Customer Reviews

Ecamm Network iMage USB Webcam for Mac and Windows

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

(disclaimer: pardon the melodrama in this review; I just really love my IMage!)

If you're like me and are a pre-Intel Mac owner, you've probably realized your options are extremely limited when it comes to webcams. It used to be that your only real choice was the exorbitantly expensive firewire I-Sight ($150), which dominated the handful of mediocre webcam competitors, none of which ever got off the ground or remained in production for over a year.

I always resisted buying the I-Sight, thinking it was ridiculously costly and there had to be a better alternative. As soon as the new MacBooks came out, however, I immediately found myself regretting my disobedience to Mother Apple. When she sneakily took the I-Sights out of production, it seemed the only option was to buy a whole new Mac (that was the plan, right Jobs?) or spend anywhere from 300 to 500 bucks on a used I-Sight on Ebay! I was penitent--wishing I hadn't been so foolish and had just flipped for the I-Sight back when it was "reasonable".

Then there came the Ecamm emulators, allowing Mac owners, through software wizardry, to use previously PC-only webcams (Logitech, etc). Fearing that might be a bit messy, I waited for some daring soul to finally pick up the slack where Apple had left off. My 15" Powerbook G4 still is a great machine and does everything I need it to do, and I've optimized the system with RAM and a fast hard drive--why should I just through it out and bow down to Apple's marketing machine?

Thankfully the people at Pico have made an excellent product that works seamlessly with OSX and requires no mumbo jumbo. Plug it in, and you're ready to chat on Skype. Or install the IChat plug in that comes with the camera (no third party emulator searching) and you're ready to go with IChat. It's the only one out there that works so easily and so well. Crystal clear 640x480 image and smooth video with a good internet connection; and the cam easily clips on to my Powerbook screen or I can stand it on the desk. There's also mounting holes for a wall mount and a threaded recess for using a tripod. I think it's so great I even bought a second one for my sibling's 12" Powerbook G4, who lives abroad and couldn't get the US-only IMage out there. Now we can chat without having to spend our savings on new Macs.

True, when my hard drive kicks up and the CPU fan is running hot, the noise can be heard through my Mac's built in microphone. That's the only limitation, which is easily solved by purchasing a $15 desk mic. Oh yeah, and I guess the name sounds like a character from Lord of the Rings, but oh well--this ain't a fashion show.

Thanks Pico/Ecamm for giving this "old" Mac owner new hope.

The web-cam was not compatible with my Mac OS X (version 10.3.9) and I thought I had to purchase the newer software (which cost $150), but the customer service people for the web-cam (their detail was on included in the box) guided me through a free website that offered the type of software I needed to get the web-cam working. They must have responded to 5 e-mails of mine within an hour. It was like talking to a friend! The web-cam is great, very good quality!

Length:: 1:09 Mins

This camera does exactly what it claims to do: work on Macintosh MacOS X systems without additional drivers. Works with Skype on MacOS X. This is not a high end product. The frame rate is about 15 fps, but the image is clear. The styling is not as fancy as some other webcams on the market, but does indeed mount in a simple fashion to the top of the laptop screen. Mechanical tilt and pan are not available. There is no zoom. This is just a simple webcam that does exactly what it claims to do.

Includes a velvet carrying bag.

If you go to the Ecamm site and have all the updates that you need (I have an apple - so i needed to update quicktime -recs if u have quicktime pro - camera works thru that - had to make certain I had 2.0 USB and 10.4 Mac OS X). Good for Skype. Very happy with it and very easy to use - and cheap considering the other MAC cameras.

I use a G4 PPC MDD 867 dual with 1.5 gigs of ram...and no iSight camera. I wanted one but figured that the price would come down fairly quick but the next thing I knew, gone! So there I've been, looking at the assortment of cameras that Window's folks have but never seeing Mac compatible on the box. I know, I know, I could buy one and then purchase IOXperts Webcam Driver for Mac OS X but I thought that was just a bit much paying for a Windows webcam and then having to purchase a driver to let me use it.

Instead I decided to try eCamm's image USB Webcam, designed to work with Macs and Windows and Linux systems. This webcam delivers 640x480 video to your Mac apps that you've been dying to use a webcam with, like iChat AV, Skype, Yahoo! Messenger and a whole slew of other programs. The unit is a USB video class (UVC) camera (VGA) 1/7-inch color CCD sensor, that provides image sizes of 640 x 480 (VGA), 352 x 288 (CIF), 320 x 240 (QVGA at15 Frames Per Second Uncompressed Video. It utilizes a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed Connection (480 Mbits/s), is UVC 1.1 Compliant with Auto white balance control and Auto electronic iris control. The webcam itself is only 2" (L) x 1 3/4" (H) x 1" (W). It even comes with a threaded screw hole on the bottom if you're a perfectionist and want to mount the unit on a small tripod.






Everything that you need is included in the package. The webcam, instructions and a black cloth case to carry your unit around are in the box. You can download a Quickstart pdf from eCamm's website.


Now, as you can see, this is a small unit. The way it is set up, it will sit on the top of your laptop and stay in place, or as in my case, I have it sitting on top of one of my external hard drives. Set up is a snap, plug in the unit and install the plug-in and away you go. The plug-in provides compatibility with Apple's iChat AV. Once you've done this, position your camera where you want it and enjoy yourself. I've used the unit to do video chats with Tim Robertson and also with my son in another state. It really is so much nicer to do things "face-to- face" if you will. Before this I would have to set up my digital video camera by firewire cable to conduct a video chat. This is so much easier!

Overall, I'm very satisfied with the unit and can now wait until I get my next Mac, which will either have iSight or Apple's version of the next best thing. Consider eCamm's iMage USB Webcam as an add-on to your system if you have an older Mac and want some additional capability... all you need is a USB port. If you still have questions, go to eCamm's website and download the Quickstart pdf and see if that answers your questions.

System Requirements: Requires Mac OS X v10.4.3 or later, including Mac OS X v10.5 (Leopard)
(Mac OS X 10.3.9 is also supported via macam.), Requires USB 2.0 Hi-Speed Port, 600MHz or higher G3, G4, G5 or Intel processor. Video chat does require a microphone.

So to review

Pro: Easy to use, easy to set up, doesn't need additional software to utilize the webcam other than the iMage Plug-in software that is provided to allow additional functionality. Does exactly what they say it will do... Helps those Mac users with older Macs add video to their system.
Cons: The one problem that I had was that the video is limited to 640 x 480 and is a bit grainy. Unit does not come with a microphone, you will have to provide your own.

Still highly recommended!

My Mac rating: 4 out of 5.

This was so hard to find. I am glad I finally found a camera that actually works with my Mac. Truly plug and play. Worth it!

Everything about this web cam and service was and is more than expected. It was easy to set up and not a single problem has arisen. It has my unqualified support.

Charles M. Panian

Had to purchase a high speed USB 2.0 card for my MAC computer since my computer didn't have a highspeed USB 2.0 port. After I did that the webcam worked fine. Like it very much. Would recommend the webcam to anyone.

iMage webcam plugged directly into my iMac G5 and worked perfectly from the word "go". The cord is a bit heavy for the light weight of the cam which in my case is not a problem, but could be for some perhaps in a cramped workspace. Cam may be used on a tripod, which is a feature I appreciate but will not use in my personal workspace situation. After three weeks I have no reason at all to regret this puchase and would buy this product again. I use only Macs and have not tested it with a Windows machine, but if it works with Windows as well as it has with iMac, that's just another plus, yes?