With the world caught in the middle of a global pandemic, we’re all turning to video conferencing apps like Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams to conduct our daily work meetings or even just a chance to see our family’s faces. The biggest problem with most computer and mobile cameras though is that they really don’t bring out the best resolution of you, meaning that you can’t look and sound sharp at the same time. Something which I’m sure Darryn has yet to struggle with.
Panasonic wants to improve the quality of these video conferencing experiences by making it easier to use its mirrorless cameras as webcams via a USB cable. Thanks to a new beta version of its Lumix Tether app (via Engadget), this means that Panasonic camera owners can now ensure they put their best high-quality image forward when on camera and instantly look better than everyone else.
The Lumix Tether app already allowed you to connect your camera to a laptop or desktop for tethered shooting. With this new update though, Panasonic lets you remove the UI elements and pass a clean video feed to an app like Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) and then onto your video conferencing software. It’s not the simplest or most straightforward solution, but if video quality is important to you then it is certainly worth it.
The new version of the app is only available for Windows at the moment. With no word yet on if and when it might come to Apple’s MacBook OS or mobile platforms. The app is compatible with Panasonic’s DC-GH5, DC-G9, DC-GH5S, DC-S1, DC-S1R, and DC-S1H cameras.
Last Updated: June 10, 2020
