Best webcam for Mac/PC use through bootcamp?

[jonnysods]

Hello MR, I have a question for you.

I started looking for a used iSight for my new MP, but the prices are crazy! I thought I should get one so I could use it with Skype on OS X or Windows, and MSN with video on Windows so I can talk with my family back in Australia.

I figured I could get something different for much cheaper and get way more quality.

Does anyone out there have any advice or products to recommend that would work in either bootcamp and OS X, but work with iChat, Photobooth etc as well?

Or should I just buy the iSight?

Any/all advice is welcome!

 

[MisterMe]

...

Any/all advice is welcome!

You need to define your terms. What do you mean by best?

I assume that you really mean that you want a webcam that works with Mac and Windows. Make no mistake--your Mac booted into Boot Camp-installed Windows is just an expensive Windows computer. If want a device to work while booted into Windows, then you need Windows drivers installed.

I have an iSight webcam--two actually. I love them. However, they connect to the computer via FireWire. I don't know for certain, but I would bet that they don't have Windows drivers. My bet is supported by this Wikepedia entry:

External iSight

Windows XP and Vista will autodetect an external iSight camera as “1394 Desktop Video Camera”, but no specific iSight driver exists for Windows. Nevertheless, most Instant messaging clients are capable of using video from the camera and adjusting brightness and other settings (the image will appear to be overexposed until the settings are altered). Windows is not capable of receiving audio from iSight’s internal microphones, as no Windows driver exists.

Technology blog Gizmodo reported in July 2006 that a bounty was offered for a driver that would enable the external iSight's microphone to function on Windows XP. Users were asked to contribute funds that were to be won by the successful developer. The driver's source would then be open to the public for porting to future Windows versions. After waiting 5 months with no submissions, Gizmodo canceled the competition, returned all donations, sold the iSight and bought a MacBook Pro.

This would seem to preclude using the iSight while booted into Windows.

I don't believe in searching for pearls in pile of manure. If you want a webcam, then buy a webcam that you know will work in Windows and the Mac. The Logitech Quickcam® Vision Pro fills the bill.

 

[danielheldman]

I use SONy Playstation 3 Eye. I am hapy with ther quality.

 

[PrincessPeach]

I use a Hue webcam which works well on both Mac and Windows sides.

But please note for iChat specifically you need to pay an extra 10 bucks for the iUSBcam plugin. Skype/Yahoo etc work Mac side for no extra cost of course.

 

[jonnysods]

I use SONy Playstation 3 Eye. I am hapy with ther quality.

I have a PS3 Eye that I tried to use but I didn't find that it worked with MSN using video. Have you got it to work with MSN? What drivers did you use?

 

[jonnysods]

You need to define your terms. What do you mean by best?

I assume that you really mean that you want a webcam that works with Mac and Windows. Make no mistake--your Mac booted into Boot Camp-installed Windows is just an expensive Windows computer.

The reason I use windows is so I can communicate with my family in Australia - using Skype on my mac doesn't seem to jive all that well with them when they use Skype, so we use MSN. But that was when i had my iMac with the built in iSight. This is a different ball game.

I'm kind of stuck now - I ordered a firewire iSight camera last night - I'll have to dig around to see how to make it work.

 

[PrincessPeach]

The reason I use windows is so I can communicate with my family in Australia - using Skype on my mac doesn't seem to jive all that well with them when they use Skype, so we use MSN. But that was when i had my iMac with the built in iSight. This is a different ball game.

What's the Skype issue? I use Skype between Windows and Macs daily so if there's the possibility of fixing the issue that way there may be something I can help with.

 

[jonnysods]

The issue is my folks - they are almost 70 and my dad started using a computer around 4 years ago. He knows how to use MSN, but explaining how to setup skype to use with his camera has been a little difficult, and I am no mug when it comes to computers. So we've stuck to MSN as it's worked fine up until I got the MP and used the PS3 camera.