VertexBooth talks to a Canon body directly over the USB cable. You get the camera’s real sensor instead of a webcam, and the booth controls the shutter itself. There is no capture card in the middle and nothing else to buy.
What you need
- A Canon body and the USB cable that came with it. A charging-only cable will not work, and they look identical.
- VertexBooth on Windows 10 or 11.
- A dummy battery or AC adapter if the booth will run on its own all day.
- About ten minutes.
1. Set the camera up first
Do this before you plug anything in, because two of these settings cause most of the problems people write to us about.
- Turn the mode dial to M, so the camera stops changing its own exposure between guests.
- Set auto power off to Disabled. If you skip this, the booth works for an hour and then quietly stops.
- If you are focusing on a fixed spot, switch the lens to MF and focus it once.
2. Close Canon’s own software
Careful: if Canon EOS Utility is running, it holds onto the camera and VertexBooth cannot reach it. Close it fully before you go any further. This is the single most common reason a camera does not show up.
3. Plug the camera into the computer
Use a USB port on the computer itself rather than a hub or a monitor. Turn the camera on.
4. Point VertexBooth at it
Open Studio, then in the left sidebar under Hardware choose Camera and Live View.
- Set Camera type to Canon camera over USB.
- Pick your body under Which camera. If it is not there, click Refresh the list.
- Watch the preview panel on the right. When you see live video, the camera is working.
5. Check what the booth will actually use
This trips people up. If test mode is switched on, this page shows your real camera while the booth itself uses a moving test card. You can spend twenty minutes getting the picture right and see none of it in the booth. Go to System, then Testing, and clear Use a stand-in camera so both places show the same thing.
Common questions
Nothing appears in the camera list. What now?
Work down this list. The first two solve it most of the time. Swap the cable for one you know carries data. Close EOS Utility. Plug straight into the computer instead of a hub. Turn auto power off to Disabled so the camera is not asleep. Finally, in Windows power options, turn off USB selective suspend, which puts USB devices to sleep behind your back.
Can I use a Sony or a Nikon this way?
Yes. The same Camera type list has Sony camera over USB and Nikon camera over USB, both marked Beta because they have not yet been proven against every body in the wild. Treat them as promising rather than finished, and test before an event you are being paid for.
My camera is not on any of those lists.
Use the first option, Webcam or capture card, and feed the camera’s HDMI output into a capture stick. Windows then sees it as an ordinary camera. This is also how a Fujifilm, a Panasonic or a GoPro gets into the booth.
Does the camera need to stay on mains power?
For a booth left running on its own, yes, with a dummy battery. For an event you are standing next to, a charged battery will usually last, but swapping it ends whatever session is running.