I originally wrote this for the Funmac.com forums:
The iSight:
If you look at the pictures of the new isight, you see a metal, tubular camera with a plastic base that connects to the top of the computer screen. That is all true, though the metal is a bit lighter than the pictures protray.
The iSight has flawless tracking and no lag- tracking and lag are two problems that plagued older webcams. The picture given by the isight is on par with other Firewire enabled cameras, though it has no color or brightness controls as of yet.
The design of the isight is practical, as it is light and unobtrusive- exactly what you need for a webcam thatsits on the top of your screen. The isight can hook anywhere on your screen and has about a 45 degree turn radius (up and down, as well as side to side) from its neutral position, but unfortunately cannot turn backward. The clip to hold the isight to the back of the screen is adjustible by a rotating screw wheel on the bottom; a bit crude in my opinion, but gets the job done with more percision. I think that Apple could and should have had pre-aranged settings that the iSight to clicks to depending on the width of the Apple screen you are using it with, as the iSight is Mac only and is geared to fit atop Apple displays.
In real world testing, I had two guys talk to eachother from across the store. The audio was passible. One problem: The words from the one guy were heard being emitted from the other computer as they were being played and were picked up by the isight microphone- something one could think the extrenuous noise codec would have countered. The video of the other person was also passible, though a bit laggy and pixelated. I would not suggest using this product with anything slower than a 56K modem, though broadband with be hugely encouraged (that is, if you can get it- as broadband is not a requirement and the isight probably runs fine with dial up) and would prevent most of the lag, especially in the audio stream.
So, all in all, I give the iSight, from Apple Computer a 3/4
Bottom Line: Form and functionmality go hand in hand as Apple searches for a foothold in the consumer webcam market. A good start, though more complex controls and PC compabalility should and probably will come. Average picture and audio make it a hard purchase to justify, but styling charateristc of Apple pushes this product and makes it more entycing than your average firewire webcamera.
The iSight:
If you look at the pictures of the new isight, you see a metal, tubular camera with a plastic base that connects to the top of the computer screen. That is all true, though the metal is a bit lighter than the pictures protray.
The iSight has flawless tracking and no lag- tracking and lag are two problems that plagued older webcams. The picture given by the isight is on par with other Firewire enabled cameras, though it has no color or brightness controls as of yet.
The design of the isight is practical, as it is light and unobtrusive- exactly what you need for a webcam thatsits on the top of your screen. The isight can hook anywhere on your screen and has about a 45 degree turn radius (up and down, as well as side to side) from its neutral position, but unfortunately cannot turn backward. The clip to hold the isight to the back of the screen is adjustible by a rotating screw wheel on the bottom; a bit crude in my opinion, but gets the job done with more percision. I think that Apple could and should have had pre-aranged settings that the iSight to clicks to depending on the width of the Apple screen you are using it with, as the iSight is Mac only and is geared to fit atop Apple displays.
In real world testing, I had two guys talk to eachother from across the store. The audio was passible. One problem: The words from the one guy were heard being emitted from the other computer as they were being played and were picked up by the isight microphone- something one could think the extrenuous noise codec would have countered. The video of the other person was also passible, though a bit laggy and pixelated. I would not suggest using this product with anything slower than a 56K modem, though broadband with be hugely encouraged (that is, if you can get it- as broadband is not a requirement and the isight probably runs fine with dial up) and would prevent most of the lag, especially in the audio stream.
So, all in all, I give the iSight, from Apple Computer a 3/4
Bottom Line: Form and functionmality go hand in hand as Apple searches for a foothold in the consumer webcam market. A good start, though more complex controls and PC compabalility should and probably will come. Average picture and audio make it a hard purchase to justify, but styling charateristc of Apple pushes this product and makes it more entycing than your average firewire webcamera.
Your review of all the stuff that came with it is an awesome companion to my review. Good job and thank you for contributing.
