<p>Not really. Not unless your laptop happens to contain a 4K capture card.  Most laptops don’t have video signal inputs.  You can do HD with a Blackmagic Ultrastudio Mini Recorder for a little over a hundred dollars, as long as you can find capture+encode software, but putting the encoding onus on your laptop isn’t very reliable.</p>
<p>If recording space is your major concern, many cameras are now capable of writing directly to externally attached SSDs, presuming the data rate generated by the codec you’re recording is lower than the write speed of the SSD.  I’m not sure about the R6, but if it doesn’t, you might consider trading it for one that does, depending on your priorities.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-26T13:56:39.917Z
hey man. thanks for stopping by............ok the 4k capture card gets me somewhere, because there is such a thing as USB capture cards. I'll just have to dig into which one is good............i did look at the Ultrastudio, and i like it, but i'll need a laptop that's thunderbolt capable. unless i can buy an adapter. i'll dig into that as well...........and the only reason i need to record externally is because even the new canon cameras are stuck on the stupid 30 minute recording limit from 500 years ago. recording externally bypasses that...........so i'm a lot closer now. thanks man ;)
jwsl224
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-26T14:03:36.683Z
also, you mentioned "capture+encoding software". is OBS capable of that? or do i need something additional?
jwsl224
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-26T21:18:02.377Z
@jwsl224 I think OBS must encode, but I’ve never used it.  I used to use ScopeBox, but they’ve made it way more expensive than it used to be.
Jason Conrad
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-27T22:09:37.053Z
alright. i shall check. thanks man.
jwsl224
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-25T05:29:17.420Z
2021-05-25T05:41:49.497Z
2021-05-25T05:41:49.497Z
Jason Conrad
<p>Can i record 4k video from a canon mirrorless (r6) directly to my laptop hard drive just like one would do with an Atomos Ninja? I record a lot of singing events where the camera is standing in one spot, recording, most often, choir singing.
using a laptop would give me several terabytes of recording space, and the option, hopefully, to simultaneously broadcast to youtube, without spending another $1k, which i'd rather spend on a gimbal.
I've dug around high and low, and there is very limited information on this topic. Figured I'd be able to acquire the 5 cents worth of some seasoned vets here. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Jared</p>

<video-recording><canon><webvideos><live-recording><field-recording>
Can i use my laptop as an external recorder
jwsl224
# Can i use my laptop as an external recorder

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-05-21)

Can i record 4k video from a canon mirrorless (r6) directly to my laptop hard drive just like one would do with an Atomos Ninja? I record a lot of singing events where the camera is standing in one spot, recording, most often, choir singing.
using a laptop would give me several terabytes of recording space, and the option, hopefully, to simultaneously broadcast to youtube, without spending another $1k, which i'd rather spend on a gimbal.
I've dug around high and low, and there is very limited information on this topic. Figured I'd be able to acquire the 5 cents worth of some seasoned vets here. Thanks in advance.

Jared

**Tags:** video-recording, canon, webvideos, live-recording, field-recording


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-05-25. Score: 0 | Accepted answer

Not really. Not unless your laptop happens to contain a 4K capture card. Most laptops don’t have video signal inputs. You can do HD with a Blackmagic Ultrastudio Mini Recorder for a little over a hundred dollars, as long as you can find capture+encode software, but putting the encoding onus on your laptop isn’t very reliable.

If recording space is your major concern, many cameras are now capable of writing directly to externally attached SSDs, presuming the data rate generated by the codec you’re recording is lower than the write speed of the SSD. I’m not sure about the R6, but if it doesn’t, you might consider trading it for one that does, depending on your priorities.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: hey man. thanks for stopping by............ok the 4k capture card gets me somewhere, because there is such a thing as USB capture cards. I'll just have to dig into which one is good............i did look at the Ultrastudio, and i like it, but i'll need a laptop that's thunderbolt capable. unless i can buy an adapter. i'll dig into that as well...........and the only reason i need to record externally is because even the new canon cameras are stuck on the stupid 30 minute recording limit from 500 years ago. recording externally bypasses that...........so i'm a lot closer now. thanks man ;)  
> **username_0**: also, you mentioned "capture+encoding software". is OBS capable of that? or do i need something additional?  
> **username_1**: @username_0 I think OBS must encode, but I’ve never used it.  I used to use ScopeBox, but they’ve made it way more expensive than it used to be.  
> **username_0**: alright. i shall check. thanks man.  

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