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Can I Use the Canon EOS Rebel SL3 (250D) as a USB Webcam?

Yes, you can use your Canon EOS Rebel SL3 (also known as the Canon EOS 250D) as a webcam using a USB cable. 

All you need is:

How Do I Use My Canon EOS Rebel SL3 as a USB Webcam?

To use your Canon EOS Rebel SL3 as a USB webcam you will need to:

  1. Have the right USB cable – Canon IFC-600PCU
  1. Have the Canon EOS Webcam Utility software installed on your computer.
  1. Have a compatible application to use such as Zoom, Skype or OBS Studio.
  1. Connect your Canon Rebel SL3 to your computer using the IFC-600PCU cable.

This post will teach you how to achieve high-quality video by using your Canon EOS Rebel SL3 (EOS 250D) as a webcam using USB. 

What USB Cable Do I Need to Use My Canon EOS Rebel SL3 as a Webcam?

To use your Canon EOS Rebel SL3 (250D) as a USB webcam you will need an IFC-600PCU cable.

Unfortunately, the IFC-600PCU cable is not included in the box when you buy the Canon EOS Rebel SL3. This means you will have to get your own. 

If you need the cable then there are replacement cables on Amazon like the two examples below, either would work fine. 

IFC-600PCU USB CABLES ON AMAZON:

*For Mac Users:

You may need a USB-C to USB adapter to be able to plug in your IFC-600PCU cable into your Mac.

This is because your Mac device might not have a standard USB port (depending on the model you have) and might only have USB-C ports. 

For example, my M1 Macbook Air 2020 has 2 USB-C ports but no USB-A ports.

💡 I like to use a USB-C hub because it gives me more options than just using a standalone USB-C to USB adapter. I use the Anker USB-C hub adapter below with my M1 2020 Macbook Air.

What Canon Software Do I Need to Use My Canon EOS Rebel SL3 as a USB Webcam?

You will need to download and install the latest Canon EOS Webcam Utility software.

Here’s how to do that.

  1. Go to the Canon support website for the EOS Webcam Utility software.

  1. Scroll down to the section where it asks you to choose your camera model. You will want to choose the Canon EOS Rebel SL3.

  1. When you click on the Canon EOS Rebel SL3 you should be taken to this page which is a support page for the Canon EOS Rebel SL3.

  1. In the downloads section, you should see an option to select your operating system and version.

  1. Choose the correct Windows or Mac operating system and version, it should default to the correct operating system as it normally detects this automatically.

    For example, if you are using Windows 10, then it will most likely detect ‘Windows 10’ or ‘Windows 10(x64)’.

  1. Go down to the list of software and download the most recent version of ‘EOS Webcam Utility Pro’ software for your operating system. (this used to be called EOS Webcam Utility in the past)

    Don’t get this confused with ‘EOS Utility’ which is different to ‘EOS Webcam Utility’.

  1. Once it is downloaded, open up the downloaded file which should look similar to this ‘EOSWebcamUtilityPro-WIN2.0zip’. It might look slightly different depending on how recent your version is.

  1. It should be saved as a ‘.zip’ file. Open and extract the ‘.zip’ file. On Windows, you can normally do this by right-clicking and clicking ‘extract all’.

  1. Read the ‘readme.txt’ file and run the ‘setup.exe’ file within the folder.

  1. Follow the instructions that are shown until setup and installation are complete.

  1. Once installation is complete you should restart your computer.

*Note for Mac users

At the time of updating this post (March 2023) the Canon EOS Webcam Utility works with the following Mac OS:

  • 12 (Monterey)
  • 11.6.8 (Big Sur)
  • 10.15.7 (Catalina)

Now I’ll show you how to set up your Canon EOS Rebel SL3 to work as a webcam with the software you just downloaded.

How to Set up My Canon EOS Rebel SL3 as a USB Webcam

  1. Turn on your Canon EOS Rebel SL3 camera and set it to movie mode. 

  1. Adjust the settings until you have your desired look.

  1. Connect the USB cable we mentioned above to the camera. The small end should go into your Canon EOS Rebel SL3 and the other end should go into your computer. 

  1. Now open up your compatible application on your computer. This could be something like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, etc. (we include a more extensive list further below.)

  1. Locate the EOS Webcam Utility feed in your video settings for your webcam app. This should connect your camera’s video feed to your live streaming or video conferencing app.

  1. Now you can show off your high-quality webcam to your colleagues or followers in your online video conferences or live streams. 

Note: Sometimes wireless settings can interfere with the USB connection. In this case, you want to disable wifi on your Rebel SL3 and try again.

What Applications Are Compatible With EOS Webcam Utility?

At the time of writing this article, the following applications are compatible with EOS Webcam Utility on Windows and Mac.

  • Cisco Webex
  • Discord
  • Facebook Live
  • Hangouts
  • Hangouts Meet
  • Messenger (Facebook)
  • Microsoft Teams 
  • Open Broadcaster Software (OBS)
  • Skype
  • Slack
  • Streamlabs
  • YouTube Live
  • Zoom

Can I Achieve HD Quality With This Setup On The SL3?

No. When using the Canon SL3 as a USB webcam using the EOS Webcam Utility the max resolution is about 1024 x 576.

If you want a full HD or even a 4K output then you need to use an HDMI output on the Rebel SL3 by using a capture card on the Rebel SL3.

The HDMI method will also allow you to use sound from the camera or an external mic on the Rebel SL3.

Canon Rebel SL3 (250D) – USB Webcam Not Working

If you can’t get EOS Webcam utility to work with your Rebel SL3 there’s a few things you can try.

Wifi and Wireless Settings

First of all, make sure you disable wifi on your Canon Rebel SL3 because wireless settings can mess with the USB connection.

Correct USB Cable

Another reason it might not be working is that you are using the wrong USB cable. Even if it looks the same and fits it could be that the USB cable isn’t the right type.

Make sure you are using an IFC-600PCU cable.

IFC-600PCU USB CABLES ON AMAZON:

You should also try different USB ports on your computer because some could be faulty.

Other Applications

Close any other applications like “EOS Utility” that might be using the LiveView from your camera.

Also, make sure that the video conferencing app that you’re using is compatible with Canon’s EOS Webcam Utility.

Further resources

If you want to see the process more visually then watch the videos below.

For Windows:

For Mac:

Related Reading

If you are considering buying a second-hand Rebel SL3 you should know how to check its shutter count because the Rebel SL3 was released a few years ago now.