Apple iSight Video Conferencing Webcam with Autofocus -M8817LL/B
See it at Amazon.com for $499.00Average Customer Rating
(5.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First (5 out of 5)The best webcam for your Mac.
The "B" model is the current model and its main benefit over the last one is that they fixed the major heat problem of the first version of this webcam. Great webcam with a great image reproduction. Can also be used as a still cam albeit attached to computer. Looks very good with any Mac and also now has the iMac G5 attachment which is a magnet to attract to the metal plate built in to the top center of the iMac G5's case. The stand itself is white plastic same as the iMac's. Also has a PowerBook, eMac, flat panel display and iMac G4 attachments.
(5 out of 5)excellent webcam for Macs!
Looking for a good webcam for your Mac? Look no further than iSight. The Rev. B model, which I have, was a snap to hook up. I used one of the included stands to mount the camera next to my Mac. Initially, I had reservations about using the stand, based on reports I've read on the web. The stands come with a self-adhesive mount, and I wasn't about to 'stick' my camera to a surface. But my worries were easily dismissed, because the stand itself does a fantastic job of supporting the iSight. So, no messy adhesive backing had to be used.
The iChat program (bundled with OS X Panther) works really well with the camera. I've used it to chat with my sister who lives a few states away. With appropriate third party software, you can also use the iChat as a UPC barcode reader to scan in your books, CDs, and DVDs. The quality of the image generated by the camera is more than acceptable. Colors are rich and not washed out. On a broadband connection, frame rates were impressively high. Audio only chats will work as well, as the iSight also houses a built-in microphone. Audio quality is clear, too, as my sister has confirmed. I have yet to chat with another iSight'er to fully perform a two-way video chat, but from what I've seen so far, the iSight works very well. Highly recommended.
(5 out of 5)Love this cam
I have owned this webcam for a few months now and love it. I have kids in college and we video conference frequently. The sound and picture are worth the money. Apple makes this easy to install; plug it in. AIM is our software along with the Ichat-AV version. The pictures are clear and have no time delay. This is my third webcam purchase and by far my favorite. I even bought another one for the office. This is the Porsche of webcams. Can't someone help the poor Wintel folks have a real webcam. Is this Mac only or will it become like the Ipod, for all platforms?
(4 out of 5)iSight is an ideal complement to iChat AV
As webcams go, the iSight provides the best image quality. Its design and build quality are top notch, too. The iSight uses a Firewire connection, not USB, for improved performance.
The camera comes with four different mounting devices (stands and clips) to use it on a desktop, atop your monitor, or attached to your notebook computer's LCD screen. Another thoughtful touch is a little cylinder to store/protect the iSight when you take it on the road.
The iSight has two internal noise-cancelling microphones that provide crisp, clear audio. The folks with whom I videoconference have remarked that I sound like I'm in the same room as they.
One area where the iSight could be improved is control over manual adjustments. The camera normally works in auto mode. The aperature, focus, color temperature, video gain, et cetera, are adjusted automatically based on the room's lighting conditions. But I've found that there are times when the picture is a bit too dark or too bright, or the hue is a tad too red or blue. Fortunately, there's a cool $8 shareware utility called iGlasses (do a Google search to find it) that gives you full manual control over the camera. iGlasses appears as a floating pallete within iChat AV. With it, you can tweak the iSight's settings to your personal preference.
The iSight and iChat AV go hand in hand. I can't imagine using one without the other.
(5 out of 5)Amazingly easy
I bought one of these so my 92 year old mother could chat with her grandkids from the wilds of Nebraska. I was amazed at the setup. Plug in, click on ichat, click the camera icon to test, and then click on the buddy list for an invite. But this is why we use Apple computers, isn't it.
The picture is the best I have seen with a good frontal light source. I had to upgrade from 256 to 500 on my internet speed to eliminate the slight but acceptable pixelation.