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Apple iSight?

B

boxmetogo

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 2, 2004
26
0
Hey does anyone own an iSight for there mac? Im thinking about purchasing one for my self, but i dont know if i should. Does anybody have another recommendation on a webcam or should i just go ahead and get the iSight?
 
get the iSight

I tried the iceCam from MacAlly and it just can't compre to the iSight. Spend the extra money; it is definitely worth it.
 
I'm looking at possibly getting an iSight as well. My thoughts tend to agree with the idea that it's worth the extra money. All of the other Cams out there just don't seem to compare.
 
the iSight is great, it has awesome picture quality (that will get better with Tiger) and it have a great built in microphone as well. The only negative thing i have to say about it is that you need plenty of light for a clear picture, but i find this to be true of any webcam
 
iSight is probably the coolest, but its the most expensive.

http://www.orangemicro.com/ibot.html
orangemicro makes a cool camera the iBot. it is firewire and works well. i will probably be getting one of these soon. orange micro is less expensive but has no built in microphone.

the icecam from macally as mentioned in this thread stinks. i had one for two days before i took it back. the image was all washed out and even with extra light and adjusting the color treatment the image was still horrible. but it is USB so thats kinda expected. because it is USB the icecam is cheap but you get what you pay for and it is of poor quality.
 
I bought one for myself and one for my Dad for father's day - use it 3-4 times a week with him - amazing technology. I use it all the time with my friend 4 states away and friends in Holland, France and Sweden. Can't wait for multi-person chat in Tiger. No other cam comes close for audio/video quality. - buy a clip on light from Macmice though.
 
It's a great webcam and if you think you'll actually use it, then get it.

It's not always a simple life with the iSight though. Connecting Mac to Mac there's nothing better. Video conferenceing with people using Windows has always been buggy when I've tried it--lots of hangs and crashes on both sides.
 
I have an iSight, but I haven't use it much. Few of my friends have broadband and even less own a Mac. I have used it to do some time-lapse video though. iStopMotion (www.istopmotion.com) is a neat little program for that.

I got a cool stand for it from MacMice. I didn't want to stick it to my monitor.
http://macmice.com/sightflex.html

Griffen has a light that attaches to the iSight, I haven't tried it yet, but I'm thinking about it because you really do need more light.
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/sightlight/

Hope this helps :)
 
I've got two of them - one for my iMac and one for my PowerBook. Mainly I use it for work to video conference to others around the country, but I also love the fact that I can iChat with my kids when I'm on the road, as well as with my brothers (both Mac and Windows).

The camera is slick - great picture, microphone, etc., but a little pricey perhaps. I haven't seen the Logitech, but hear it works well also.

As for mounting, I'd agree with suggestions to buy a third party mount if you have an ASD or ACD, but with an iMac, the PowerBook mount works well, although I needed to throw in a rubber "filler" since the monitor surround wasn't thick enough.

I can't wait for multiple video with Tiger - that will be cool. If only you could not display the picture of yourself, which can be a little distracting.
 
nfocus design said:
Griffen has a light that attaches to the iSight, I haven't tried it yet, but I'm thinking about it because you really do need more light.
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/sightlight/

Hope this helps :)
Click to expand...

I have that SightLight from Griffin, and its gr8! I usually have my lighting pretty dimm, so whenever I iChatAV I had to turn up the lighting. Now with the SightLight on my iSight that's not necessary anymore.

So, if you can spend it: Get the iSight! And if your room is too dark, get the SightLight aswell. It's really fun. :)
 
I have a PB so the isight should work with me, but my gf only has a windows machine. (I am trying to convert her. I have her convinced but not her dad...) will the isight work with windows?
 
MacsRgr8 said:
I have that SightLight from Griffin, and its gr8! I usually have my lighting pretty dimm, so whenever I iChatAV I had to turn up the lighting. Now with the SightLight on my iSight that's not necessary anymore.

So, if you can spend it: Get the iSight! And if your room is too dark, get the SightLight aswell. It's really fun. :)
Click to expand...

Is the light very bright? I experimented a little with stop motion animation with the iSight, but realized I needed more light.
 
TreeHugger said:
I have a PB so the isight should work with me, but my gf only has a windows machine. (I am trying to convert her. I have her convinced but not her dad...) will the isight work with windows?
Click to expand...

I do not believe it works with Windows. Convert her :D
 
nfocus design said:
Is the light very bright? I experimented a little with stop motion animation with the iSight, but realized I needed more light.
Click to expand...

Yes, it is, but not for far away. I'd say a maximum of about 1 meter distance from the iSight+Light, and the light is very white (does not generate a "warm atmosphere" :p )
Luckily it can automatically adjust to the available light. If it is turned on , it shines with its full bright(white)ness. ;)
 
TreeHugger said:
I have a PB so the isight should work with me, but my gf only has a windows machine. (I am trying to convert her. I have her convinced but not her dad...) will the isight work with windows?
Click to expand...

iChat will communicate with a Windows box running AIM 5.5. I've used it with my brother with no problem.
 
Quick note: If you're eligible, the student discount brings the price of the iSight down to $130, so it's even more enticing.
 
yeah i got the student discount, it' brings the price down to 130, sounds like a good deal. Ill just might get me one.
 
You would probably be better off purchasing a USED video camera from eBay with a built-in firewire port. This way you will have a much better lens, so you can use it in the dark and also get better picture quality. I would imagine that a used video cam would be less than $200 too.
 
emw said:
iChat will communicate with a Windows box running AIM 5.5. I've used it with my brother with no problem.
Click to expand...

May communicate with, but you can't actually use the iSight with Windows can you? I haven't seen too many people even able to communicate well with a Windows user. Maybe I'll try it with some friends who still refuse to cross over from the evil PC side :)
 
nfocus design said:
May communicate with, but you can't actually use the iSight with Windows can you? I haven't seen too many people even able to communicate well with a Windows user. Maybe I'll try it with some friends who still refuse to cross over from the evil PC side :)
Click to expand...

Good clarification. You can communicate with your iSight and Mac to a Windows user with their own camera. I haven't tested to see if the iSight will work with Windows, but it may show up the same as any other firewire camera.

I'd be interested to hear how your tests go!
 
emw said:
Good clarification. You can communicate with your iSight and Mac to a Windows user with their own camera. I haven't tested to see if the iSight will work with Windows, but it may show up the same as any other firewire camera.

I'd be interested to hear how your tests go!
Click to expand...

Here are the system requirements on Apple's site...

Macintosh computer with a 600MHz or faster PowerPC G3 or any PowerPC G4 or G5 processor
iChat AV software (Included with Mac OS X Panther). iChat AV will also be available separately for $29.95 for users of Mac OS X Jaguar 10.2.5 and above. Visit www.apple.com/ichat for more information for Jaguar users.
Mac OS X v10.2.5 or later
Broadband Internet connection (128Kbps or faster transfer speeds)

I'll look into the PC end, although I should be trying to convert people rather than help them use Apple's cool technology
:)

I have used my Sony Mini DV successfully with iChat too. I like being able to get a wide angle or zoom if needed.
 
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