Apple iSight Video Conferencing Webcam with Autofocus

This is the only other FireWire base camera for the Mac or PC. Great Picture and comes with removable stand.



FIRE-I DIG CAM F/HOME/OFFICE MONITOR/2X FIREWIRE 6PIN/30FPS MAC ( 2035 )

Video quality is excellent. The firewire connection and dsl or broadband provides some of the fastest responses in video casting with very, very little jerkyness. We recently had a video conference with our son and daughter-in-law from the birthing room in California after the birth of our granddaughter. Both of us were using PowerMacs and isight webcams. The video quality was great and I was able to take good digital photos of the baby directly from the screen. It was a great experience.

The connection was simple with ichat and AIM. I've also used it with gmail and skype with excellent results. I've used other video cameras of various quality, but the isight lens, auto focus, contrast and other features are the best I've seen. Firewire solves a lot of problems for both quality and data transmission/reception. It's very close to a real time, in the room experience.

I thought the cost was a little steep when I bought this unit a year ago, but the product is top quality and well worth the price.

This is great for my son and his girlfriend - he's in Michigan at college and she's in Iowa at college. They can talk to each other all the time. Not quite as great as being together, but it does the job!

I purchased two iSights so that I can videoconference with my mom and sister. The cameras work fine (but do get very hot if you keep them on for a long time). The only problem I still have is with the software (iChat). It works videoconferencing with my mom, but does not work videoconferencing with my sister. All of us use Macs. I have researched extensively in the apple support site, without success... changed firewall settings, router settings... none worked. The only way for me to videoconference with my sister is via Skype, which has poorer image quality.

The camera also lacks a mount for the iMac G4, so it has to sit beside the computer screen (not on top of the screen, where it is possible to look in the face of who you are speaking to).

The Apple iSight is a very expensive webcam, but if you compare the quality of image, ease of use, and the elegance and versatility of the design to its competition (the magnetic mount is wonderful) I have to give a guarded thumbs up to the iSight. It is the superior product, but the price is high, and its not problem free:

1) It gets very hot, very quickly, and stays that way as long as you're using it (this has not caused any problems though.)

2) The microphone in my Apple iMac G5 Desktop with 17" M9843LL/A (1.8 GHz PowerPC G5, 512 MB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive) is clearer than the iSight's: People I connect to always ask me to change the iSight mic back to the built in iMac mic. Volume is the same.

( ADDENDUM March 23, 2007: The sound situation recently reversed and people began to say that my iSight's mic was much better, so I don't know WHAT to tell you about that one. I'm going to try and do some kind of test to clarify exactly what is going on but until then at least you know the camera gives you an option.)

The image is by far the best that I've seen of any webcam. I didn't experience the soft edges reported by a prior reviewer, but did get serious pixelation during some connections; however, that is more likely a problem of data transmission than a camera or software defect (I've also had problems connecting to PC/Logitech users via AIM, but I'm hesitant to blame that on the iSight, because iSight to iSight connections are very good.)

The software (which downloads from Apple when you install the iSight) seems to be glitch free, and automatically places the image right under the iSight, so you appear to be looking into the camera when you are looking at person you are speaking to.

Ease of use is typically Mac: plug and play. Effortless. The fact that its a FireWire connection leaves me with one more USB slot (which I needed) so I'm happy about that too.

A good product, but its expensive and there is some room for improvement (which is not likely to happen now that iSights are included in new Mac computers.) I would buy it again.

For $150, I expect a crisp image with no soft edges in good lighting. What a disappointment, Apple. I even aimed it outside during sunlight, with the window open and nothing in between, and still got fuzzy soft edges. I suppose if you minimize the viewing window to it's smallest little box, it might look okay. This is my second iSight. I returned the first one because of the same issue, only worse. Too bad I gave it another chance. This auto-focus thing is not as good as it could be. I'd rather have control of the focus. It looks nice though.

Don't mess around trying to get other things to work - this one is wonderful, and well worth the extra money for a well designed cam that 'just works'. When I opened it, I looked for an install disk. Of course, there isn't one. You just plug it in and iChat fires up... Compare that to any other cam.
Great picture, good sound, and good compatability with other software like SightSpeed (free software that interoperates with PC for video conference pretty well).

This was the 3rd iSight that I bought. Not because the other ones were damaged, but because i bought one for my girlfriend and now one for my mom.

I already tried some other cameras on Windows and Linux and non offered the quality of iSight.

The iSight webcam is a phenomenal product. It's resolution, clarity and focus are excellent. And, the built in microphone is very good, also. It's integration with other Mac software like QuickTime, iMovie, etc. is flawless.

