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    The world’s best webcam on sale for $399

    By Updated:45 Comments Canon EOS R 3 Mins Read

    I know I trash the R100. Quite a bit and almost every chance I get – but there is one thing that the R100 is good for. It’s the cheapest camera that sports clean HDMI out for even 4K. I wouldn’t consider the camera good for a personal photography camera, but for an APS-C sensor sized webcam, there is literally nothing else out there that is close to this.

    You really have no idea how it hurts my soul to write this article.

    But let’s face facts here.  Any “larger” sensor webcam is over $200.  The Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra has a 1/1.2″ inch sensor which is still smaller than a 1″ sensor found in mainstream compact cameras.  The Razor Kiyo Pro Ultra is $299.  This should give you an idea on just how good the R100 is for this.   Yes, the R100 will cost more, but if you want streaming or conference call high quality, there’s nothing else out there for this price point.

    We will dive into this a bit and go through all of what you will need to turn the R100 into the world’s best webcam.

    First you need the R100 – which you can pick up on sale right now.

    R100 Kit

    Includes 18-45mm Kit lens
    $499
    $ 399
    00
    • 24.2MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
    • 4K 24p Video with Crop, Full HD 60p
    • Dual Pixel CMOS AF with 143 AF Zones
    Purchase Now
    Save 20%

    4K Capture

    You will also need Elgato’s Camlink 4K if you want to capture full 4K. You can get the CamLink 4K renewed from Amazon for only $69.98 which is a great deal.

    Elgato - Cam Link 4K

    Renewed
    $99.95
    $ 69
    98
    • 4K30 | 1080p60 Resolution
    • 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A Connector
    • Compatible with Windows and Mac
    Purchase Now
    Save!

    DC Power Adapter

    The last thing you need in a long meeting is for the R100 to run out of power and your video stop unexpectedly.

    Then again, depending on the meeting – this may be a good thing.

    But we do recommend getting a DC coupler for the camera which allows for unrestrained operation.

    The R100 uses the LP-E17 battery and there’s a lot of third party options.  Just make sure if you get a third party option that it is one that the connection to the fake battery is not permanently attached, but the DC cable connects to the battery via a jack.  The generic ones that permanently attach at times have the cable coming out of the dummy battery in the wrong location.

    But as always we recommend going with the Canon DR-E18 AC Adapter and DC coupler, and it’s not that expensive.

    Canon ACK-E18 AC Adapter

    $137.95
    $ 129
    00
    • AC-E6N AC Adapter
    • DC Coupler DR-E18
    Purchase Now
    Save!

    Go to discussion...

    45 comments

    1. I know I trash the R100. Quite a bit and almost every chance I get – but there is one thing that the R100 is good for. It's the cheapest camera that sports clean HDMI out for even 4K. I wouldn't consider the camera good for a personal photography camera, but for an APS-C sensor

      See full article...

      I should add that Craig without any prompting changed the owner of the forum thread to me - just to remove himself entirely from the conversation with respects to the R100 ;)
    2. It’s a camera that takes pictures. To me that’s all that matters.

      It’s often on sale for very low prices, even here, on the other side of the world. I recommend it to a lot of people starting out. Their first camera won’t certainly be the last, and this puts them on a modern mirrorless system. What they need is to learn the exposure triangle and composition, and this will do just right.

      You can fight me as much as you want, but this is enough to take pictures.
    4. Somehow before I read the article I had a feeling it would be about R100. Great article I laughed two or three times and it's good information. My question: can this method be used for Canon's other bodies for webcam use (obviously I know the battery will be different on some models)?
    5. It’s a camera that takes pictures. To me that’s all that matters.

      It’s often on sale for very low prices, even here, on the other side of the world. I recommend it to a lot of people starting out. Their first camera won’t certainly be the last, and this puts them on a modern mirrorless system. What they need is to learn the exposure triangle and composition, and this will do just right.

      You can fight me as much as you want, but this is enough to take pictures.
      I agree with you on this, but I think Richard is assuming almost nobody here is buying their first camera.
    6. It’s a camera that takes pictures. To me that’s all that matters.

      It’s often on sale for very low prices, even here, on the other side of the world. I recommend it to a lot of people starting out. Their first camera won’t certainly be the last, and this puts them on a modern mirrorless system. What they need is to learn the exposure triangle and composition, and this will do just right.

      You can fight me as much as you want, but this is enough to take pictures.

      My problem with the R100 is the unnecessary feature cuts for the sake of product segmentation. Adding a $10 touchscreen would have made the camera 10 times as easy to use for beginners (now you have to do click-click-click-click to change focus point). Even $50 phones have a big touchscreen these days.
    7. Somehow before I read the article I had a feeling it would be about R100. Great article I laughed two or three times and it's good information. My question: can this method be used for Canon's other bodies for webcam use (obviously I know the battery will be different on some models)?

      without a doubt. If you are looking for a good little camera for this - the M200 fits the bill if you can find one used on fleabay, etc.
    8. My problem with the R100 is the unnecessary feature cuts for the sake of product segmentation. Adding a $10 touchscreen would have made the camera 10 times as easy to use for beginners (now you have to do click-click-click-click to change focus point). Even $50 phones have a big touchscreen these days.

