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YouTubers Test Out macOS Ventura's Continuity Camera With Belkin Mount
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i Need 8K resolution with 5X optical Zoom now, i should look professional in my WebEx meetings.
Y'all: if this isn't for you then MOVE ON. It's okay. You don't have to like it or buy it or even think about a world where this exists.
But there are those of us who have been doing a LOT of remote recording of interviews and such with folks and we've had major pain points, so this is a HUGE deal! Most webcams (including Macs) just suck, big-time, yet that webcam is the easiest thing for novices to use. We've all done Zoom calls now, so it's fairly second-nature to a lot of people. The iPhone BACK camera is now really good and also 4K, but it presents major challenges in trying to use it. Mounting it is a huge pain (tripods, stands), trying to use it with laptop is hard without plugins or tethering, and the fact that people can't SEE themselves and adjust the shot is a huge hindrance. This is actually a great solve for all those issues. It's not some janky band-aid; it's actually pretty smart and the fact that it's so simple is a feature, not a bug. I'm 100% on board and can't wait.
But there are those of us who have been doing a LOT of remote recording of interviews and such with folks and we've had major pain points, so this is a HUGE deal! Most webcams (including Macs) just suck, big-time, yet that webcam is the easiest thing for novices to use. We've all done Zoom calls now, so it's fairly second-nature to a lot of people. The iPhone BACK camera is now really good and also 4K, but it presents major challenges in trying to use it. Mounting it is a huge pain (tripods, stands), trying to use it with laptop is hard without plugins or tethering, and the fact that people can't SEE themselves and adjust the shot is a huge hindrance. This is actually a great solve for all those issues. It's not some janky band-aid; it's actually pretty smart and the fact that it's so simple is a feature, not a bug. I'm 100% on board and can't wait.
Exactly this post!!
I have friends that went out and bought full on digital SLRs or the like for their content, and then have to set it up on a stand out tripod and tether to the Mac. This is an easier alternative that can be done with devices they already have, without hassle.
The downside to this forum is there’s so many people that love to moan about something that is optional! If it’s not useful to someone, that’s fine, but it will be useful to others. It’s not mandatory for those that have no use for it.
For interest: are there any laptops that have vastly superior webcams to the ones in the new MacBooks? People keep asking for things like “just put a better webcam in it” even though the lid is so so thin — do such much better webcams even exist?
People would then whine about the thicker case, bigger notch or a bump if the added a better camera but kept the case thin.
Personally, I find using my iPhone as a camera on a tripod a much better solution. I can position it to get the framing I want, add lighting to get a good picture, and adjust my MBP lid to whatever viewing angle is best.
If anything, I would want Apple to add a mechanical shutter to the camera So it can be physically closed. I had an HP with that and it was a nice feature.
I think this is a great idea. The camera on my M1 Max is great, and with the friends I use it with they notice a HUGE difference in quality over other cameras from Mac devices. The only thing I actually want this for is to use the wider angle lens of the iPhone when in a smaller room. In a weekly book club, I have one good friend who videos in as he moved away last year. We barely fit in frame with my MacBook Pro in my sitting room. This would allow him to get the full room and not have anything cut off. Also nice for people to have options if they don't have a 1080p camera in their computer.
You all knew we have tape right
One of the new features coming with macOS Ventura and iOS 16 is Continuity Camera, which is designed to allow an iPhone to be used as a webcam for a Mac. The feature is enabled in the current betas, but it is designed to be used with special mounts being made by third-party companies like Belkin.
Belkin has designed a MagSafe-enabled Continuity Camera mount that allows an iPhone to be set up in an ideal spot on a Mac to be used as webcam, and while the mount is not yet released, several YouTubers have been able to test it out to give us an idea of how it works.
Brian Tong, iJustine, and ZolloTech have prototype versions of the mount, which is deceptively simple. It attaches to the back of the iPhone and a small plastic lip on the back of the mount rests on top of the MacBook in the ideal position.
When the mount is attached properly to a Mac, Continuity Camera is automatically activated, with the Mac swapping over to the iPhone's camera.
With Continuity Camera, there are a number of options to take advantage of, including Center Stage for keeping someone in the frame, Portrait mode for blurring the background, Studio Light for adjusting the lighting, and Desk View, which is a unique feature that uses the Ultra Wide lens to show off your desktop.
Belkin's Continuity Camera accessory will likely be ready for launch alongside the debut of macOS Ventura and iOS 16 in a few months.
Article Link: YouTubers Test Out macOS Ventura's Continuity Camera With Belkin Mount
Making comments like this is cringe too, especially when it’s for an inoffensive and helpful video that actually does a good job of showcasing how this mount and these new Continuity Camera features work.
I’m not a big watcher of iJustine myself, but she’s been making decent content and working hard to maintain a successful career on YouTube for about as long as YouTube has been around at this point. Respect the hustle and move on.
C'mon - she is A VIEWPOINT, not THE VIEWPOINT and actually is succinct and informative.
My Logitec Webcam Mic (webcam on Samsung monitor HDMI from Mac Mini) SOOOOOOOO sucks.
You’ve completely missed the point. She’s a key partner for Apple product releases due to her viewpoint—it’s exactly the sort of timid cheerleading Apple feels both its products and its users require. She’s a shrewd business person. Kudos to her for playing the game to her advantage.
The optics you can cram into a large lens with a bump on the back of a 0.3" phone are always going to be loads better than the optics you can cram into a much smaller flat camera in a display with half the thickness. There's a reason why the cameras on the back of modern phones are so big, that's what lets them get within striking distance of a budget DSLR in terms of picture quality.
As such, external webcams have a much easier time achieving a crisp clean image than built-in ones, especially in lower-light conditions.
I feel like it’s only been within the past 3-5 years that she’s become a part of Apple’s official promo pipeline (i.e. getting event invites and products early to review) and she’s been on YouTube for 15+ years.
Yes, her content tends to be very biased in Apple’s favor. She’s been a self-proclaimed unapologetic Apple fan girl since the beginning (this is someone who got professional portraits with her Mac Pro in high school), and I would argue that her perspective fills a niche that none of the other YouTubers could fill even if they wanted to.
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This is an amazing feature for me. I love that the camera quality is so amazing and that you can move the camera around easily. Built in webcams are a pita when you’re trying to show a document or something in the room. As a music teacher this is the feature I needed. Now it would be great to be able to use both webcams simultaneously and also iPad Pro compatibility 🙏