The only drawbacks are annoying software incompatibilities between Windows and Macs. Old Windows AIM doesn't like to handshake with iChat while Yahoo connects the video but not the audio. Mercury Communicator works just fine.

My husband's jealous now. His webcam is just not anywhere NEAR as good as mine ;) The iSight clips right onto my laptop and plugs into the firewire port. That's it. The lens turns to shut it off as well, which is nice. And the design is beautiful. Matches my AL Mac.
I love this thing!!!

This is a real nice webcam. good quality construction, good image, great design... Why I put a 4 : the mounts provided are no good for a flat panel Imac and the little plastic mount would cost me another 30 dollars. Overall very happy with this Apple product

It may be a little bit more money but it is worth it. I just got done talking and seeing my son. His camera, a lognet ($50.00), does not even compare with my ISight all the software he had to load compared to my plug and go is worth the differance in price. Not to mention the quality. I would recommend it. The only problem there it is made for a macintosh and that is their problem!

Apple's iSight is simply a great webcam. I've seen the washed out colors of most webcams, and iSight is just a completely different animal. Everything is automatic, including the autofocus, which is a great feature. The built-in microphone is also of good quality. I use it so that my parents can see their grandson almost anytime.

The iSight comes with several different mounts, so that you can use it with laptops, flat-panel monitors or just as a desktop camera. If you can drop the money on it, and plan on using it frequently, it is well worth it.

If you are involved in a long distance relationship of any kind (lover, parents, kids, siblings, work, etc) and you have not already, you MUST try this. Absolutely under-rated. If a fax machine was anything to mention ever, its about time for "WEBCAM MANIA".

Specifically speaking of the isight I will say that the 3 methods of placing the webcam are very well thought out. 1) a magnet base. 2) laptop/monitor mount. 3) a clear stand. And the cute little tube for storage is so neat!

Great little camera. Very easy to install & use. We used ours on a Macintosh & was able to utilize with little problem. Would recommend this camera to any user interested in creating video mail or video movies.

I was a little disapointed in the lighting quality of the camera. I expected it to be better in average light situations. My other camera is a Logitech Quickcam 3000 and although the image isn't as good as the Isight, the image brightness is better. For the money I think Apple should do a better job with image brightness. I installed IGlass and that helped out with brightness issue but I shouldn't have to spend $8 to have a better image. Maybe the next version will address the issue.

This is the best webcam on the market. It's picture is clear and the auto focus never focuses to a blur. I can talk with my sister in Taiwan over the internet for free in real-time AND see her!!! Its worth every penny! Without a doubt.

If you have a mac, I wouldn't even look for anything else. So easy to set up, works with ichat and AIM, looks great, works great (I have lighting, so the low light problems some people talk about are kidna irrelevant) and I love how it uses magnets to attach to the top of my iMac, very spiffy. I also like making cheesy little movies with Quicktime pro. (btw: If you're a student get the student discount online or go to your schools bookstore, about 20 dollars off) Would buy it again, no question.

This is a great product from Apple. Although it's considerably more expensive than some other choices, it worked immediately on our G5 and iG5's, has great picture and excellent microphone. It's pretty astounding to plug it in the first time and have iChat AV start up with the picture, no installation. We knew it would work without problems with our Mac's and didn't feel like fighting driver and setup problems with PC-oriented cameras. The speed and sound are much better than those of the PC camera on the other end of our videoconferences. It's easy to move between the computers, and it's compact enough, you could travel with it on an iBook or Powerbook. One of the best peripheral purchases we have ever made.

Apple's iSight is phenomenal. With its Firewire interface, it gives much better frame rates than most cheap webcams. Between teleconferencing with clients and the various iSight-compatible games, it's just a wonderful tool to have!

One minor caveat: there have been (so far) three revisions of iSight. I don't know what the difference is between Rev. A and Rev. B, but Rev. C comes with display connectors for late model Mac laptops, DVI Apple Cinema Displays, CRT monitors, and just plain old sitting on the desk. To attach it to your ADC display, you have to get the iSight Accessory Kit (sold separately), which Apple was kind enough to provide me for free. (One of their sales reps told me it would be in the package, so they made good on her promise; you, however, have been warned!) :-)

I bought 2 of these so I could talk to my family while I was in Europe. I tested them out at home first and they worked great. All I had to do was plug the firewire cord in and iChat on our Macs launched automatically. Great video and great sound quality for a webcam. I took one to Europe and when I was at Starbucks on a T-Mobile wireless connection, I could only get a audio feed. I decided then to go find a Boingo wireless connection and the camera and built in microphone worked great, as I could see and hear my family. I'm guessing the video problems was due to the bandwidth restrictions that T-Mobile allows through their network.