      I... can't.... say.... a... thing.

      (my views on the R100 are well established )
    9. I agree with you on this, but I think Richard is assuming almost nobody here is buying their first camera.

      Of course not. I would recommend a good used EF camera to be honest for someone just starting out - they can find EF lenses and cameras for next to nothing these days. We are actually finishing up an article on this, but the R5 Mark II and R1 is keeping us busy (and the site too).

      If they are going Canon mirrorless and small - I'd probably point them to an M200 which has a touchscreen and teaching modes and you can pick it up and turn around and sell it again as a lease cost of very little $ (or you can turn it into a webcam later).

      If they really needed to go RF - get an RP, or an R50. But most of the times for anyone starting out - get a used camera 1 or 2 generations old. It's the best bang for the buck:

      the lease cost is very very low (the purchase price you got it for - the price you sell it for again used) / (number of months used)

      used cameras tend not to drop drastically in value.

      there's a reason why i would never recommend the R100 - and it's absolutely the touchscreen. Everything else is perfectly fine.

      Canon's modern UI and liveview feeds are intuitively controlled via touch screen controls. A beginner can see in real time what happens when they change settings. Change aperture. YOu see it. Ajust your ISO, exposure comp, you see it in real time. Coming from a smart phone it's comfortable and not a scary proposition as your first camera.

      NOT having that on a BEGINNER camera is simply the most insanely stupid thing that I've seen Canon do since the EOS-M3.

      BCN lives and dies by discounted cheap camera and kits. and the R100 is nowhere to be found. That's not without reason.

      But in this one case (webcam), not having a touchscreen isn't that important, so it works for the R100.

      But it still hurt my soul to write the article ;)
    10. That is true, a used EF if you need something cheap or the R50 for just a little more are going to be better options.


      By the way, is there anything about that little egg shaped thing that can tell you when you sit with poor posture?
    11. to be honest for someone just starting out - they can find EF lenses and cameras for next to nothing these days.
      It’s true that they’re cheaper, these days, buy why would we ever recommend people buying gear that they’ll have to sell later, because their systems are (or will be in the near future) discontinued?

      I prefer pointing them the right direction, going for a mirrorless mount that actually has a future, whatever the brand.
    12. It’s a camera that takes pictures. To me that’s all that matters.

      It’s often on sale for very low prices, even here, on the other side of the world. I recommend it to a lot of people starting out. Their first camera won’t certainly be the last, and this puts them on a modern mirrorless system. What they need is to learn the exposure triangle and composition, and this will do just right.

      You can fight me as much as you want, but this is enough to take pictures.

      We may go a bit over the top slagging it. My first ILC camera didn't have a touch flippy screen or any sort of video function and I took some good stuff for a beginner with it. It also cost $1200 in Canada, $999 in the US (which was marvel at the time)... that was 20 years ago... eeeek!
    13. It’s true that they’re cheaper, these days, buy why would we ever recommend people buying gear that they’ll have to sell later, because their systems are (or will be in the near future) discontinued?

      I prefer pointing them the right direction, going for a mirrorless mount that actually has a future, whatever the brand.


      the lease to use cost is most likely the lowest. turning around and selling it isnt' a bad thing., with the prices so low the delta between buying and selling is the lowest of any gear.
    14. We may go a bit over the top slagging it. My first ILC camera didn't have a touch flippy screen or any sort of video function and I took some good stuff for a beginner with it. It also cost $1200 in Canada, $999 in the US (which was marvel at the time)... that was 20 years ago... eeeek!

      1.8" LCD!

      I think. but that was different times. wasn't a bunch of gen z'ers coming from smartphones we were coming from film.

      "We may go a bit over the top slagging it."

      never! ;)
    15. In the UK the R100 is £619 and the R50 £699. That pricing does not make any sense. The R100 should be £399 to be competitively priced. Maybe Canon is hoping that many beginners without any camera knowledge will buy the R100 and make them bigger profit. And then be disappointed. Even a used RP for £500 is a much-much better deal.
    16. The R100 is also the perfect camera for photo booths.
      Even with DSLR prices crashing, it is hard to find a DSLR as good for the price.
      They do exist but someone buying an R100 will not know what to look for or where to look.
    17. NOT having that on a BEGINNER camera is simply the most insanely stupid thing that I've seen Canon do since the EOS-M3.
      What was wrong with the M3 ? It was a perfectly capable mirrorless crop camera offered at an attractive price that undoubtably got many into the M system, including myself.
    18. In the UK the R100 is £619 and the R50 £699. That pricing does not make any sense. The R100 should be £399 to be competitively priced. Maybe Canon is hoping that many beginners without any camera knowledge will buy the R100 and make them bigger profit. And then be disappointed. Even a used RP for £500 is a much-much better deal.
      Here in Portugal the R50 rarely goes for under €600, while the R100 goes regularly under €450
    19. What was wrong with the M3 ? It was a perfectly capable mirrorless crop camera offered at an attractive price that undoubtably got many into the M system, including myself.
      I think that's when they changed the M line from EOS to Powershot firmware.

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