Apple iSight - Web camera - color - audio - FireWire

by Apple

Product Details

• Item Weight: 2.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B0002HN1LQ
• Item model number: M9330LL/A
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 13, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

iSight is a state-of-the-art video camera that’s the easiest way to video conference with your colleagues, friends and family over broadband. Featuring an autofocusing autoexposure F/2.8 lens which captures high-quality pictures even in low lighting, iSight also includes a dual-element microphone in its stylish compact aluminum body.

Like no other camera Apple brings award-winning product design to iSight — and it’s like no other camera available today. A versatile, durable, lightweight and portable camera capable of delivering high-quality audio and video, iSight features a strong aluminum-alloy exterior which protects sophisticated electronics and its autofocus lens. A single FireWire cable streams video and audio and also delivers power to the camera. Screen-top Three stands and a tilt-and-swivel mechanism allow iSight to capture video at the best possible angle. While traditional web cameras sit off-center on your desk, capturing the side of your head iSight sits directly in front of you, at eye level. This provides a more natural, life-like conversation and a more familiar TV-like viewing angle. Its compact size makes it easy to take with you anywhere.

iSight sits directly in front of you at eye level.

Crystal clear sound
iSight includes a built-in, dual element noise-suppressing microphone that delivers crystal clear audio. The microphone takes in the sound from both microphone elements, then determines which sounds are essential to the conversation with an algorithm that filters out extraneous noise.

Featherweight champ
iSight weighs in at a mere 2.3 ounces (63.8 grams) making it easy to carry in your pocket or bag for use anywhere. For convenience and protection, iSight also includes a travel case so you can take it along on trips short or long. \

Use iSight to take your own buddy photo.

Focus on you iSight’s lens can autofocus as close as 50 mm (2 inches) or infinitely far, so whenever you’re in front of your camera, your image is always sharp and clear. iSight also includes an on-board processor that automatically adjusts white balance, sharpness, color, focus and exposure and filters out noise to ensure that the transmitted picture is bright and focused and color is true in any light conditions. Just a sec iChat AV lets you mute the audio while continuing to shoot video, in case you need to have a private conversation in person while keeping a chat open. Video muting, too Need a moment offscreen to touch up your hairdo or prepare a surprise? Closing the lens cover mutes the video but doesn’t disconnect you from your conversation. To resume visual contact, just reopen the lens.

You’ll look marvelous But iSight doesn’t just look good, it makes you look good, with the highest quality video of any chatting solution. A custom-designed, three-part lens consists of two aspherical elements that focus on a 1/4-inch CCD sensor with 640x480 (VGA) resolution. The camera’s lens aperture is a wide F/2.8, allowing it to collect more light than most web cams. iSight also offers a far wider range of shutter speeds than most other cameras. Put it all together and iSight delivers smooth, top-quality, full-motion video at 30 frames per second in 24-bit color. The result is that whether it’s in a poorly lit hotel room or a bright sunny kitchen, iSight will provide true color reproduction and a crisp image. The camera also sports a small green “on air” light that lets you know that you are participating in a live video chat session. One simple twist of the lens cap turns off iSight, ensuring your privacy and letting your buddies know you’re no longer available for video and audio chatting.

Closing the lens cover mutes the video but doesn't disconnect you from your conversation.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great webcam with plug & play ease, August 8, 2004

By 

A. Chun (Honolulu, HI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Apple iSight - Web camera - color - audio - FireWire (Personal Computers)

Having used five different webcams over the past five years, I can highly recommend Apple's iSight. More than likely, you are considering buying the iSight to use with iChat AV. Before I bought the iSight, I used a Sony DV video camera. Virtually any DV video camera (one that can connect to your computer via Firewire) will work with iChat AV, so if you have one, I would recommend trying that first. So why buy a $130+ iSight that's virtually a one-trick pony? (I don't know anyone who uses their iSight for anything besides iChat AV) Portability and ease of use. I easily move it around and transfer it back and forth between my desktop computer and laptop. The video conferencing image quality is above average for a webcam but is not as good as my DV video camera. The major drawback of the iSight is the lack of control over exposure, contrast or anything--there aren't any manual controls. Every thing is auto on this baby. That's great for the most part until you get in a low-light or backlit situation. The iSight also has a tendency to be contrasty and blow out detail in situations of directional lighting (I sit near a single bright window). The autofocus is usually reliable except when the focus point is on a light-colored or flat object lacking shadows and detail (like a white t-shirt or solid colored wall). In these instances, you can hear the iSight focusing back and forth without locking, similar to what happens when a digital camera can't focus on an object. Overall, I'm very pleased with the iSight. It video conferences well and its size and portability are its biggest advantages. However, I purchased mine used for $80. I consider $130+ rather pricey unless you do a lot of video conferencing.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Web Cam, August 2, 2004

By 

Robert (PETOSKEY, MI, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Apple iSight - Web camera - color - audio - FireWire (Personal Computers)

This is an easy to use firewire web cam for Mac users.

But, while you need a mac to use it, you can have

web cam meetings with any other computer. I see and

talk regularly with relatives using ichat AV to their yahoo

or AOL web cam software.

Excellent picture quality, with no smearing.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars iSight may have problems with Leopard 10.5.1, February 14, 2008

By 

Suzanne Suzanadanna (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apple iSight - Web camera - color - audio - FireWire (Personal Computers)

While using the iSight external firewire webcam on my Mac G5 tower with Panther 10.3.9 system software installed, I found it to have excellent video quality and to be very easy to use. Shortly after installing Leopard 10.5.1 however, the fun was over. My cam stopped working and no amount of tech fixes have brought it back. It now shows up as "unknown device" in the system profiler, and is not recognized in Yahoo or any other program I've tried.

If you search the internet you'll find numerous suggestions as varied as the circumstances that can create the problem. Apparently some fixes work in certain situations, some don't, some work some of the time, etc...

The iSight is an excellent cam, but if you'll be using it on a Mac that's running Leopard, proceed with extreme caution.