Many people ask if they can use their digital camera as a webcam. In
the early days of digital imaging, it made sense to dual-function a
camera because a webcam was a serious investment. However, webcams are
now so inexpensive that manufacturers are not considering this
functionality important in their digital cameras. In fact even the word
'webcam' creates the impression of bad imaging, so associating this
function with a camera actually makes the camera seem 'cheap'.
Your camera is actually quite a new, and a nice camera. It doesn't make
a lot of sense for Panasonic to make it work as a webcam, because it's
a waste. And in any case, you'd expect a webcam to be powered by a wall
outlet or the USB... but most modern cameras like yours don't come with
adapter-power, they have battery chargers instead. And they take too
much current to use the USB power. By the time they'd added the extras
to make it work properly as a webcam, you could BUY a USB webcam
separately.
Anyway, back to your question... so, can your camera be used as a
webcam? Probably not, but here's how
you can tell. Make sure you've installed all the software you can find
for your camera, power it up, and plug it in. Windows will tell you if
it has a webcam function. If it's a webcam, then it will appear in "My
Computer" as a device, right along with all the disk drives. To be
sure, go to your control panel and select "Scanners and Cameras". Is
your camera listed? If not... it's not a webcam.
In the unlikely event that you have a 'video in' on your computer, and
that your camera has a 'video out' then you can follow the instructions
on
the sony site ("how to use a digital still camera as a webcam");
but most people will not have that yellow 'video in' connection.
Sorry this wasn't the news you really wanted.
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