Camera owner asks Canon, skies: Why is it $5/month for webcam software?
Just because it’s a good rig doesn’t mean you can use it on Zoom.
I chose the wrong horse. Wtf Canon, I've given you fuckers tens of thousands of dollars over the years and you artificially restrict functionality to nickle and dime me?
Guess I'll sell my lenses and switch to Sony or Nikon then. Sucks to suck!
For what it's worth, my Sony connects as a webcam no problems at all
Yeah, I'd seriously considered getting an nicer Alpha but I shot Canon for decades so I stuck with them.
Damn, first time I read about that I understood it as 5$ for the app and done, nit 5$ A MONTH.
I'll remember not to buy or recomend Canon then.
The blockade of third party glass is the only reason I didn't give them a look when I was looking for a mirrorless camera. Granted, this was a few years ago and things have slightly improved since then. They still can't touch e-mount glass availability though.
Same thing here. I went with Sony because of how expansive the E-mount lineup was, including 3rd parties (even the lesser known ones like Samyang and Viltrox).
At the time, Canon's first party lineup was pretty lackluster if you weren't looking for the L-series professional lenses. It's gotten better since then, but in terms of value it's very hard to compete with Sony since third parties are much cheaper, and used availability is much better due to the age of the system.
Probably because the software team is under a different cost center than the hardware/camera team, and they weren't generating revenue. So the idiot assholes at the top of the SW side said "we can monetize our webcam software" and a bunch of people agreed so they could look relevant and keep their jobs. Capitalism!
I've worked in corporate America long enough to know this is exactly what happens. Companies will look at departments by revenue and just consider everything else expenses. They don't consider that people won't buy your hardware without good software support.
I stopped by HP long before their hardware went to shit because their drivers went to complete crap. I know I'm not alone on this. So what did HP do when their sales went down? Did they reinvest in good drivers and firmware? Nope, they just loaded their drivers with adware and made things even worse. When they didn't work they started using cheaper parts in their printers. The LaserJet printers dominated the corporate landscape 20 years ago. Then they all got slowly replaced by Brother because Brother invested in good drivers and firmware.
They saw all the other subscription services and thought, me too!
Greed
Because people pay it
Is there really a demand for webcams nowadays (especially in the pro market and their expensive cameras), or is it Canon trying to mimick phone subscriptions? I'm asking this because I'm not a photographer, but the webcam fad seems to have died decades ago and I'm confused by this.
Every professional or amateur streamer or Youtuber is a potential client.
It came back during Covid, I have a box of webcams now.
They’re much more targeting workers nowadays.
For those of us who are dedicated amateurs, work from home has added the need to attend meetings by video
And if you've got a good camera, some studio lights, and a nice portrait lens, you can absolutely outclass all the other people using laptop or phone cameras
So it really is critical to webcamify your digital SLR or mirrorless
Streamers