Nikon D90 as a web cam ?

[ron_barak]

<p>Hi,<br />I just got a Nikon D90, and am learning its workings now.<br />I'm wondering: the D90 having LiveView, video (and the ability to lock the mirror up) there shouldn't be an obstacle to use it as a high end web cam.<br />Has anyone used the D90 for that purpose ?<br />Bye,<br />Ron.</p>

[z_newbie]

<p>Now Why in Gods Name do you want to do that? You spent almost a $1000 to buy an awesome Camera just to be used as a Webcam. They sell Webcams for $30 or so jut for that purpose.</p>

[Peter_in_PA]

<p>Video is limited in length, and heats up the sensor a lot.</p>

<p>Don't do this.</p>

[elyone]

<p>I am not even sure it can be done technicaly. I guess you can tether it, and then you will need to restart it every 20 minutes and you will need to hook up power AND worry about overheating...<br>

It's like trying to make a sow's ear out of a leather wallet. (To paraphrase some good advice I once received here on PN, when I asked whether I can put a metal mount removed from on old lens, on one of the plastic mount kit lens haha. WHAT was I THINKING)</p>

[seismiccwave]

<p>Just because something has the ability to do something doesn't mean that it is a good idea to do it. The immediate problem is the sensor heating up. </p>

[psul_aul]

<p>I don't think autofocus works while you are in video mode. So you would have to focus manually. Kind of pain unless you have nice manual focus lenses.</p>

[eric_arnold]

<p>that's a bad idea. you'll just burn out the sensor with amp noise, not to mention AF isnt possible in live view/video mode. not to mention using video mode runs down the shutter faster. also you need a lot of bandwidth to transmit HD video over the Internet. it's possible to jump off a cliff too, but i have no interest in doing it just to prove it's possible.</p>

[munim]

A webcam needs to be turned on all the time to be useful.

 

The D90 shuts itself off after a while. I did a recording of a lecture. For the first recording, I managed to get a 30 minute

video (not sure why but maybe due file size limit). After that it shuts itself after 30 seconds and I had to restart it again and

again ad nauseum. Even if a rich grandmother gave you this camera as a gift, it will not function as a webcam.

 

That was on manual operation. Anybody tried controlling it using Nikon Camera Control software?

[jakob_norstedt_moberg]

<p>Whats wrong with the idea of using a D90 as a web cam? Wouldn't it be nice with online images of high quality compared to all those very, very bad web cam images you can see everywhere?<br>

I have used compact cameras for web applications in cases where I prioritize the image quality, such as documenting the progress of a construction site. In this case you don't need full live 25fps video, you just need an image every hour or so. I could very well think of using D90 for such applications.</p>

[ron_barak]

<strong>Hi,</strong>

 

<strong>First, thanks to all who replied. <br />Let me try and address some of the points you raised:</strong>

 

 

 

<p><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=2276215">Zeeshan Ahmed</a> <a href="../member-status-icons"><img title="Subscriber" src="http://static.photo.net/v3graphics/member-status-icons/sub3.gif" alt="" /></a>, Mar 02, 2009; 09:54 a.m.</p>

 

 

 

<p>"You spent almost a $1000 to buy an awesome Camera just to be used as a Webcam."<br>

<strong>Who said it's just for webcamming ? ;-)</strong></p>

 

 

 

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=2196965">Peter Hamm</a> <a href="../member-status-icons"><img title="Subscriber" src="http://static.photo.net/v3graphics/member-status-icons/sub3.gif" alt="" /><img title="Frequent poster" src="http://static.photo.net/v3graphics/member-status-icons/2rolls.gif" alt="" /></a>, Mar 02, 2009; 10:13 a.m.</p>

 

<p>Video is limited in length, and heats up the sensor a lot.</p>

<p ><strong>Point taken.</strong><br>

<a href="../photodb/user?user_id=3653130">Avi Jacob</a> <a href="../member-status-icons"><img title="Subscriber" src="http://static.photo.net/v3graphics/member-status-icons/sub2.gif" alt="" /></a>, Mar 02, 2009; 10:14 a.m.</p>

 

 

 

 

<p>I am not even sure it can be done technicaly.<br>

<strong>Well, that's what I'm trying to find out.</strong></p>

 

 

<a href="../photodb/user?user_id=365237">Psul aul</a> <a href="../member-status-icons"></a>, Mar 02, 2009; 05:05 p.m.

 

 

<p>I don't think autofocus works while you are in video mode. So you would have to focus manually. Kind of pain unless you have nice manual focus lenses.</p>

 

 

 

<p ><strong>As in LV, there's matrix metering. For webcamming, that would be sufficient.</strong></p>

 

<a href="../photodb/user?user_id=285707">Jakob Norstedt-Moberg</a> <a href="../member-status-icons"></a>, Mar 03, 2009; 10:51 a.m.

 

 

<p>Whats wrong with the idea of using a D90 as a web cam? Wouldn't it be nice with online images of high quality compared to all those very, very bad web cam images you can see everywhere?<br />I have used compact cameras for web applications in cases where I prioritize the image quality, such as documenting the progress of a construction site. In this case you don't need full live 25fps video, you just need an image every hour or so. I could very well think of using D90 for such applications.--<br>

<strong>That's an excellent point.</strong><br>

<strong>Bye,<br />Ron.</strong></p>

 

 

 

[alec_kalliny]

<p>It's possible to use DSLR cameras as a web cam using SparkoCam.</p>