Have you been using your built-in laptop webcam for a while and are looking to upgrade your video quality?
Although I’d never recommend buying a dedicated camera exclusively to use as a webcam, it’s an excellent option if you already own the a7iii.
In this quick guide, I’ll go over how to use your a7iii (advice is also applicable to the a7siii) as a webcam for streaming, zoom, or whatever.
Let’s dive in!
The Steps
First Step: Change Camera Settings
Before we begin anything, there’s just a few quick settings you’ll need to change in the camera.
In the network section of the settings menu, you’ll want to switch “Ctrl w/ smartphone” to OFF.
Below that, you’ll want to switch the “PC Remote Function” to ON and select USB as the connection method.
Second Step: Download Software
The next step is to download Sony’s “imaging edge” software. You can find it by clicking on this link. It works exactly the same on both PC and Mac.
Go through the whole installation process, and then after it’s done, restart your computer.
Third Step: Plug in the Camera
Finally, you simply plug in the camera. There’s no configuration menus or applications on your computer that need to be opened. It’s literally just plug and play.
I’d assume you have a USB cable on hand, but if not, the Sony a7iii takes USB-C. They’re pretty cheap and there’s a million options on Amazon for cables.
After the camera is plugged in, you should see a small “-PC-” icon show up on the LCD, this confirms that it’s properly connecting to the computer and ready for use.
Now, it should show up in the webcam/video settings of any app (Zoom, OBS, Discord, etc.) under the name “Sony Camera (Imaging Edge)”.
Final Notes
No Audio Pass-Through
It is important to note that the camera won’t transit audio, which means you’ll still need a dedicated microphone connected to your computer.
Sure, you could use the integrated microphone on your laptop, but why not invest in a really nice microphone to match your now-excellent video quality?
Lighting, Tripod, Etc.
On that note, the Sony a7iii will only look better than a webcam if you use the proper lenses and lighting.
First off, you’ll need a small desktop tripod for stability. Second, you’ll want to invest in some sort of lighting setup. I’d personally suggest just using a cheap ring light.
Finally, consider investing in a wide aperture lens to really blur out the background. The Sony FE 20mm F1.8 (expensive) and the Rokinon 18mm F2.8 (cheaper) are both very strong options.
Suggested additions to boost your video quality:
And that’s really all there is to streaming with your a7iii. Thanks for reading! 🙂
Some links in this article are affiliate links, which means I get a (very) small commission if you purchase anything at no additional cost to you. Thank you!