesn’t use a Studio Display, but when he needed to add a webcam to his cam-less monitor, he turned to Fitzpatrick’s Camo. This app connects to your iPhone or Android device and uses its camera as a source for video calls. It doesn’t work with FaceTime, but it works with Zoom and most other apps that let you choose the camera input. Camo is free to use, and you can pay for advanced features.
Støvring had an old iPhone 6, which he pressed into service. The iPhone 6 has a 1080p HD video-capable rear-facing camera—and that’s the first bonus. You can use the proper camera on the back of the phone, not the front-facing self-cam. This also means that you get autofocus, which none of Apple’s built-in webcams can do. Another great feature is that you can disable the iPhone’s camera just by letting it sleep or disconnecting it.
Reincubate Camo
“Once the Camo app is launched on the iPhone, it will keep the iPhone awake, even if the camera is not in use or the video feed has been paused from the Mac app,” writes Støvring on his personal blog. “I like to manually lock the iPhone when I’m not using the webcam. This will prevent the Camo Mac app from having a connection to the iPhone app and using the camera. That’s the equivalent of using one of those webcam covers.”
Upcycle
Old phones are uniquely great for reusing as webcams. While you can use Camo with a mirrorless camera, it’s a pain.
“Using a mirrorless as a webcam brings challenges around cabling, dummy batteries, mounting, lens selection, HDMI converters, and in some cases overheating. When it works, it’s a great—if complex—solution, but it’s not worth doing with a lower-end mirrorless,” says Fitzpatrick.
An iPhone, however, is self-contained, is constantly powered via its single USB connection, and stays cool. Støvring even set his up to launch directly to the camera app whenever he wakes it from sleep and disables the passcode. And finding a permanent mount is easy.
In short, if you are disappointed in the quality of your webcam, or if you don’t have one at all, then try using an old phone. It’s free and guaranteed to be better than whatever you’re using now.
#iPhone #Amazingand #FreeWebcam
Your Old iPhone Makes an Amazing—and Free—Webcam
It’s way better than any ‘real’ webcam
Even after an update, Apple’s Studio Display still has a terrible picture.
Your old iPhone or Android phone has a much better camera than any webcam.
Reincubate’s Camo app turns old phones into amazing webcams.
Reincubate Camo
The Apple Studio Display’s webcam is an embarrassment, so why not use an old iPhone as a webcam instead?
As promised, Apple has updated the software behind the soft, washed-out video from the $1,600 Apple Studio Display’s webcam, and the results are in: It’s not really any better. The main problem is that the camera itself isn’t up to the task, as we shall see. But if you have an old iPhone lying around doing nothing, it’s easy to use it, or an old digital camera, as a permanent webcam.
“The cameras in iPhone comprehensively outperform every webcam on the market. Unlike webcams, iPhones can truly achieve broadcast quality, which is why people you see some music videos and films shot with them,” Aidan Fitzpatrick, creator of Camo, an app that turns phones and cameras into webcams, told Lifewire via direct message.
Bad Apple
The Apple Studio Display is a beautiful monitor, with adequate speakers, and a terrible webcam. After early reviews called out the poor quality image, Apple promised a software update to fix it. That update is now available in beta, and while it helps, it can’t fix the fundamental problem—too few pixels.
Like recent iPad models, the Studio Display features Center Stage, a neat trick that makes the camera seem to follow you as you move and to zoom in and out as more people join and leave the conversation. It does this by using an ultra-wide camera to take in the entire scene, then cropping a section and blowing it up to fill the screen. The problem is that the camera only has 12 megapixels, and by the time it has cropped the frame, you don’t have enough pixels left to make a good image—even in excellent light.
To fix this, Apple would have to swap in a new camera. The good news is, you can do this yourself.
Money Shot
Mac and iOS app developer Simon B. Støvring doesn’t use a Studio Display, but when he needed to add a webcam to his cam-less monitor, he turned to Fitzpatrick’s Camo. This app connects to your iPhone or Android device and uses its camera as a source for video calls. It doesn’t work with FaceTime, but it works with Zoom and most other apps that let you choose the camera input. Camo is free to use, and you can pay for advanced features.
Støvring had an old iPhone 6, which he pressed into service. The iPhone 6 has a 1080p HD video-capable rear-facing camera—and that’s the first bonus. You can use the proper camera on the back of the phone, not the front-facing self-cam. This also means that you get autofocus, which none of Apple’s built-in webcams can do. Another great feature is that you can disable the iPhone’s camera just by letting it sleep or disconnecting it.
Reincubate Camo
“Once the Camo app is launched on the iPhone, it will keep the iPhone awake, even if the camera is not in use or the video feed has been paused from the Mac app,” writes Støvring on his personal blog. “I like to manually lock the iPhone when I’m not using the webcam. This will prevent the Camo Mac app from having a connection to the iPhone app and using the camera. That’s the equivalent of using one of those webcam covers.”
Upcycle
Old phones are uniquely great for reusing as webcams. While you can use Camo with a mirrorless camera, it’s a pain.
“Using a mirrorless as a webcam brings challenges around cabling, dummy batteries, mounting, lens selection, HDMI converters, and in some cases overheating. When it works, it’s a great—if complex—solution, but it’s not worth doing with a lower-end mirrorless,” says Fitzpatrick.
An iPhone, however, is self-contained, is constantly powered via its single USB connection, and stays cool. Støvring even set his up to launch directly to the camera app whenever he wakes it from sleep and disables the passcode. And finding a permanent mount is easy.
In short, if you are disappointed in the quality of your webcam, or if you don’t have one at all, then try using an old phone. It’s free and guaranteed to be better than whatever you’re using now.
#iPhone #Amazingand #FreeWebcam
Synthetic: Vik News