Camo is an application launched in 2020 by Reincubate to convert mobile devices themselves, initially iPhones and a year later also Android mobiles, into webcam devices as alternatives with better quality results to the integrated webcams themselves and external, which he considers have not evolved sufficiently over the years as they continue to rely on old sensors, as well as being limited by software, and which also makes use of proprietary software.
Now we find the arrival of Camo 2, launched this week, taking a qualitative leap by covering any camera that can be had, including SLR and mirrorless cameras, and also action cameras, although beyond cameras it also supports other devices such as capture cards and HDMI dongles.
Compatibility with any type of camera
Reincubate says that:
This means (Camo supports) regular webcams, as well as embedded devices, monitors with built-in cameras, mirrorless and DSLR cameras, HDMI dongles and capture card inputs, action cameras, other software virtual cameras, and just about anything else. Camo even supports connected iPhones with Continuity Camera, though you’ll enjoy increased performance, download, screen curtain, AR, and deeper settings if you run Camo on your phone.
But in addition to supporting any camera of any kind, Camo is capable of delivering higher resolutions and frame rates from webcams and connected cameras than you get with their native software, and even supports with the usual camera settings, and in case of lacking some basic settings, Camo brings its capabilities to get the best out of them.
The best alternative to native webcam software
In this way, Reincubate tries to make Camo the best alternative to native camera software, for which it points out that:
In other words, if your webcam comes with nasty software that tracks you, runs at startup, slows down your machine, or is non-native, you can replace it with Camo. If the software is PC only and you’re on Mac, or if it’s aged or doesn’t support M1, or doesn’t have any tweaks at all, then Camo is here for you.
With more and better functions
In addition to being the best alternative, Camo also offers a variety of features, some free for everyone, and others exclusive to subscribers.
Among the novelties is the arrival of the “portrait” bokeh depth effect that goes beyond simple background blur.
Spotlight allows you to have the subject illuminated, even in those situations where the lighting is not ideal, with respect to the background.
Camo 2 also comes with a privacy blur feature that “eliminates the need to remove the jarring background from video calls,” also allows you to replace the background image, and even does “auto” framing face tracking with zoom and without zoom.
With the best possible performance
Reincubate also affects efficiency, allowing its functions to be better optimized, and also, when using Android or iOS mobile cameras, it downloads the processing to them to avoid performance losses on PC or Mac, something that it will be noticeable, especially, in older computers.
And similarly, in those cameras where this is also possible, Camo will transfer most of the hard work to you, reducing the work to the computers themselves. And by the time the computer has to take care of all the processing work, Camo will make use of native and deep hardware acceleration, indicating that:
On the Mac, Camo takes advantage of Metal and the capabilities of the Apple Silicon M1 and M2 chips. On Windows, Camo has native hardware acceleration on AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA GPUs. Some users want to keep their GPUs unburdened for edge gaming, and Camo has an option for that, supporting iGPU for all intents and CPU for some.
More information/Image Credit: Reincubate
