iSight Or PC-Compatible?

[Kelg6]

My friend and I went to look at web cams and noticed Apple was only selling one product (iSight) and so we went into the store's other camera section. I found that PC cameras were really cheap and a camera compatible with both started at 100 bucks. So now I guess my price range is 100 to 150. This new-to-mac user just wants some suggestions on which to buy. Thanks.

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

Forgot where I saw it, but the is a rumor that the iSight is going to be upgraded.

 

[kgarner]

All the reviews I have seen indicate that the iSight/iChat option is very high in quality and satifaction. Having not played with anything other than the iSight (and that was in store, not over the internet) I can't really be more helpful.

 

[LeeTom]

The iSight is like any other Apple thing...
Quality, Solid, Expensive, Simple

 

[svenr]

Most every USB or Firewire cam will work.

What you should look at is

• the resolution. iSight is 640*480, which is fairly high, many other cams are only 320*240 - a quarter of the picture size

• the framerate. Not sure what iSight is, but you can check on Apple's site. If you want smooth video you should look for at least 24 FPS (frames/sec)

• does it have audio support, built-in mic?

• how it connects to the Mac, USB or Firewire. iSight is Firewire wich is fast enough for full-resolution video. Many cheaper cams are USB, which doesn't have enough oomph to handle skip-free video

• whether it has auto-focus, i.e. can it make a sharp picture no matter how far away it is from the object?

• (and of course the design, but that's persoanl taste. I think the iSight looks much better than anything else out there.)