looking to buy a iSight but price feels a little on the expensive side at £99
does anyone have one ? and what do you think of it ?
does anyone have one ? and what do you think of it ?
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are iSights overpriced?
- Thread starter liketom
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i've used one, and was impressed with it overall, video/voice quality, etc... seems like apple ought to introduce a new one sometime though... it's bene out forever...
Better build quality than Average.
Looks much cooler.
Much easier to use with Apple Macs.
But at the price a PC webcam will have a beter res and extra features..
But of course if you don't have the broadband speed for it the extra res is wasted.
I'd get one.
Looks much cooler.
Much easier to use with Apple Macs.
But at the price a PC webcam will have a beter res and extra features..
But of course if you don't have the broadband speed for it the extra res is wasted.
I'd get one.
liketom said:
They are good, but given how long they are out and the sort of competition that is out there, I feel they are over priced and lack a few features.
This year I expect another version, so I'll wait to see what thats like and see if they tweak the hardware to work better with 264 and Tiger...
You get what you pay for in my book.
Had one for ages now, more than happy with it.
Although had some problems having video chats via the wifes mac/iSight at work, but thats down to BT and her ADSL router. Its a problem I'm sure could be solved...just at the moment we can't be bothered.
Had one for ages now, more than happy with it.
Although had some problems having video chats via the wifes mac/iSight at work, but thats down to BT and her ADSL router. Its a problem I'm sure could be solved...just at the moment we can't be bothered.
i think the isight is awesome. i was at a friend's house talking to this guy in mexico city (not exactly home of the greatest internet, although he has 4mbit down) and the video looked great except for one moment where video/audio froze. we used some program, whose name i dont know, to record it and im gonna make a dvd out of it and the recording looks good in imovie.
I love the iSight, and the built-in mic is second to none, but Apple's default brightness is set far too low. The iSight can function very nicely in low light, but most users on iChat look like they're in a dungeon due to the way the iSight's brightness is set. There are programs to fix this, but I expect the next-gen iSight to function better in lower light.
I couldn't be happier with my iSight(s). I bought a second one so I could stay in touch with home, while I'm on the road. Various hotels and networks, US and Europe, it never fails to impress. When I compare it to the video quality of the 6 other folks I talk to, it's worth the price. Never seen anything even close. If you don't have at least a decent table lamp pointed at you, it can be bit dark (though the latest firmware ugrade improved the heck out of that). A Griffin iLight is great and I think I've seen them for under $30 lately.
Honestly, I love my iSight. I just don't like how it makes me look - it really does make me look fatter than I am.
Well, they say the camera adds 10 pounds...StarbucksSam said:
That being said, I think the iSight is a great piece of equipment, except for the way it handles lighting conditions. As jsw said, low-light conditions aren't handled well, but neither are bright light or back-lit conditions, as far as I'm concerned. iGlasses fixes a lot of these problems very well, but it would be nice to have Apple fix it in the software or hardware.
The microphone is fantastic, and the camera itself is well-built and seems to be very solid. I carry mine around with me in my laptop bag so I can "call" home when on business trips, and I've never had a problem.
You are the one and only person I've ever noticed who likes the iLight. I got one and think it's a complete waste of money. Maybe not if you're in a pitch-black cave and/or want to look like a ghost....aksmax said:
Personally I do think it's overpriced, and here's why:
The eye-toy camera has drivers that enable it to be used on a PC, and I've chatted to a friend who has one of them, as well as an iSight. The eye-toy is consistantly better quality in all situations. (low-light etc) It does 640x480 @ 30fps.
It's certainly uglier than the iSight, and I don't know if it works with macs, but it's a much better camera at less than 1/3 the cost.
Having said that I'd still go with the iSight, just like I'd go with an Apple display over a dell one. The Apple stuff definitely wins out in looks and build quality.
The eye-toy camera has drivers that enable it to be used on a PC, and I've chatted to a friend who has one of them, as well as an iSight. The eye-toy is consistantly better quality in all situations. (low-light etc) It does 640x480 @ 30fps.
It's certainly uglier than the iSight, and I don't know if it works with macs, but it's a much better camera at less than 1/3 the cost.
Having said that I'd still go with the iSight, just like I'd go with an Apple display over a dell one. The Apple stuff definitely wins out in looks and build quality.
jsw said:
iGlasses is a cheap and great program that fixes this, it allows you total control of the camera, its great really
i doubt the iSight will be updated anytime soon, however, because with Tiger, and the new QT codec that it will include will and should improve the qualitiy of the iSights, maybe another firmware update though
they really are great for what they do, and there are many programs that allow you to use it as more than just a webcam, you can use it for the occasional quick picture, and in iMovie you can use it to record whatever, i dont think they are overpriced, but maybe thats because i have one
Considering what other FireWire-attached webcams are available, the iSight is a better value since it's got a microphone as part of the package.
I've been on the other end and have seen low light being a problem for the auto focus, as well as visual quality, as you would expect.
The only true remedy for these problems is to buy a DV camcorder for a few hundred more. This is the main reason I haven't bought an iSight. While I think it's great for the price, I think a DV cam would be a better deal overall.
I've been on the other end and have seen low light being a problem for the auto focus, as well as visual quality, as you would expect.
The only true remedy for these problems is to buy a DV camcorder for a few hundred more. This is the main reason I haven't bought an iSight. While I think it's great for the price, I think a DV cam would be a better deal overall.
bousozoku said:
there are apps out there that are only like $10 that will let you adjust the brightness, so unless you need/want the other features of a DV camera the iSight is still a good value
Agreed. When I hook up my five+ year old Sony DV camcorder, the picture is dramatically better than that of the iSight, even adjusted with iGlasses. No shame for the iSight, just a bigger lens, etc. on the camcorder.bousozoku said:
Edit: but the camcorder, duct-taped to the top of my display, doesn't look as elegant as the iSight.
I think the isights are overprived. They would have been more popular if they were cheaper. $99USD seems like a good price point or at least under $119. I also think it would be nice if Apple made isight/ichat available for windows.
They are really over price. another good camra to look at are the logic cams. the logic orbit cam does everything the isight does but you ahve more control over it and it can move aroudn on it own and flow you face around if you move (mind you face tracking is not the greats and does have some problems mainly if you have a poster or something behind you with a human looking face on it. It will lock on to that and think that is where you face is. beyond that it works really well and as an added bonec it is cheaper than the isight)
Isn't everything Apple makes a bit overpriced? Add that to the fact that can take a long time to update a product, and many of their products can seem even more overpriced. Although I do have to give props for the latest iPod price drops.They are much more in line with the competition now.
This may be a stupid question...but I'm a recent convert to mac. If I got an isight for use with my pb, what program would I use to talk with those in my family that don't have apple? Also, can you actually speak and hear with isight, or is it only video?
thanks
thanks