Apple iSight VGA Webcam
- Capture Resolution: 640 x 480
- Digital Video Capture Speed: 30 frames per second
- Web Camera Type: Personal Web Camera
- Audio Support: Built In Microphone
- Image Sensor Type: CCD
- Interface Type: Firewire
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Good webcam
Pros
Sharp video, can be used for purposes other than webcam, video mute
Cons
expensive, tends to heat up, stands are cheap, can't set defaults with iChat AV
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
If you have a Mac, this is *the* camera to do chats with. The software is top notch and the video quality superb.
Comes in a groovy multicompartmental box; Apple is king of product packaging, especially when it comes to making the most of little space.
First off: this is Mac specific for now. It's possible that Apple might write PC drivers for it, but I wouldn't hold my breath. It plugs into one of the Firewire ports.
Second: so far Apple only supports it for one application: iChat AV. If you use Jaguar, you've got to pay $30 for a Jaguar version. If you use Panther, it's included free in the install.
The camera has a few features not normally found in webcams: first, it has a video mute; twist the barrel and an iris snaps shut over the lens. If you are connected with another iChat user, all they will see is a 'no camera' icon. Great for making yourself presentable, assuming you weren't in the first place. It also has a small but bright LED that glows bright green when broadcasting. It also has a stereo microphone built in, so you don't have to go the headset route.
iSight comes with stands for the Apple displays and if you want to put it on your Powerbook's screen. They all don't really work well, but if you go to macmice.com they offer replacement clips and some flexible stands that really work well; I like the sightflex stand the best.
Also, you can download Gcam at MacMice.com, it's a free movie recorder for the iSight that lets you use it like a camcorder, and has an added but not touted benefit- it has an interface that lets you adjust some of the iSight's built-in settings, such as the white balance, saturation, brightness/contrast level, etc. You can set them in gcam and most of them will hold true when you switch back to iChat!
Another downside is that the iSight tends to get hot; it never gets to skin-scalding level, but it may come uncomfortably close to this level if you have young children futzing around with it.
Be warned that this software will deliver web chats in Apple's famous 'there is no step 3' style ONLY if you already have AIM, AOL, or .Mac. I guess Apple figures if you don't have any of the above, you must live in a milkweed cave or something. Chances are that if you're a Mac person you have one of these already, and an AIM-only account is technically free (you must provide a valid email address) but it's a pain to run iChat AV and realize you have more levels of paperwork to finish before you can go live..
Also, iChat AV will not run on anything less than a 350 MHz G4, or a 600 MHz G3. So if you have an old, slower beige Mac/iMac it simply won't work. But if you bought any Apple new within the past year and a half, this shouldn't be a problem.
Last comment is that it steals bandwidth from your Firewire ports; even if it's in another port, signal throughput for other devices (such as firewire hard drives and camcorders) will be notably reduced. You could probably sidestep this by plugging it into an el-cheapo noname FW PCI card, but it's much simpler to unplug the iSight when you're not using it.
First off: this is Mac specific for now. It's possible that Apple might write PC drivers for it, but I wouldn't hold my breath. It plugs into one of the Firewire ports.
Second: so far Apple only supports it for one application: iChat AV. If you use Jaguar, you've got to pay $30 for a Jaguar version. If you use Panther, it's included free in the install.
The camera has a few features not normally found in webcams: first, it has a video mute; twist the barrel and an iris snaps shut over the lens. If you are connected with another iChat user, all they will see is a 'no camera' icon. Great for making yourself presentable, assuming you weren't in the first place. It also has a small but bright LED that glows bright green when broadcasting. It also has a stereo microphone built in, so you don't have to go the headset route.
iSight comes with stands for the Apple displays and if you want to put it on your Powerbook's screen. They all don't really work well, but if you go to macmice.com they offer replacement clips and some flexible stands that really work well; I like the sightflex stand the best.
Also, you can download Gcam at MacMice.com, it's a free movie recorder for the iSight that lets you use it like a camcorder, and has an added but not touted benefit- it has an interface that lets you adjust some of the iSight's built-in settings, such as the white balance, saturation, brightness/contrast level, etc. You can set them in gcam and most of them will hold true when you switch back to iChat!
Another downside is that the iSight tends to get hot; it never gets to skin-scalding level, but it may come uncomfortably close to this level if you have young children futzing around with it.
Be warned that this software will deliver web chats in Apple's famous 'there is no step 3' style ONLY if you already have AIM, AOL, or .Mac. I guess Apple figures if you don't have any of the above, you must live in a milkweed cave or something. Chances are that if you're a Mac person you have one of these already, and an AIM-only account is technically free (you must provide a valid email address) but it's a pain to run iChat AV and realize you have more levels of paperwork to finish before you can go live..
Also, iChat AV will not run on anything less than a 350 MHz G4, or a 600 MHz G3. So if you have an old, slower beige Mac/iMac it simply won't work. But if you bought any Apple new within the past year and a half, this shouldn't be a problem.
Last comment is that it steals bandwidth from your Firewire ports; even if it's in another port, signal throughput for other devices (such as firewire hard drives and camcorders) will be notably reduced. You could probably sidestep this by plugging it into an el-cheapo noname FW PCI card, but it's much simpler to unplug the iSight when you're not using it.
