Olympus is becoming the latest camera company to launch an app that enables customers to use their mirrorless cameras as high-quality webcams with a new OM-D Webcam Beta app, via PetaPixel.
For now, the OM-D Webcam Beta is only compatible with Windows computers and works with five of Olympus’ mirrorless cameras: the OM-D E-M1X, OM-D E-M1, OM-D E-M1 Mark II, OM-D E-M1 Mark III and OM-D E-M5 Mark II.
Setting up your camera is easy: just install the app, connect your camera via its USB-C port, turn it on, and launch the software, after which your Olympus camera will appear as an option in the video conferencing application of your choice. like any other integrated or USB camera. For a more detailed tutorial, check out the Olympus video guide here.
Olympus notes that OM-D Webcam Beta software does not output sound from the camera; instead, it will depend on your computer’s internal microphone or an external USB microphone as usual. The decision is intentional, the company notes, as it allows users to place the camera in the best location for the video without worrying about being too far away to hear their voice.
With the launch of the new OM-D Webcam Beta, Olympus joins Fujifilm, Canon and Panasonic in launching software that makes it easy to use your mirrorless camera as a webcam. (Although Fujifilm and Canon are a bit further ahead, both companies support Mac computers in addition to Windows.)
Olympus recently announced that it would go out of the camera business entirely, with plans to sell its entire imaging division to Japan Industrial Partners, an investment fund, citing a decline in business in the camera market. Despite those plans, it appears Olympus is not just leaving its customers high and dry, with the development of new software like OM-D Webcam Beta and a recently announced lens roadmap for its existing products.
