Can't get Fujifilm Webcam software to work with X-S10

jaberg wrote:

That power supply seems to be up to the task — though I have no way of confirming what’s coming through the dummy battery contacts. From the reviews, others are able to use this system for webcam and broadcast. But there are some complaints that the dummy load is a little too short to maintain good contact. Maybe experiment (carefully) with thin shims between the battery door and base of the dummy load.

I just tested it again. In my case, there is no issue with power. The X-S10 turns on and stays on. But I can't get the Fujifilm X Webcam software to recognize it. I did try folding up a strip of a business card to make the connection to the contacts stronger, but that didn't do anything.

I just tried to order the one you have, but Amazon said it's out of stock when I added it to my cart.

The other one I linked to that has dual-USB connections to power bricks doesn't really solve the problem, because I still have to worry about keeping power bricks charged. I'd much rather have one that plugs into the wall.

jaberg wrote:

This one’s a head scratcher — and I don’t have a dummy battery set up to run as a control. No particular reason why the Mac, or software, should care about the source of power — either the camera is on or it isn’t. Weird

So to confirm, you can operate the camera — take still photos — using the adapter. It doesn’t force the camera into a different mode as near as you can tell?

Double checking everything, I assume (there I go again) that if you change nothing but the power source the webcam software will recognize the camera?

Under the heading of “interesting to know” but won’t necessarily help even if we do:

Do the other Fuji applications (Studio and the utility for backing up settings) recognize the camera when you’re using the adaptor? Will Image Capture or Photos (Apple apps) recognize it? Note you’ll have to adjust the camera PC CONNECTION settings for some of those apps.

I’m confounded, but interested…

Thanks for helping me to figure this out. It is weird, for sure, and I haven't seen this mentioned elsewhere.

To confirm: with the dummy battery installed, I can power on the camera, operate it, take pictures, etc. But when I open Zoom and choose video preferences, I get the error message in the video window (that I posted a screenshot of earlier in the thread).

If I change nothing except for installing the actual battery, the camera is recognized in Zoom and I can use it as a webcam.

I have not yet tested Fujifilm Studio or Image Capture. I will try that in an hour after some meetings. Thanks!

jaberg wrote:

I'm bringing this "thread" out of the weeds and back to top level…

OP is having problems using a dummy battery and AC adaptor with the FUJI WEBCAM app. It works using a regular battery, but not with the dummy battery and adaptor. Unfortunately, I don't have a dummy battery to use for a control experiment but…

I just connected my battery-powered X-S10 to my 2016 MacBook Pro using an Anker Powerline Flex cable. I added an inexpensive USB C power tester inline. (Kewesis KWS-1902C if anyone cares.) The resulting circuit shows that the camera is pulling approx. 5VDC at 1.0A (fluctuating, but generally in that range) from the computer. I wonder if this extra 5 watts is necessary — and not being "pulled" by the dummy battery.

Does anyone have an XS10, a dummy battery, and a USB Tester? If so are you willing to do a quick test "for science"?

Thanks for doing this.

I notice when I plug the X-S10 with the battery installed into the Macbook Pro, the green light turns on and it is charging.

Are you saying that even with the dummy battery installed the camera is pulling power from the computer, and that might be part of the problem?

Still, doesn't explain why others are able to get this to work and I'm not, since they are using a USB cable as well to connect the camera to the computer (and it would presumably have the same behavior).

Well, for whatever reason, no software applications (Image Capture, Fujifilm Studio, Zoom, etc.) will recognize the X-S10 when the dummy battery I have is installed.

I went ahead and ordered the alternative one I mentioned further up in this thread. Upon closer inspection, and reading the reviews, it seems that can be plugged into the wall as well. I got the Anker PowerCore Fusion 5000 with it, which doubles as a battery and a wall charger. One of the reviews said that if you plug both of the USB dongles into this battery/charger, and then plug the battery/charger into the wall, it provides continuous power.

I'll report back. The dummy battery and the Anker battery/charger will be here tomorrow.

I tried another dummy battery , connected to an Anker power pack plugged into the wall.

Once again, the camera powers on and operates normally, but it is not recognized in the Fujifilm X Webcam software.

I have no idea why this is happening. I've never seen anyone else mention this in reviews of these dummy batteries or here on the forums.

At this point, I am probably going throw in the towel. I just recorded a 1-hour podcast with the X-S10 in webcam mode with the NP-W126S in, and the battery is still showing completely full after that. It seems that the camera doesn't draw much power when used this way.

I already have an extra battery and I will just keep the spare fully charged and always start a new webinar/livestream/podcast with a full battery. I think I'll be fine.

That said, if anyone has any ideas about why I'm experiencing this issue, I'm all ears!

In case anyone is following this thread in the future, I was never able to get Fujifilm X Webcam to recognize the X-S10 when it had a dummy battery in it. I tried 3 different options for the dummy battery, and none worked.

However, I suspected the issue wasn't the batteries themselves, because they always provided power to the camera and allowed for full operation. I thought maybe the issue was that the computer couldn't recognize the camera when it was connected via USB and had a dummy battery in.

Turns out this was true. I bought an Elgato Camlink 4k and connected the camera to the computer via HDMI. Now it is recognized by any app I might use (Zoom, Riverside.fm, etc.) even with the dummy battery installed.

The only downside is that I don't get the features of Fujifilm X Webcam software, like being able to adjust WB, exposure, etc. But I don't really need those, because I have a fairly controlled lighting setup and am using a custom WB in video mode.

Also, there was a bit of a video lag with the USB connection and Fujifilm X Webcam software. This was even causing some drift/sync issues in some apps like Riverside.fm that I was using for recording video/audio. I don't get this with the Elgato Camlink 4k.

Hope this helps someone else in the future.

NOTE: I'm pretty sure the Mac's HDMI port is output only.