Yes, you can use your Sony A7 IV (also known as the ILCE-7M4) as a webcam using a USB cable.
All you need is:
- The correct USB cable
- The correct software
- A compatible webcam application
Table of Contents
How Do I Use My Sony A7 IV as a USB Webcam?
To use your Sony A7 IV as a USB webcam you will need to:
- Have the right USB cable – Use the one supplied by Sony or a replacement cable which has data transfer. It should be a USB Type-C cable.
- Have the Sony Imaging Edge Webcam software.
- Have a compatible application to use such as Zoom, Skype or OBS Studio.
This post will teach you how to achieve high quality video by using your Sony A7 IV as a webcam using USB.
What USB Cable Do I Need to Use My Sony A7 IV as a Webcam?
To use your Sony A7 IV as a USB webcam you will need to use the USB cable supplied with the camera.
The USB cable supplied with the Sony A7 IV is a USB Type C cable with data transfer capabilities.
What Software Do I Need to Use My Sony A7 IV as a USB Webcam?
You will need to download and install the latest Imaging Edge Webcam software.
Here’s how to do that.
- Go to the support website for the Imaging Edge Webcam software.
- Click on ‘Download’.
- Scroll down to the section where it asks you to choose your camera model. You will want to choose the ILCE-7M4 which is the product code for the Sony Alpha 7 IV.
- Scroll further down and click on ‘Download Windows’ or ‘Download Mac’ depending on what type of device you have.
- Choose a suitable location to save the application on your device. The file should look something like ‘IEW111_2108a.exe’ if you are on Windows.
- Once it is downloaded, open up the downloaded file and it should start going through the installation and setup wizard.
- Follow the instructions that are shown until setup and installation is complete.
- Once installation is complete you should restart your computer.
Now we will move on to show you how to set up your Sony A7 IV to work as a USB webcam with the software you just downloaded.
How to Set up Sony A7 IV as a USB Webcam
There are specific instructions you need to follow to ensure that the Sony A7 IV can work with the Imaging Edge Webcam software.
- Make sure the Sony A7 IV camera is not connected to a smartphone. You can do this by doing both of the following on the camera:
- MENU -> Network (this will have a globe symbol) -> [PC Remote Function] -> [PC Remote] -> [On]
- MENU -> Network (this will have a globe symbol) -> [PC Remote Function] -> [PC Remote Cnct Method] -> [USB]
Now that the settings are correct you can move on to the next step.
- Adjust the camera settings until you have your desired look in ‘Movie’ mode.
- Connect the USB cable we mentioned above to the Sony A7 IV. Connect the other side of the cable to your PC.
- If you are unable to connect then make sure you are not using ‘Imaging Edge Remote’. If you are then exit ‘Imaging Edge Remote’ and try to connect the camera again.
- Now open up your compatible application on your computer. This could be something like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype etc. Most video conferencing/streaming programs should work fine.
- Locate the Imaging Edge Webcam 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.
- You should now have a much better quality image for your online video conferences or live streams.