My wife has a new minimac and with this camera and the built in IChat software we are able to keep in touch with relatives in Florida, Indiana, Arizona, and New Mexico.

The ease of use and the picture clarity are outstanding. For 2 and 3 way conferencing over the internet it is absolutely a best buy. The only caveate I would place on camera and computer setup is to have more than adequate bandwidth for all of the parties you will be conferencing with.

You know when Apple puts it name on a product, it will both be cool looking AND easy to use.

The attention to design details goes to every part of the product and the packaging is no exception. Thus, the opening any Apple product is always an experience to be savored... no need to tear right in, but rather to unpacked slowly, layer by layer.
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Like most Mac users, I enjoy Apple's products because of their elegant, timeless designs, their ease of use, and their commitment to high quality performance.

The drama involved in opening the iSight is similar to an iPod. They use the same type of clamshell packaging. The camera is beautiful, though a bit larger than I thought--albeit lightweight. Plugged it in, fired up iChat, and it installed the latest iSight software [To the iSight? Not sure.].

That's where the kudos end. The picture was not acceptable in medium light. I had a QuickCam Pro 3000 [RIP] before this, so I have a point of reference. The image I saw was not what I excepted for a camera that costed twice as much as the previous camera.

The Mac OS X integration is great, you can record movies from QuickTime Pro [cool]. It also works with iSPQ VideoChat, my chat software.

I did find a solution for the dark image, iGlasses. This $8 program does what Apple should have done to begin with, it allows you to fine tune the iSight's video.

With iGlasses installed, iSight's rating went to 4, from a definite 3.

The first thing I noticed, was how beautifully the iSight was packaged! This camera is very easy to use, as expected with an Apple product. Once you connect it your computer, iChat automatically launches prompting set up options. I have an older display, so I had to use the eMac mount, and after about a day, it fell off. The adhesive is not very strong, so if you need to use this mount, plan on finding an alternative to the adhesive.

Fuzzy images and feedback. That's not what I expected with the iSight, but it's what I got. After months of holding off, researching and reading reviews, I finally purchased two iSights, the Cadillac of video cams. "Like no other camera," the review says. As an avid Mac fan it pains me to say this, but I'd change that to "Like most other cameras."

When we took the iSights out of the box and installed them, my wife and I were very pleased with the ease of instillation. Plug and play. Simple. But there was noticeable microphone feedback on the sound. No problem, I thought--both iSights are in the same room. So the next day I took my powerbook and iSight to work. Same problem: An echoing feedback that you wouldn't expect from even a mediocre microphone. Also, we really had to speak up to be heard.

The other disappointment was with the picture quality. A little on the fuzzy side. Even when you reduce the viewing window, you never get a truly crisp image. Light helps image quality, but even under good lighting conditions the picture is grainy.

I am very pleased with the frame rate, which is snappy. It looks (and is) very real-time. I'm also happy with the size and weight of the iSight, as well as the carrying case that comes with it. And, of course, you can't beat free video conferencing, even if it's not everything you dreamed.

Note: The iSight comes WITH a mount for flat panel and laptop monitors. I've seen several review complaining that they had to buy the accessory kit to mount their iSight. Simply not true if you have a laptop of flat screen monitor.

Also untrue are any posting telling you that you need to purchase a $99 .Mac account to use the iSight. If you have OSX 10.3+ iChatAV is built in and ready to go.

all in all, this is absolutely the best solution i've found for video chat, and i've tried a few web cameras over the years. with its 50mm f2.8 lens my new isight's low light performance is superb. one complaint i've had with webcams from other manufacturers is their contrast in low light situations falls off, and the image picks up a lot of noise. not so with this little gem. it's also light weight, compact, and incredibly simple to use. plug in a single firewire cable and you're done.

what about the built in audio quality? that's right -- no independent mic required! i often video conference for my job and i bought a coworker one of his own. somehow the isight is able to keep two independent streams of audio going (on both sides of the chat) while still suppressing "feedback" loops, or echoing that occurs if ambient sound bleeds across into an incoming stream. even overlapping dialog is handled well. sometimes i'll play music from itunes in the background as we work and my coworker hears it just fine, but my voice still punches through in perfect balance.

apple has done a brilliant job with this camera, on every count, especially given the price. 3 cheers!

I just got my iSight today and guess what? I need to get the accessory kit to mount it on my flat panel display. If that requirement is in the above verbage I missed it, but the picture shows it happily on the top of the display. I'll add on to this once it's connected ( sitting under the display till UPS brings the accessory kit).