Use iPhone as webcam - alternatives to EpocCam?

I used Ecamm pro for a couple of months until Zoom stopped supporting it. I used a Canon 7D Mk II, which was threat, but a bit overkill fo business calls (Start the Canon, Ecamm the Zoom). So I cancelled my subscription and I’m now using a Logitech Brio webcam (so no need for 3rd party HW or SW). It’s arguably a great webcam but the single biggest impact on image quality (that ultimately made me make the jump) was a intense cold white LED light.

Doty, sorry I’ve been off the Forum for a long time. I see the question has been answered in the meanwhile.

I’ve taken to joining my conference calls on both my iPad (for my sound and camera) and again on my Mac to share my screen or view the presentation. A bit annoying to be listed twice in the participants list but it’s working ok until my back ordered webcam arrives.

I managed to get onto the Reincubate Camo beta for a couple of weeks. I spend a lot of most days jumping between Zoom and Teams, and as my (quite old) iMac seems to randomly stop the camera this was a bit if a life-saver. Easy to set up, integrates well into both Zoom and Teams (and others although I don’t need those). It looks as if it moving off beta now, but has a subscription of £30 (inc VAT) per year, which is meant to be a special pre-launch price.

That seems like quite a lot, compared to the price of just buying a decent web-cam once they are back in stock (some of which only cost about $30) and having it forever with no additional charges.

I agree, with you @tjluoma, and it surprised me. I maybe missing something.

There will be a free version, but that will only allow 720p. The bits you can fiddle with - saturation, tint etc can be found in Ecamm’s iGlasses which is not a subscription model. For me it is useful as my built-in camera can be flakey, just not sure I would spend £30 a year on it and will stick with the 720p version.

Interesting. I’m not sure most people need to be sending more than 720p for their Zoom calls, but most people will probably expect that “more = better” even if it taxes their upload bandwidth more than is really necessary.

Maybe Apple will start putting decent webcams in their new hardware!

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That seems like quite a lot, compared to the price of just buying a decent web-cam once they are back in stock (some of which only cost about $30) and having it forever with no additional charges.

I was a Camo beta tester for about a month and am really impressed with the app.

The video quality with my iPhone 11 Pro Max significantly better than both of my webcams, including my high-end webcam that retailed for about $350.

I also appreciated being able to use the Ultra Wide feature of my iPhone 11 Pro Max (e.g. when teaching a yoga/meditation class). Unlike most software that comes with WebCams, Camo’s app (called Camo Studio) is flexible and intuitive. I also appreciate that I can change all of the settings on the Mac (no need to awkwardly fiddle with the iPhone) and that the image processing is done on the iPhone, meaning that Camo doesn’t add any significant CPU overhead on the Mac.

It’s worth putting the free version through its paces. I decided to go for the paid subscription/upgrade and am sure I’ll put it to good use.

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Tim,

Are you still using Camo? It looks like the best option, but wanted to check if you were still using it yourself. Thanks!

Bodie

Works great. I use it every week for making my iPhone work as a top-down camera. It’s very handy.

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@bodiequirk — I use Camo regularly and it continues to impress. It’s head and shoulders above all of the other apps that I’ve tried. And I expect it will get even better as the team continues to develop their offering.

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@timstringer That’s what I wanted to hear!! Quick question: does the phone have to be connected directly to the computer, or is wireless available and seamless enough to use?

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Good to hear, @bodiequirk!

Quick question: does the phone have to be connected directly to the computer, or is wireless available and seamless enough to use?

As it stands, the iPhone needs to be connected to the computer. I believe their roadmap includes a wireless option, which could be useful in some cases.

Generally speaking, my preference is to connect via cable. I have a nice long, braided lightning cable that works well in almost any circumstance. This ensures a solid connection to the camera and keeps the iPhone charged.

You always come through for me @timstringer. Thanks again

You’re very welcome, @bodiequirk. Happy to help!

Zoom only supports 720p, they have not allowed 1080p since the start of the pandemic.

I was in touch with their support recently as I wanted 1080p for my account and they said due to the high demand all accounts are limited to 720p until further notice. I presume this means it is uploaded in this resolution, to save their servers the additional work.

1080p video has been available all along for Business and Enterprise users, but the resolution can drop to standard definition for Basic and Pro users.

The Group HD support article contains more information, including the following:

For the time being, standard video, not HD video, will be activated when 3 or more participants join a group meeting. HD video (720p) will be activated for 2 participants or when a Zoom Room or Conference Room Connector joins a group meeting. HD video (1080p) will only be activated for selective use cases such as large format broadcast events.

True, but by default 1080p is also disabled for enterprise/education accounts (I use the education account for work)

I don’t manage this account and my IT department won’t enable Full HD, as they don’t want anyone with low bandwidth to have problems. If you want to enable it, the account owner has to contact support.

From the support page:

For Full HD (1080p)

  • Business, Education or Enterprise account
  • Must be Enabled by Zoom Support
  • i7 Quad Core (physical core) CPU or higher

So, yes it is technically possible if an IT department enables it on a corporate account.

However, for most people 1080p is not possible. I only use the corporate account for teaching, as they have it set to record everything by default and have access to lots of information on usage. Like most people I know, I use a Pro account for most calls and even 720p only works if there are two people in the call, any more than two and it is in standard definition.

Thanks for the additional insights, @Rob_Polding.

Hopefully, everyone will have the option to use 1080p before too long. Though, for Business, Education, and Enterprise accounts, I expect that enabling 1080p will be at the discretion of the organization/ID for the foreseeable future.

Anyone still using either Camo or EpocCam? I’m looking for something to use predominantly with Slack and Zoom. Tried the free version of Camo yesterday and was very impressed, put off by the subscription but noticed they are offering a lifetime licence.

Also interested to hear about your day to day experiences using the iPhone as a webcam and any tips you might have.