Fuji Film X-T200’s “Webcam Mode” For High-Quality Zoom Calls

Zoom Calls, Google Hangouts, Microsoft team, and bluejeans. These are some of the software that has become a part of our lives in 2020. With most of us working from home and business meetings now taking place, the quality of the video is increasingly becoming important. Webcams are the first go-to options for higher quality video. But good quality webcams are in short supply globally and with demand, skyrocketing prices of these webcams are skyrocketing. In such scenarios you might be staring at your digital SLR or mirrorless camera, wondering why you can't connect it to your computer and enjoy better video quality than laptop webcams provide. The simple answer is, most cameras don't support the function, at least right out of the box. 

Now there are two ways to connect your DSLR to your computer and get the video feed on the web 

• HDMI – Most cameras come with HDMI out port, the video output can be had over HDMI. Its not that simple though, you need an HDMI to USB capture card and your camera has to support “clean HDMI out” most consumer cameras don’t. 
• USB – Although all cameras have USB ports for data transfer etc most of them can not output video using the USB port.

Fuji Film saw this problem and released a firmware update for two of its Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras – The Fuji XA7 and XT200 with a built-in “Webcam Mode”. We had an opportunity to use the XT200 with this new firmware and here is our report. 

Fuji Film XT200 Specifications

While the X-T200 is Fuji Film’s entry-level interchangeable lens camera, it has all the good looks of the X-T30 but the build quality is several notches down. Its all-plastic polycarbonate here but there is no compromise in performance. The X-T200 has serious retro-modern styling and is aimed at enthusiasts and people who are just getting into serious photography. 

The X-T200 is not just about photography, its got a lot of things for the people looking at making videos with their DSLRs. The X-T200 can shoot 4K at 30 or 24 frames while 1080p mode can be captured at 60fps/30fps and 24fps for the creamy cinematic look. Typical of a Fuji camera you also get film simulation modes that are available in the video shooting modes as well. The X-T200 can show the Film Simulation Mode in real-time with live preview. For the Selfie and vlogging generation, the X-T200 comes with a touch-enabled flippy screen with one of the largest displays at 3.5inch with a 16:9 ratio. Digital Video stabilization is also available albeit only in 1080p mode. 

The Autofocus system is much better than its predecessor the X-T100, it comes with a hybrid AF system with 425 sensor-based phase-detection points.  You can let the camera choose a subject, with the optional aid of eye and face detection, or select a point manually. Subject tracking is available too and is quite effective at keeping the focus box on top of moving targets.

The "Webcam Mode"

With the version 1.10 firmware update, Fujifilm has added USB webcam support to the X-T200. Once updated, you just need to plug it into a PC or Mac computer system via USB. It will show up in your available cameras list with compatible software like Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and Zoom are supported. With this Fuji Film has just made it much easier for anyone with almost no technical know-how to use the X-T200 as a webcam and still get high-quality video on live streaming, video conferencing, and video chats through the computer. letting you benefit from much sharper lenses and larger image sensors than the Webcam in your laptop or even an external webcam. Additionally, the X-T200 also enables the PROVIA Film Simulation mode giving the overall video a much richer, warmer, and professional look to your videos. 

The Webcam Mode can be found under Setup > Connection Setting > USB Mode > USB Webcam:

Setting the webcam mode is easy and once you’re up and running in this mode, the X-T200 is detected as a webcam by the computer. The X-T200 Webcam mode starts with Exposure set on Auto, Face and Eye detection AF set to ON, the LCD turned off, and the Provia (Standard) film simulation activated. Exposure adjustment is still available but through the Exposure Compensation dial. 

We found the video quality through the X-T200 in Webcam mode to be miles ahead of any webcam even the higher-end ones, but this was obvious considering the fact X-T200 is a full-fledged ILS Camera. The important things here that make a real difference is the Face and Eye detection Autofocus that keep you in focus no matter how much you move. Overall video output can be had in 1080p or 720p, most of the video conferencing apps support 720p at the moment. 

The Battery on the X-T200 can easily stream video to the PC in webcam mode for over an hour. Another good thing about this is that it’s not operating system specific. We could easily use the X-T200 in Webcam Mode on macOS and Windows 10 without any trouble. Fujifilm also has the X Webcam Software a free application that works with several of Fuji’s higher-end mirrorless X and GFX cameras, allowing you to use them as webcams through the software, currently only available on the Windows platform. 

Verdict 

Using a DSLR camera as a webcam pushes your video streams several notches, there is a distinctly professional look to the video. Getting this to work is not easy though, Capture cards, OBS, etc are not everyone’s cup of tea. Fuji Film X-T200 with the built-in Webcam Mode has just made this whole process much easier. The Face and Eye detection AF works seamlessly keeping you always in focus and the PROVIA Film Simulation mode gives a distinct “Pro” feel to the Webcam Feed. End the end of the day when you are done using the X-T200 as a webcam you can always unplug the USB cable and head out to shoot some great photographs.