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iSight not worth it?

V

vgd09

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 28, 2003
2
0
I was wondering -- and somebody please prove me wrong, but, is the iSight really overpriced? I mean, I have a QuickCam 3000 and it cost exactly $100 bucks. It came with AWESOME movie-recording, animation (stop-motion, timelapse), webcam, etc. software. The quality is great, and the design is efficient. (You can remove the head of it and move it around so its your viewing area isnt limited. It doesn't clip on to moniors, but it has a stand.

The iSight is $150. iChat AV, which is the only software that works with it right now, is still in beta. The iSight comes with no recording software, no extras and it has to be clipped on to a monitor to stand up correctly. And, as I have seen, the quality isn't that much better than the Quickcam's.

Please enlighten me.
 
From what I understand, the iSight works with Quicktime Broadcaster also, which is free, and does let you record in many kinds of compression, and then lets you broadcast those files. (It allows for live broadcast as well.) We'll see if there are any further features in the full release of iChat AV.
 
Judging by the quality of image you get on iSight, I do not think it is over priced. Also, Apple makes their peripherals to work specifically with their hardwares. So it is expected that their peripheral, such as iSight, will give you the best result.
 
Let's see, I paid over $100 for the FW iBot with no mic and it was quite ugly and it had to gently balance on that stupid wire foot. The iSight adds a mic (which towers don't seem to come with) and a more centered and easier mounting option.

I feel my money was well spent. As so do my parents on the other side of iChat :)
 
Well, I think the iSight is overpriced. I don't think Apple is good enough to build a better quality webcam (well, they could have choosen better quality lenses, but it seems not from reviews I've read around).

I do think the main improvement in the iChat AV + iSight combo is the iChat AV software. I actually had video/audio chats (one-way from them) with two friends, one with a webcam the other with his camcorder and everything was ok (we tried over DSL so even with iSight the video would have been just ok), while the audio (from the built-in microphone) was just great.

I do not think anything in the iSight makes it worth the overprice. But i do believe that the monitor clip is actually a good think.

Anidel.
 
I actually think you're getting alot for what you pay for. I mean there are all sorts of uses for the iSight. I carry a powerbook with me and (when I get an iSight), I'll probably shoot some random things that I find interesting. Also the quality is amazing high.

Besides, no one said it would be cheap to live on the bleeding edge...
 
Originally posted by DreaminDirector
I actually think you're getting alot for what you pay for. I mean there are all sorts of uses for the iSight. I carry a powerbook with me and (when I get an iSight), I'll probably shoot some random things that I find interesting. Also the quality is amazing high.

Besides, no one said it would be cheap to live on the bleeding edge...
Click to expand...

Why you shouldn't be able to do the same with other webcams?

I continue to believe it's a bit overpriced.
But I'll buy it one day anyway as I'd love to put it on my pb.
:)

Anidel.
 
Bad in low light

A friend got an iSight and I helped get it going. We had to put a coffee cup on the base to keep it from falling over on a shelf above the monitor. There was only a wall mounted lamp close by but the video was very dim. Be sure to have a strong lightsource available that illuminates your face or look like a vision from the another world.
 
The iSight will probably work in iMovie. I used it in Premiere and it worked like a charm, so I doubt Final Cut or iMovie are any different. My iSight is pretty good with luminance. All I need is the ceiling light on and I'm ready to rumble.
 
Originally posted by Schiffi
The iSight will probably work in iMovie. I used it in Premiere and it worked like a charm, so I doubt Final Cut or iMovie are any different. My iSight is pretty good with luminance. All I need is the ceiling light on and I'm ready to rumble.
Click to expand...

The iSight DOES NOT work in iMovie. This has been covered in a number of places. The only way to get footage into iMovie from an iSight would be to find some way to save the stream as a QuickTime file and import that.
 
Originally posted by Genie
Apple gave me mine free, so I can't complain. Haven't used it yet, though.
Click to expand...

May I ask how you got Apple to give you an iSight free? Just found out that the Apple loan 180 days same as cash program has been cancelled? :(
 
Originally posted by vgd09
I was wondering -- and somebody please prove me wrong, but, is the iSight really overpriced? I mean, I have a QuickCam 3000 and it cost exactly $100 bucks. It came with AWESOME movie-recording, animation (stop-motion, timelapse), webcam, etc. software. The quality is great, and the design is efficient. (You can remove the head of it and move it around so its your viewing area isnt limited.
Click to expand...

You can remove the head of the iSight and move it around as well.

It doesn't clip on to moniors, but it has a stand.
Click to expand...

The iSight has a stand, monitor mount, and laptop clip.

The iSight is $150. iChat AV, which is the only software that works with it right now, is still in beta.
Click to expand...

It also works with Yahoo Chat, so you can even video chat with your PC friends.

The iSight comes with no recording software,
Click to expand...

Check out Quicktime Broadcaster (free) or the similar iRecordNow. Both do a nice job of capturing video, and the built-in mic on the iSight works well. Import the files into iMovie and have fun editing and such. I've done it. It's fun.

no extras and it has to be clipped on to a monitor to stand up correctly.
Click to expand...

For extras, check out iStopMotion. The Lite Version is free, and like the apps I mentioned above, it works great with the iSight.

Also if you really hate the iSight stands, take a look at the ones made by MacMice. One even connects it to a tripod, if you need something like that. And they're cheap.

And, as I have seen, the quality isn't that much better than the Quickcam's.
Click to expand...

This is a matter of opinion. One problem with the Quickcam is that the interface is USB. iSight's FireWire connection is much faster, and can therefore transfer more frames and larger frames per second.
 
I think the iSight is more than worth the price. It's well-crafted, pleasant to look at, sturdy, and produces high-quality images and sound.

True, iChat AV is in Beta right now, but wait for the end of this month when Panther comes out. The full version of iChat AV has a whole load of new features. Just wait, it'll be cool.

iSight, as was said before, also works with QuickTime Broadcaster. There's also a handy program called iRecordNow which captures video taken from the iSight as raw DV footage - you can then import it into iMovie and edit it.

Plus it's made by Apple. I mean, are we purists or are we purists?!?! :D:D:D
 
Originally posted by jimthorn

It also works with Yahoo Chat, so you can even video chat with your PC friends.
Click to expand...

Without sound unfortunately, arf arf! Mac-PC Video chatting is only possible through OhphoneX, iVisit or Marratech.
 
Originally posted by msxgames
Without sound unfortunately, arf arf! Mac-PC Video chatting is only possible through OhphoneX, iVisit or Marratech.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure that's because Yahoo doesn't support sound...
 
Re: Derrick Story explains iSight movie-making.

Originally posted by occam
Nevertheless, you *can* use iSight to make movies on your Mac.

http://www.macdevcenter.com/lpt/a/3976

Enjoy!
Click to expand...

The suggestion of being able to make movies using iSight, trully makes iSight more attractive. I have Quicktime Pro. Now to figure out how to accomplish the task.
 
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